2003 Infiniti I35 problems & reliability
93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 Infiniti I35, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2003 Infiniti I35 vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 44 | 47% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 27 | 29% |
| Electrical System | 13 | 14% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 10 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 9% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 8 | 9% |
| Power Train | 5 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 5 | 5% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 101,000 miles (middle 50% between 77,000 and 153,000 miles), based on 81 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Camshaft sensor according to the Infiniti dealership (Ray Brandt on Causeway in Metairie La.) Is malfunctioning at makes the car engine die while driving. Then when you restart the car the engine revs fine in neutral but once in drive it won't go over 5 mph. Also the timing chain tensioner fails on this car and can…”
Engine · filed Jun 14, 2021
“2003 infinity i35 stalls/dies without warning, spits/jerks forward, check engine light, tcs and slip. Happens while driving but usually starts right back up afterwards. Has happened a number of times have replaced one camshaft position sensor and still have the same issue.”
Engine · filed Apr 12, 2021
“Tl* the contact own a 2003 infiniti i35. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehcile decelerated, loss motive power, and stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, restarted the vehicle and continued driving however, the failure persisted. The vehicle…”
Power Train · filed Mar 4, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 22V945
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Preliminary Evaluation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V226000
Technical service bulletins
64 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Infiniti I35. The 10 most recent:
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
ITB09-063C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
INTELLIGENT KEY NOT DETECTED / ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB13-052E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 20, 2024
WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB17-009H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB13-007I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB09-039K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 29, 2024
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB13-007H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2023
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB09-039J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2023
WHEEL BEARING COLLISION DAMAGE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB10-067C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2023
INFINITI; FRONT SONAR PARKING SENSOR SERVICE INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB16-006A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 24, 2021
NAVIGATION MAP DATA UPDATE MATRIX This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB11-003F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2021
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2003 Infiniti I35 has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2003 Infiniti I35?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 101,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.