Summary
The INFINITI FX35 has 12 recalls covering 2003–2012 model years, with the most serious being a Takata airbag inflator defect on 2005–2012 vehicles registered in high-humidity regions where the inflator can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin. The 2003–2006 model years sold or registered in high-humidity areas face the same rupture risk through a separate but related filing covering those earlier years. Both issues share the same root danger: the passenger frontal airbag inflator can fail violently in a crash rather than deploying normally.
Subsequent repair attempts for the Takata inflator created their own problems. Vehicles from 2003 and 2006–2008 that received replacement airbag assemblies under earlier recalls may have had the cushion folded incorrectly, which can cause it to tear during deployment and reduce protection in a crash. A separate follow-up issue on 2006 models involves an incorrect replacement airbag being installed during a prior repair, leaving the bag prone to tearing or failing to inflate properly.
On 2003 models, several distinct issues surfaced. The front brake caliper mounting bolts may not have been adequately tightened at the factory, allowing a caliper to rotate or break free from its bracket and sharply reduce braking ability. The propeller shaft attachment bolts on the same year may also have been undertightened, meaning the shaft can work loose and separate from the vehicle while driving. Lighting on 2003 vehicles produced two compliance issues: the rear stop, tail, and turn signals can be too dim when viewed at an angle, and the headlamp assemblies and a rear combination lamp assembly did not meet photometric output requirements, all of which reduce how visible the vehicle is to other drivers. A minor label issue also affects 2003 models, where the tether anchor cover symbol is slightly smaller than required by Canadian standards, though it remains legible.
