Head-to-head reliability
Infiniti FX45 vs FORD F 150
How the Infiniti FX45 and FORD F 150 compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.
Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records
Infiniti FX45 vs FORD F 150: The FX45 has 27 complaints over 6 years (4.5/yr) and 40 recalls, while the F-150 has 11,311 complaints over 10 years (1,131/yr) and 145 recalls. The FX45's issues include driveshaft failure and airbag deployment, whereas the F-150's main problems are transmission and electrical glitches. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The picture
Is the Infiniti FX45 or FORD F 150 more reliable?
A plain-English read on what the NHTSA record says about living with each vehicle.
Infiniti FX45
The Infiniti FX45 is a performance-oriented SUV from the mid-2000s, and its complaint history suggests a mix of quality and safety concerns. Owners report issues with exterior lighting, air bag deployment, and drivetrain failures, including a driveshaft that can detach. While the number of complaints is relatively low, the nature of some problems—like unintended air bag deployment and loss of drive—raises serious safety questions. The vehicle also has a high recall count, indicating that many of these issues are known and addressed by the manufacturer.
FORD F 150
The Ford F-150 is a full-size pickup truck with a much higher volume of complaints, reflecting its popularity and longer production run. The dominant issues are in the powertrain, particularly the 10-speed automatic transmission, which owners report for hard shifting, jerking, and even sudden loss of power. Electrical system problems, including camera and sensor malfunctions, are also common. With over 11,000 complaints and 145 recalls, the F-150 shows a pattern of widespread, sometimes safety-critical failures that buyers should investigate thoroughly.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Infiniti FX45 | FORD F 150 |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 27 Better | 11,311 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 40 Better | 145 |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 1 Better | 328 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 4.5 Better | 1131.1 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 287 |
| Reported deathsTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 1 |
Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.
What actually goes wrong
The problems owners report
The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.
Infiniti FX45
- 01EXTERIOR LIGHTING6
- 02AIR BAGS5
- 03POWER TRAIN4
- 04STRUCTURE4
- 05FUEL SYSTEM3
Owners report headlights aimed too low, severely limiting visibility at night, and moisture buildup inside the light assemblies ('sweating'), which can reduce illumination and lead to premature failure.
There are reports of side airbags and the passenger seat airbag deploying in minor impacts, which can cause unexpected inflation and potential injury. This is a serious safety concern.
A critical issue involves the driveshaft falling out while driving, leading to sudden loss of power and the vehicle becoming immobile. This is a major safety hazard and has been subject to recall.
Owners mention the steering wheel material degrading and becoming sticky, and cracks appearing on the dashboard, particularly near the passenger airbag. These are cosmetic but may indicate material quality issues.
“I RECENTLY TOOK DELIVERY OF A NEW INFINITY FX45. IT NOW HAS ABOUT 600 MILES ON IT. THE HEADLIGHTS ARE AIMED TOO LOW TO ILLUMINATE THE ROAD AHEAD. VISIBILITY IS SEVERELY LIMITED TO ABOUT 2+ CAR LENGTHS AHEAD. I CANNOT MAINTAIN MINIMAL SPEED ON AN UNLIT HIGHWAY…”
“ALL THE LIGHTS ARE SWEATING, POOR VISIBILITY. ACCORDING TO: NUMBER OF REVIEWS ON HTSA: 06V-328 REVIEW DATE: ABRYCT 3 2006 NUMBER REVOCATION MANUFACTURER: R0608 SUMMARY DURING CANADIAN COMPLIANCE TESTING SOME SPECIAL VEHICLES SPORTS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL ST…”
FORD F 150
- 01POWER TRAIN3,553
- 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2,071
- 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER1,401
- 04EXTERIOR LIGHTING1,164
- 05ENGINE847
The most frequent complaints involve the 10-speed automatic transmission, with owners describing hard and delayed shifts, jerking, clunking, and even sudden loss of power or vehicle shutdown. This can be dangerous in traffic.
Many owners report warning messages for front camera malfunction and pre-collision assist not available, which appear on startup and may indicate sensor or software issues that disable safety features.
Headlight problems are common, including failures or poor performance, which can reduce visibility and increase the risk of nighttime accidents.
Engine-related complaints are also notable, though specific details are not provided in the sample. Owners may experience stalling, misfires, or other performance issues.
“I started noticing hard and delayed shifts from 7th into 8th gear. My RPM's were not increasing when this happened, and then on a very crowded major road I lost all power, vehicle shut off and drifted, then started up and jerked again very hard. This failure…”
“I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2020 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving normally, the transmission shifts hard (ie: jerks, clunks) between 4-5 and 5-6 gears, and has on occasion…”
Official recalls
Safety recalls on record
Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.
Infiniti FX45 — 40 recalls
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles ar…
The risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 o…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Missis…
The risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer s…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may caus…
The risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: On December 18, 2015 Nissan informed…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2003-2005 FX35 and FX45, and 2006 M35 and M45 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registere…
The risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-70…
FORD F 150 — 145 recalls
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from…
The risk: DRL that cannot dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C03.
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 F-150 vehicles. The fastener securing the Power Distribution Box (PDB) 12V cable and Battery Monitoring System (BMS) eyelets to the positive battery terminal may loosen and affect the vehicle's systems such as instrument panel displays and br…
The risk: Inoperative vehicle systems or an engine stall can increase the risk of a crash. Reduced braking and steering efforts increases the risk of a crash. This condition could also create a resistive short, increasing the risk of a fire.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the positive battery cable/BMS/PDB joint for excess sealant adhesive and remove any excessive adhesive, reassemble the joint, and retorque the fastener, as necessary, free of charge. The re…
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causin…
The risk: When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford…
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also…
The risk: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's num…
Buyer analysis
Infiniti FX45 or FORD F 150: which should you buy?
The Infiniti FX45 has far fewer complaints per year (4.5 vs. 1,131) and fewer recalls (40 vs. 145), indicating a lower frequency of reported issues. However, the FX45's problems, such as driveshaft failure and airbag deployment, are severe and potentially life-threatening. The F-150's issues are more numerous but often relate to transmission and electrical glitches that, while annoying, may be less immediately dangerous. In practice, the FX45 may require less frequent repairs but carries higher risk when failures occur.
Key differences
- The FX45 has a critical driveshaft issue that can cause sudden loss of power, while the F-150's transmission problems lead to hard shifts and occasional shutdowns.
- The FX45 has airbag deployment in minor impacts, a safety risk, whereas the F-150's electrical issues disable driver-assist features but do not cause unintended deployments.
- The FX45's lighting problems are about poor aim and moisture, while the F-150's lighting issues are more about headlight failures.
- The FX45 has a much lower complaint rate, but its recalls are numerous and serious, while the F-150's high complaint volume is spread across many components.
- Inspect the driveshaft and its mounting points for any signs of wear or looseness, and verify that all driveshaft-related recalls have been completed.
- Check the airbag system for any prior deployments or warning lights, and ensure all airbag recalls are done, as unintended deployment is a known issue.
- Test drive the F-150 at various speeds and listen for hard shifts or jerking, especially between 4th-6th gears, and check for any transmission-related recalls.
- Look for warning messages on the dashboard about camera or pre-collision assist, and have the electrical system checked if they appear.
Before you buy
- For the FX45, verify that all 40 recalls have been performed, especially those for airbags and driveshaft.
- For the F-150, check the transmission's shift quality and ask for service records related to the 10R80 transmission.
- Inspect the FX45's headlights for proper aim and any moisture inside the lenses.
- For the F-150, test all driver-assist features (camera, pre-collision) to ensure they work without warnings.
- Have a trusted mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection on either vehicle, focusing on the specific problem areas listed.
Check the actual car
Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.
Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific Infiniti FX45 or FORD F 150 in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Infiniti FX45 vs FORD F 150
- Infiniti FX45 total complaints
- 27
- FORD F 150 total complaints
- 11,311
- Infiniti FX45 total recalls
- 40
- FORD F 150 total recalls
- 145
- Infiniti FX45 avg complaints/year
- 4.5
- FORD F 150 avg complaints/year
- 1131.1
- More reliable overall
- Infiniti FX45
- Infiniti FX45 top complaint area
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- FORD F 150 top complaint area
- POWER TRAIN