1997 Infiniti QX4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other QX4 years
- More complaints than other years 2nd of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 45 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Infiniti QX4. That ranks 2nd out of 9 QX4 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (20 complaints, 44%), typically at around 127,500 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 5 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 45owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Infiniti QX4 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 20 | 44% | 127,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 11 | 24% | 150,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 9% | 101,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 7% | 118,070 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 7% | 180,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 2 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 4% | 105,460 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 4% | 7,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 2% | 263,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 2% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Infiniti QX4 recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:front; steering:column
Problem: Nissan is recalling certain model year 1996-2004 pathfinder and model year 1997-2003 infiniti qx4 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. In areas of the country in which heavy concentrations of road salt are used, a mixture of snow/water and salt may enter an assembly location hole in the upper strut housing, causing water to collect at the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly. Over time, this snow/water and salt intrusion may result in corrosion of the strut tower housing in some subject vehicles.
Risk: The strut housing may crack and pull away from the inner hood ledge assembly. This may lead to grinding noises, increased steering effort, and possibly the steering column to break, resulting in the loss of steering control, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Nissan will inspect the strut housing and repair the vehicles as necessary, free of charge. An interim notification letter was sent out in may 2011. The second notice was mailed on july 25, 2011. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:filler pipe and cap
Problem: On certain vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, tennessee, vermont, virginia, west virginia , wisconsin and the district of columbia, during the coating process of the fuel filler tube assembly, an insufficient amount of coating may have been applied at the lower mounting bracket. This could result in an opening in the coating which can allow water to enter and make contact with the bare metal of the tube.
Risk: This may result in surface rust but not perforation of the tube. However, in those areas of the country which use heavy concentrations of road salt in the winter, if a mixture of snow/water and salt makes contact with the bare metal, corrosion may occur to a degree which results in perforation of the tube. In this case fuel leakage may occur when filling the tank. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel filler tube assembly with a new one with an improved coating process. The recall began on november 26, 2007. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Frame/Body Structure Corrosion (PE11004) — opened Jan 28, 2011, closed Jun 30, 2011, led to recall 11V244000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 1997 Infiniti QX4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V244000 (Steering, Suspension). The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH and other various speeds over bumps in the roadway, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with the steering wheel becoming…
the rear end started to sway and shake ... made the car uncrontrlable, I reacted instantly and took my foot off the gas peddle and gripped the steering firmly like driving on snow...it came back under control as I was braking softly ....what a scary incident ...
I had my car sitting in my driveway detailing it. I've always took exceptional care of my vehicles and one thing i've always done was made sure the undercoating was top-notch. As i proceeded to undercoat the inside of the front fender wells on my 97 qx4 i noticed some rust forming behind the strut…
Car suspension shimmies, shakes and whole car rolls at highway speeds.
All 1997 thru 2003 frame suspension, suspension body panels were improperly undercoated to prevent rusting. Warning was issued in 2011, as third owner of vehicle, i was never notified. Causing imminent body harm and possibly death. Infinity was totally responsible for follow thru, and should be…
Other Infiniti QX4 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 QX4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 QX4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 QX4 | 20 | 3 |
| 2002 QX4 | 37 | 5 |
| 2001 QX4 | 73 | 4 |
| 2000 QX4 | 28 | 3 |
| 1999 QX4 | 43 | 2 |
| 1998 QX4 | 29 | 2 |
| 1997 | 45 | 2 |
See all Infiniti QX4 problems by year, every Infiniti model, or the Infiniti VIN decoder.
Similar Infiniti models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Infiniti QX4?
Owners most often report suspension, steering, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 20 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Infiniti QX4?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Infiniti QX4 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other QX4 model years, the 1997 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.