Infiniti Extends Warranty on Tilt/Telescopic Steering Motor!

[dividedhighw]

Today I received a letter from Infiniti saying they are automatically extending the warranty on my Canadian EX35, for the "Steering Column Electrical Tilt Motor and Telescopic Motor" to 72 months or 110,000 kms (originally 48 months or 100,000 kms).

So, this is good news for all EX owners, but especially for those of us who haven't had such a failure and have been wondering if ours will fail just after the warranty expires (per Murphy's Law)!

Cheers,David

[Bmore]

I got the same letter. Nice way to handle the issue I think.

[302@12psi]

If they extend the warranty on USDM models then I'll re-activate that option. I turned it off to save wear and tear.

[Punjab]

I have received mine as well as a notice on the fuel pump, vin (date produced) plays a role in this..

[EXceptional]

Interesting how they say the extreme heat in the South plays a role in the Steering Wheel Adjustment failures... and how blended Gas makes the Fuel Pumps noisier.

[lsyankees]

I received the same extended warranty letter from Infiniti USA.

[googleman]

Is this for all EX owners?

[RobertN]

Here is how my story goes.......

I have already had both my fuel pump and steering motor replaced due to both of them going bad at least 3 - 4 months ago. Last week my service reminder light comes on so I make an appointment at the dealer for an oil change and basic maintenance. When I arrive at the dealer they ask me if I was there for the recall. At this point I did not know there was a recall for both of these items. I informed them that I am there for my basic service. They proceed to check the computers and sure enough I am on the recall for both items. Since they have both already been replaced they proceed to ask the manager if the recall needs to be performed. This person informed them that yes it does need to be done. Since there is no guarantee that my original fix was done with "new design" parts and that most likely both items were replaced with the "original" designed parts. So I leave my car overnight for the service call and recall to be performed............

My question now is...........

The first time they fixed both the fuel pump and the steering mechanism I had to reset all my pre-sets on the drivers seat and all the pre-assigned radio stations. I completely understood since they disconnect the battery to perform both of these fixes. BUT........this time........I did not have to reset a single thing. And I feel fairly confident the mechanic did not memorize the settings on the drivers seat nor did he write down every assigned radio station and reprogram them!!

So did they touch my recall at all or are they pulling the on me?????? What I am looking for here is can anyone verify 100% that you must disconnect the battery to complete these fixes? If I ask the dealer I don't feel confident they won't just pull the on me.

[EXceptional]

When I read the letter again, I see NO mention of the word "RECALL" anywhere.

However I do see my VIN number recorded on the Letter... so they do know which unit I have and if it has a problem, they will fix it.

That being said, they will only fix it, if it goes bad inside of a certain Time Frame, which has been extended courtesy of this Letter.

Maybe your replacement parts came from newer "Lots" and consequently didn't require replacement on further inspection ?

So I'm not sure you got screwed over totally.

[RobertN]

EXceptional,

I do understand your comments. My biggest problem is that they had me sign paperwork that states "replaced column motor per recall" and "replaced fuel pump per recall". And they are both highlighted in yellow. So per their own paperwork they DID perform the work. So can they perform this work without disconnecting the battery???.......I personally think they did not touch those items. Maybe I am wrong.......but they disconnected it the first time.

I have a lengthy story with Infinity and my confidence in them is zero. As I have read in other posts I have the same believe that calling Infinity directly is nothing but a waste of time. I have found that they do not stand behind their vehicles at all. Getting anything out of them requires a MAJOR fight from your end.

Strictly my personal feelings........love the car.....HATE the company. That being said Infinity will never see another dollar of mine going towards the purchase of one of their vehicles.

[saabin78]

I had both parts replaces at two seperate occasions. First my fuel pump and then the steering mottor, about two weeks ago. during both replacements no battery disconnected. I know that fuel pump was replaced cause no more humming noise comming from the back, and I know that motor was replaced since no more crancking noise when the steering column goes up and down. When I came for a steering column replacement they said that they need to check on the fuel pump, I replied that it was replaced couple of month ago and the service dude said that he needed to check anyway. And he did check it since in order to check they have to take out the back seat and I had a carseat there which was inthe trunck after I picked up the car. Hope this hepls, by the way thats in NY

[inteller]

Has anyone else got one of these letters? They are sticking a 72 month warranty on the steering wheel motor and saying they will replace the fuel pump for free.

Anyone know how long it takes the fuel pump to get replaced? I don't want to be without the car for long.

[mcube3]

Has anyone else got one of these letters? They are sticking a 72 month warranty on the steering wheel motor and saying they will replace the fuel pump for free.

Anyone know how long it takes the fuel pump to get replaced? I don't want to be without the car for long.

I only received a letter for the steering wheel motor as they replaced the fuel pump before they got a chance to send a letter to me

As for the fuel pump it took them about 3 hours to get it done if I remember correctly. But keep in mind I also had the oil change and had them change the setting of the auto-lock feature (locking/unlocking when I shift out/in of park instead of speed sensing) at the same time.

But I think most dealership should be able to arrange a shuttle or even a courtsey car

Hope it helps.

[inteller]

ok, so it sounds like they don't have to drop the tank to get to the pump, which is a good thing.

[dividedhighw]

New thread merged with existing thread to simplify location of, and contributions to, the topics under discussion.

EX35 Moderator

[mrsex35]

Hi Foks..1st time on forum...great read...
1) Just found out I need a steering column replacement & service rep is telling me it's NOT the extended warranty motors mentioned above.
2) Not sure this is correct?? Any comments would be appreciated.
3) Canadian vehicle, repair is north of $2.5K.
4) Steering has become hard to turning either way towards max turning point.
5) Any hekp would be appreciated!!

[XIS]

I'd go up the ladder. It was a known problem on the 2008 models. I think mine was replaced twice by the original owner and now it is fine.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease, so start squeaking loudly! At least the parts should be no charge.... at least.

[NJGuy]

Hi Foks..1st time on forum...great read...
1) Just found out I need a steering column replacement & service rep is telling me it's NOT the extended warranty motors mentioned above.
2) Not sure this is correct?? Any comments would be appreciated.
3) Canadian vehicle, repair is north of $2.5K.
4) Steering has become hard to turning either way towards max turning point.
5) Any hekp would be appreciated!!

From your post, it seems like you have a different problem that's not related to the motor that moves the steering wheel tilt and telescoping positions. It sounds like there's an issue with the steering column itself.

While your issue may not be eligible to be covered under the extended warranty of the tilt/telescoping motor, I'd still try to push the dealership hard to get Infiniti to foot the repair bill for two reasons:
1) You have a serious safety issue with the vehicle.
2) I don't recall steering column failures being a common issue on most cars; I think they are actually pretty rare.

If you could provide us more info about your car, we may be able to help you out a bit more. What's the year and mileage of your EX? Did you buy the car new, or is it a pre-owned model? What do you know about the history of the car (number of owners, maintenance history, accidents, etc.)? What did the write-up say on the invoice given to you by the service rep?

[EXceptional]

A copy of the American Letter...

ITB09-014 April 16, 2009
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN
2008 INFINITI EX AND 2009 INFINITI FX
STEERING COLUMN COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
CAMPAIGN ID #:
P9201

Check Service Comm to confirm campaign eligibility

INTRODUCTION
On some 2008 Model Year EX vehicles and 2009 Model Year FX vehicles, the steering column comfort
adjustment features (tilt and telescopic) may stop working. This issue does not affect one’s ability to steer the
vehicle. Rather, it only affects the ability to adjust the steering wheel comfort settings.
To ensure a high level of customer satisfaction among potentially affected Infiniti owners, Infiniti is conducting a
Voluntary Service Campaign to replace the tilt and telescope motors. This service will be performed at no
charge for parts or labor.
Eligible Vehicles
(check Service Comm to confirm campaign eligibility)
Dealer Inventory: Vehicles falling within the range of this campaign in all states.
Customer owned (registered vehicles): Because this issue only affects vehicles normally operated in warm
climates, this service campaign is limited to the following states:
Hawaii North Carolina Utah Florida Nevada Arkansas
Arizona Texas California Georgia Alabama Mississippi
Tennessee Louisiana Missouri South Carolina Iowa New Mexico

NOTE:
Vehicles registered in States other than the ones listed above are not subject to this campaign.
However, Infiniti has extended the New Vehicle Limited Warranty on the steering column assembly (only)
from 48 months/60,000 miles to 72 months/70,000 miles (whichever occurs first). Owners will be notified of
the warranty extension by mail and receive a sticker to place in their warranty booklet explaining the
extended warranty coverage. Refer to Warranty Bulletin IWB/09-011.

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
Infiniti has assigned identification number P9201 to this campaign. This number must appear on all
communications and documentation of any nature dealing with this campaign.

DEALER RESPONSIBILITY
Dealers are to correct each vehicle falling within the range of this campaign that enters the service department.
This includes vehicles purchased from private parties or presented by transient (tourist) owners and vehicles in
a dealer’s inventory.

[TimGinCentralNJ]

If they extend the warranty on USDM models then I'll re-activate that option. I turned it off to save wear and tear.

I did, too, however, 3 years after changing the setting, my father in law borrowed by EX and was apparently messing with the tilt setting....and now the motor/gear is stripped. Hoping my factory extended warranty covers it.

Tim