Luxury manufacturer Infiniti is recalling some 8,120 M45 sedan models built between March 7, 2002 and June 3, 2004. These 2003 and 2004 model year vehicles may exhibit erratic or incorrect fuel gauge readings caused by defective solder joints on the combination meter circuit board.

On certain vehicles, thermal stress may have caused solder cracks, creating an open circuit on the combination meter circuit board. In this condition, the fuel gauge may read higher than the level of fuel in the tank, or it may read full regardless of the tank’s contents. Either condition can increase the likelihood of running out of gas without prior warning.

The exact percentage of vehicles manufactured between the given dates exhibiting this gauge failure is unknown. Owners will be notified by Nissan when the recall begins in April, and Infiniti dealers will modify the combination meter circuit board on affected vehicles to display the proper fuel level reading. Until repairs are completed, we'd encourage owners of affected vehicles to track fuel usage via the trip odometer, using the fuel gauge only as an added reference.

Those with questions or concerns can reach Nissan’s customer service hotline at (800) 647-7261, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.