The 2007 M45 uses Nissan's VK45DE V8 paired with a 5-speed automatic (RE5R05A). While luxurious and powerful, this generation suffers from catastrophic engine failures due to gallery gasket defects and transmission cooler failures that can destroy the trans—both expensive, platform-specific nightmares.
Oil Gallery Gasket Failure Leading to Engine Destruction
Common · high severity
Typical onset: 80,000-140,000 mi
Symptoms: Rattling or knocking noise on cold start that disappears after warmup, Low oil pressure warning light intermittent or persistent, Check engine light with variable valve timing codes (P0011, P0021), Sudden catastrophic failure—spun bearings, seized engine
Fix: The upper oil gallery gaskets deteriorate and restrict oil flow to heads and cam phasers. Minor cases need gallery gasket replacement (12-16 hours). Advanced cases with bearing damage require short block or full rebuild (25-40 hours). Many engines are too far gone and need replacement.
Symptoms: Transmission slipping, harsh or delayed shifts, Milky or strawberry-colored transmission fluid on dipstick, Engine overheating or coolant loss with no visible leaks, Complete transmission failure after mixing fluids
Fix: The radiator-mounted trans cooler develops internal leaks, mixing coolant and ATF. Both fluids are ruined. Requires radiator replacement, external trans cooler install, full trans flush or rebuild if contamination went too far (rebuild: 18-24 hours; preventive cooler replacement: 3-4 hours).
Estimated cost: $800-6,500
Transmission Mounts Collapsing
Common · medium severity
Typical onset: 60,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: Clunk or thud when shifting from Park to Drive or Reverse, Vibration felt through cabin at idle or under acceleration, Excessive drivetrain movement visible when revving in gear with brakes applied
Fix: The rear transmission mount deteriorates, allowing excessive drivetrain movement. Replacement requires lifting the trans slightly. 2-3 hours labor.
Symptoms: Recall notice received by mail, Airbag warning light may or may not illuminate, Risk of inflator rupture with metal shrapnel in deployment
Fix: Four separate NHTSA recalls for driver and passenger airbag inflators. Dealer replacement at no cost if not already completed. Verify recall status by VIN before purchase—unrepaired units are safety hazards and some states won't register them.
Estimated cost: $0 (dealer recall repair)
Fuel Pump Failure
Occasional · high severity
Typical onset: 90,000-150,000 mi
Symptoms: Hard starting or extended cranking, especially when hot, Intermittent stalling or hesitation under load, Whining noise from rear of vehicle, No-start condition
Symptoms: Harsh 2-3 or 3-4 upshifts, Flare or slip during shifts, Check engine light with transmission solenoid codes, Erratic shift points
Fix: RE5R05A valve body bores wear, causing pressure loss. Requires trans removal, valve body replacement or reconditioning. 10-14 hours labor. Often done alongside a full rebuild if other internal damage exists.
Estimated cost: $2,200-4,000
Owner tips
Install an external transmission cooler immediately to bypass the factory radiator cooler—cheap insurance against the $6k cross-contamination disaster
Monitor oil pressure closely; if you hear ANY cold-start rattle, budget for gallery gaskets NOW before bearings get damaged
Change transmission fluid every 30k miles with OEM Nissan Matic-S fluid—this trans is sensitive to fluid condition
Check VIN for all four Takata airbag recalls and confirm completion before purchase
Avoid high-mileage examples over 120k unless full engine and trans service records are documented
Beautiful, fast sedan undermined by two catastrophic failure modes (engine and trans) that make high-mileage examples a gamble—only buy with verified low miles, full records, and a healthy budget for preventive work.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.
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AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · 22E066000
2022-08-09
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 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, and both driver and passenger-side inflators designed to fit 2007-2012 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback vehicles. Please see Nissan's recall report for the specific part numbers. These replacement inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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 · 20V008000
2020-01-09 · EA15001
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 are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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 or Infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · 17V028000
2017-01-10 · EA15001
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 the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A".
Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45 and 2009 Nissan Versa sedans and hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B".
Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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 customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · 16V349000
2016-05-24 · EA15001
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, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."
Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2008 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B."
Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Nissan is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Infiniti I35 vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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 service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45 vehicles manufactured April 4, 2004, through October 5, 2010. Over time, the accelerator pedal sensor signal may deteriorate resulting in the output of an incorrect signal causing the engine to go into fail-safe (limp home) mode.
Consequence: In this fail-safe mode, throttle valve deposits may cause the engine to stall when the vehicle is coming to a stop or at idle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the accelerator pedal assembly and reprogram the engine control module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during November 2013. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
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