NHTSA Complaint #10353377 — 2009 INFINITI G37

APPARENTLY ON 2009 INFINITI G37S, THERE IS A PROGRAMMING ERROR/DEFICIENCY IN THE ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) AFFECTING THE PROCESSING OF THE MASS FLOW RATE SENSOR THAT WILL CAUSE THE ENGINE TO UNEXPECTEDLY (AND WITHOUT A DASH WARNING INDICATOR) TO LOSE POWER. AT OCCURRENCE OF THE FAILURE, THE CAR WILL DECELERATE FROM HIGHWAY SPEED TO LESS THAN 35 MPH WITHIN A FEW SECONDS. FOLLOWING THE FAILURE, THE ENGINE RPM WILL NOT EXCEED 2,400 RPM AND SPEEDS ABOVE 35 MPH ARE IMPOSSIBLE (I FOUND THAT 4TH GEAR IS THE HIGHEST GEAR SELECTABLE). THIS FAILURE CAN BE DANGEROUS IN A NUMBER OF TRAFFIC SITUATIONS. I HAVE LEARNED FROM AN INFINITI SERVICE DEPT. THAT THE FAILURE WILL TEMPORARILY CORRECT ITSELF IF THE ENGINE IS TURNED OFF FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, BUT THAT THE FAILURE COULD REOCCUR. THE CAR'S ECM WAS RE-PROGRAMMED BY TOWBIN INFINITI (LAS VEGAS, NV) ON AUGUST 30 AND THAT SUPPOSEDLY FIXES THE FAILURE. WHILE AT TOWBIN, THE SERVICE MAN SAID THAT INFINITI KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM, BUT IS WAITING TO SEE HOW WIDE-SPREAD THE PROBLEM IS. OWNERS HAVE NOT BEEN TOLD OF THIS PROBLEM. TOWBIN SERVICE SAID THEY HAVE SEEN ABOUT 300 CASES OF THE PROBLEM. A SALT LAKE CITY DEALER SERVICE DEPT. HAD ALSO HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM. AGAIN, I FEEL THIS PROBLEM CAN BE DANGEROUS, BECAUSE: IF IT WERE TO OCCUR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF OTHERS; IF IT WERE TO OCCUR WHEN TURNING IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC; AFTER IT OCCURS, THERE IS NO WAY TO KEEP UP WITH HIGHER SPEED TRAFFIC - ONE IS LEFT GOING SLOW AND HOPING NO ONE REAR ENDS ME; WITHOUT MORE INFORMATION, I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THE PROBLEM HAS REALLY BEEN FIXED. *TR