Head-to-head reliability

Infiniti M45 vs FORD F 150

How the Infiniti M45 and FORD F 150 compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.

Infiniti M45174 complaints · 33 recalls Fewer issues per year
FORD F 15011,102 complaints · 144 recalls

Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records

Which should you buy?

Infiniti M45 averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. Infiniti M45 has 174 complaints and 33 recalls on record; FORD F 150 has 11,102 complaints and 144 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.

The numbers

Side-by-side NHTSA record

Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.

CategoryInfiniti M45FORD F 150
Total complaintsAll model years combined174 Better11,102
Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns33 Better144
Crash reportsCrash-related complaints0 Better319
Complaints per yearAveraged across model years24.9 Better1110.2
Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints0 Better287
Reported deathsTied to owner complaints0 Better1

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 M45

  1. 01FUEL SYSTEM107
  2. 02GASOLINE89
  3. 03ENGINE30
  4. 04ELECTRICAL SYSTEM27
  5. 05ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING19
In owners' words — FUEL SYSTEM

PURCHASED MY 2004 INFINITI M45 AT WILLOW GROVE INFINITI IN THE SUBURBS OF PHILADELPHIA WITH 22,160 MILES. I PERFORMED A THOROUGH TEST DRIVE AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT TO BE MY "WEEKEND" CAR SINCE I'M ALREADY SUPPLIED WITH A COMPANY…

THIS COMPLAINT RELATES TO A 2004 INFINITY M45. IN THE SPRING OF 2010, I NOTICED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WAS SHOWING NEARLY A FULL TANK OF GAS, BUT IT HAD BEEN A LONG PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE I HAD PUT GAS IN THE TANK. WHEN I FILLED UP THE TANK, I REALIZED THAT THE T…

FORD F 150

  1. 01POWER TRAIN3,492
  2. 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2,052
  3. 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER1,380
  4. 04EXTERIOR LIGHTING1,150
  5. 05ENGINE828
In owners' words — POWER TRAIN

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…

The vehicle experienced intermittent transmission-related drivability issues before the recall remedy was available. The vehicle had delayed/hard shifting, an intermittent wrench warning light, and a reduced power/limp mode condition where the transmission wo…

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 M45 — 33 recalls

Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module
#20V008000Sep 2020

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…

Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module
#16V349000

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…

Air Bags — Frontal — Driver Side — Inflator Module
#22E066000Sep 2022

The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag inflators designed to fit Infiniti 2002-2003 QX4, 2006-2010 M35 and M45; Nissan 2…

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: Dealers will inspect and replace the inflators as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 14, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module
#17V028000Oct 2017

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…

FORD F 150 — 144 recalls

Engine
#18V894000

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…

Engine
#19V278000Aug 2019

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…

Seat Belts — Pretensioner
#18V568000

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-…

Latches/Locks/Linkages — Doors — Latch
#17V652000

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…

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 M45 or FORD F 150 in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.

Go deeper

Full reliability reports

Infiniti M45 vs FORD F 150 — comparison facts
Comparison
Infiniti M45 vs FORD F 150
Infiniti M45 total complaints
174
FORD F 150 total complaints
11,102
Infiniti M45 total recalls
33
FORD F 150 total recalls
144
Infiniti M45 avg complaints/year
24.9
FORD F 150 avg complaints/year
1110.2
More reliable overall
Infiniti M45
Infiniti M45 top complaint area
FUEL SYSTEM
FORD F 150 top complaint area
POWER TRAIN