Head-to-head reliability
Infiniti M35 vs FORD F 150
How the Infiniti M35 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 M35 vs FORD F 150: the M35 has 0 complaints over 5 years and 29 recalls, while the F-150 has 11,621 complaints over 10 years, 151 recalls, and 330 crash-related complaints. The F-150's owner reports often involve transmission limp mode and electrical faults. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The picture
Is the Infiniti M35 or FORD F 150 more reliable?
A plain-English read on what the NHTSA record says about living with each vehicle.
Infiniti M35
The Infiniti M35 is a luxury sedan with zero owner complaints filed with NHTSA over the five-year window, which suggests owners have not reported recurring breakdowns in the complaint system. However, it carries 29 recalls, including multiple for passenger and driver frontal airbag inflator modules and one for the accelerator pedal. In ownership terms, the M35 looks like a car with a quiet complaint record but a notable recall history that a buyer should verify was completed.
FORD F 150
The Ford F-150 is a full-size pickup with a very high complaint volume: 11,621 complaints over ten years, averaging about 1,162 per year, plus 151 recalls and 330 crash-related complaints. Owner reports center on power train and electrical problems, especially transmission limp mode, stuck gears, and lead frame failures. The data paints a picture of a widely used truck with frequent, sometimes serious, owner-reported issues.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Infiniti M35 | FORD F 150 |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 0 Better | 11,621 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 29 Better | 151 |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 0 Better | 330 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 0.0 Better | 1162.1 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 297 |
| 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 M35
No component data available.
The M35 has multiple recalls for frontal airbag inflator modules on both the passenger and driver sides. A buyer should confirm these recalls were repaired, because an unrepaired inflator can affect airbag performance in a crash.
One recall covers the vehicle speed control accelerator pedal. This matters because a pedal-related defect could affect how the car responds to driver input, so the recall should be checked and completed.
FORD F 150
- 01POWER TRAIN3,648
- 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2,100
- 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER1,431
- 04EXTERIOR LIGHTING1,224
- 05ENGINE880
Owners report transmission problems such as limp mode, getting stuck in 5th gear, and lead frame failures. One owner described a near collision and said the lead frame issue has gone on for over a decade without a proper remedy.
Electrical complaints include the same lead frame issue and an output speed sensor failure that triggered highway limp mode. Another owner reported the rear window exploding outward after the defroster was turned off, which points to a possible short.
This category includes the rear window defroster short that one owner linked to the back window shattering. Because the cause is not clearly categorized, a buyer should pay attention to window and defroster behavior.
Exterior lighting is one of the top complaint components, though the sample text does not describe a specific lighting failure. A buyer should still check all lights and related wiring, since lighting complaints are common enough to rank high.
“This lead frame issue is never ending. Well over a decade without a proper remedy. I’m very familiar with it. but this one nearly ended my life. After the near collision I called my mechanic and bought a new ford lead frame from a dealership. It’s doing fine…”
“My 2017 Ford F-150 V8 with the 6-speed automatic transmission has been experiencing a serious and recurring transmission malfunction. The truck has consistently, almost on a daily basis, gone into limp mode and become stuck in 5th gear. It also frequently fai…”
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 M35 — 29 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 2012 Nissan Versa hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and th…
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 front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on June 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan…
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…
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…
FORD F 150 — 151 recalls
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 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 and previously remedied under recall 18V894. During the previous repair, the block he…
The risk: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the engine block heater cord, free of charge. The…
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.
The risk: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-…
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford F-150, and 2017 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty trucks. The doors on these vehicles may have a bent or kinked actuation cable or the door latches may freeze after water gets into the latch. Either condition can result in the do…
The risk: A door that opens while driving can increase the risk of injury.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the door latch actuation cables and repair if necessary, and install water shields over the door latches, free of charge. The recall began October 12, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer…
Buyer analysis
Infiniti M35 or FORD F 150: which should you buy?
The Infiniti M35 has far fewer complaints per year (0.0 versus about 1,162 for the F-150) and no reported crashes, injuries, or deaths in its complaint data. In practice, the F-150's complaint record shows many more owner-reported problems, especially transmission and electrical failures, while the M35's main caution is its recall list rather than a pattern of complaints.
Key differences
- The M35 has 0 complaints over 5 years, while the F-150 has 11,621 complaints over 10 years, about 1,162 per year.
- The F-150's top complaint area is power train with 3,648 complaints, including transmission limp mode and lead frame failures; the M35 has no complaint text on record.
- The F-150 has 330 crash-related complaints, 297 injuries, and 1 death in its complaint data; the M35 has 0 in each of those categories.
- The M35 has 29 recalls, including multiple airbag inflator and accelerator pedal recalls, while the F-150 has 151 recalls covering engine, seat belts, door latches, and airbag inflators.
- Check whether the passenger and driver frontal airbag inflator recalls were completed, since multiple recalls cover these modules.
- Confirm the accelerator pedal recall was performed, because an open speed control recall could affect pedal response.
- Test drive for transmission limp mode, delayed shifting, or getting stuck in a gear, and ask whether the lead frame or output speed sensor has been replaced.
- Inspect the rear window and defroster operation, and watch for signs of electrical shorts after using the defroster.
Before you buy
- For either vehicle, ask for a recall history report and confirm all open recalls were repaired before purchase.
- On the M35, specifically verify the airbag inflator and accelerator pedal recalls were completed.
- On the F-150, scan for transmission trouble codes and test drive at highway speed to check for limp mode or stuck gears.
- On the F-150, test the rear window defroster and inspect the back window for cracks or prior replacement.
- Compare the F-150's high complaint volume and crash-related reports against your risk tolerance, and get a pre-purchase inspection focused on power train and electrical systems.
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 M35 or FORD F 150 in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Infiniti M35 vs FORD F 150
- Infiniti M35 total complaints
- 0
- FORD F 150 total complaints
- 11,621
- Infiniti M35 total recalls
- 29
- FORD F 150 total recalls
- 151
- Infiniti M35 avg complaints/year
- 0.0
- FORD F 150 avg complaints/year
- 1162.1
- More reliable overall
- Infiniti M35
- FORD F 150 top complaint area
- POWER TRAIN