NHTSA Complaint #10364192 — 2003 INFINITI Q45

MY 2003 INFINITI Q45 REPEATEDLY STALLS [SO FAR, 15+ TIMES] AND OFTEN WILL NOT RESTART [10+ TIMES]. WITH MY FAMILY AND ME IN THE CAR, THE STALLING OF THE CAR PUTS US REPEATEDLY IN JEOPARDY OF A REAR-END COLLISION OR VANDALISM OR BODILY INJURY IN DANGEROUS AREAS. THE CAR IS PROPERLY MAINTAINED ON ITS SERVICE SCHEDULE. IT TOOK MY MECHANIC A WEEK AT A COST OF $90 TO CONFIRM THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE [ECM], THE 'BRAIN' OF THE CAR WHICH CONTROLS OTHER VEHICLE SENSORS, AND THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY THE INFINITI DEALER AT A COST OF $150. THE ECM WAS SENT TO TEXAS FOR RECONDITIONING AND REPROGRAMMING, BUT IS BEING RETURNED BECAUSE THE ECM IS IRREPARABLE. THE COST TO BUY AND REPROGRAM A NEW ECM FROM INFINITI, THE ONLY SOURCE, IS $2000 FOR A VEHICLE WITH 100,000+ MILES. BUT A NEW ECM WILL LIKELY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS AS THE ECM BEING REPLACED. I DO NOT WANT TO PUT MY FAMILY IN REPEATED JEOPARDY. THERE IS NO ASSURANCE THAT THE NEW ECM WILL WORK PROPERLY. I AM SUSPICIOUS THAT THE INFINITI ECMS CONTAIN NUMEROUS DESIGN FLAWS. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS, ASIDE FROM STALLING, WITH THE EXISTING ECM, INCLUDING DOOR LOCKS AUTOMATICALLY LOCKING WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION SO THAT I AM LOCKED OUT, THE LOCKS NOT UNLOCKING, ETC BOTH MY MECHANIC AND INFINITY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THESE PROBLEMS UNTIL IT BECAME CLEAR THAT I HAD A MALFUNCTIONING ECM. THERE WAS A RECENT MASSIVE RECALL OF NISSAN AND INFINITI ECMS, BUT THE INFINITI Q45 WAS EXCLUDED, EVEN THOUGH THE SYMPTOM OF REPEATED STALLING IS IDENTICAL TO MY CAR, EXCEPT THAT, WORSE, I ALSO OFTEN CANNOT RESTART THE VEHICLE. *TR