2004 Infiniti QX56: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
106 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
86,381 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2004 model year. Data snapshot: . 92 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Service Brakes is the most frequently named component, appearing in 33 of 106 complaints (31.1%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 68 | 64.2% |
| Steering behavior | 17 | 16.0% |
| Transmission and shifting | 4 | 3.8% |
| Engine operation | 4 | 3.8% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 4 | 3.8% |
| Fuel system concerns | 1 | 0.9% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 33 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 17 |
| Electrical System | 14 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor | 9 |
| Air Bags | 8 |
| Engine | 5 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 |
Service Brakes: 33; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 17; Electrical System: 14; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor: 9; Air Bags: 8; Engine: 5; Fuel System, Gasoline: 4; Engine And Engine Cooling: 3
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 25 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 6 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 11 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 16 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 26 |
| 150,000 and above | 8 |
Under 25,000: 25; 25,000 to 49,999: 6; 50,000 to 74,999: 11; 75,000 to 99,999: 16; 100,000 to 149,999: 26; 150,000 and above: 8
100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (26). 14 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 8 |
| 2005 | 17 |
| 2006 | 3 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 7 |
| 2011 | 7 |
| 2012 | 8 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 19 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
2004: 8; 2005: 17; 2006: 3; 2008: 2; 2009: 1; 2010: 7; 2011: 7; 2012: 8; 2013: 5; 2014: 19; 2015: 7; 2016: 9; 2017: 5; 2018: 2; 2019: 2; 2020: 1; 2021: 1; 2022: 1; 2024: 1
Pattern summary
Service Brakes leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 68 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 17 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 4 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10079597 · 2004-06-21 (June 21, 2004)
PASSENGER'S AIR BAG TURNS OFF INTERMITTENTLY WHEN CONSUMER'S SPOUSE SITS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE SPOUSE IS 5'7' IN HEIGHT, AND WEIGHS 120 LBS. THE SENSORS ARE DEFECTIVE. HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER IS TELLING THE OWNER THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 640 miles reported. Look up ODI 10079597 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10079807 · 2004-06-23 (June 23, 2004)
PROBLEMS WITH PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG.*MR SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DEACTIVATION INDICATOR LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH INTERMITTENTLY. THE REAR LIFT GATE SENSOR WOULD BEEP WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM BUT COULD NOT OFFER AN IMMEDIATE SOLUTION. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WASHER SPRAYER DID NOT FUNCTION. THE LIQUID BEING SPRAYED OUT OF THE SPRAYER WAS ALCOHOL WHICH DISCOLORED THE PAINT ON THE HOOD COWLING. THE DVD ENTERTAINMENT UNIT BROKE. WHILE DRIVING OVER BUMPS THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE CA…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10079807 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10086372 · 2004-08-07 (August 7, 2004)
SEVERAL FAILURES: 1. FAILURE OF THE BACKUP WARNING SENSORS. 2. FAILURE OF THE SEAT MEMORY SYSTEM. 3. FAILURE OF THE STEERING WHEEL ENTRY/EXIT POSITION FUNCTION. 4. NAVIGATION DISK FAULTS 5. HEAD LINER SQEAZKS AND RATTLES. THE CAR HAS NOW BEEN IN AT THE DEALER FOR THREE WEEKS TO REPAIR THESE PROBLEMS. I HAVE PICKED THE CAR UP ONCE ONLY TO TURN AROUND AND RETURN IT WHEN THE HEADLINER PROBLEMS STARTED AGAIN AND THE BACKUP WARNING SENSORS MALFUNCTIONED AGAIN. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10086372 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10093315 · 2004-09-29 (September 29, 2004)
THE FRONT BRAKES ON MY 2004 INFITI QX56 BEGAN SQUEAKING AND SHUDDERING IN MID JULY 2004 AT APPOXIMATELY 5000 MILES. THE BRAKE REPAIR PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 24, 2004. AT THIS WRITING 09/29/04, THE VEHICLE REMAINS AT THE DEALER AWAITING A REPLACEMENT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY THAT TOOK TWO MONTHS TO ARRIVE. IT TURNS OUT THE WRONG PART WAS ORDERED REQUIRING A REORDER OF THE PART. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN PROMISED TO ME BY 09/30/04!*AK
Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10093315 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10097672 · 2004-10-25 (October 25, 2004)
WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP COMPLETELY. HOWEVER, CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE ABS SYSTEM KICKED IN. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE PADS AND COMPUTER SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND REPLACED THEM. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10097672 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10102383 · 2004-12-08 (December 8, 2004)
FAILURE OR BRAKE ROTORS ON BRAND NEW INFINITY QX56 @ 2000 MILES. FOUND OUT ON INTERNET THAT THIS IS A COMMON NATIONWIDE PROBLEM WITH ALL NEW NISSAN ARMADA'S AND INFINITY QX56'S. DEALER WANTS TO RESURFACE DEFECTIVE ROTORS. I DO NOT THINK THE VEH. IS SAFE TO DRIVE. *JB
Owner-reported narrative. 2,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10102383 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10102942 · 2004-12-14 (December 14, 2004)
INFINITI QX56 HAS BRAKE SYSTEM DESIGN FLAW. FRONT BRAKES NEED REPLACEMENT ON AVERAGE EVERY 4-6000 MILES. BRAKE ROTORS ARE TOO SMALL WHICH CAUSES ROTOR WARPAGE. AS A RESULT, THE STEERING WHEEL SHUTTERS BACK AND FORTH WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS FROM NISSAN. THIS IS BRAKE DESIGN FLAW ALSO EFFECTS SIMILAR PLATFORMS SUCH AS THE ARMADA AND THE TITAN. THERE ALSO IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE FRONT END WHICH CAUSES THE STEERING WHEEL TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH. HITTING CERTAIN BUMPS …
Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10102942 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10105335 · 2004-12-27 (December 27, 2004)
CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. UPON IMPACT, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10105335 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
10V517000 · Engine And Engine Cooling
Reported: 2010-10-28 (October 28, 2010)
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.
Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE STALLING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA campaign record ↗