[svnisus]

I purchased my QX30 two months ago. It was back at the dealership one month after owning it because the backup screen was going black, the audio system was malfunctioning and once after turning the car off and opening the door the radio and lights continued to stay on. I was told it was a software problem and that they updated the system.

Then approximately 6 weeks after owning it I released the rear hatch cover to vacuum only to discover the left harness was crushed. The next day I went to the dealership and asked to have the part replaced. When I went in for my follow-up appointment for another problem I was told the cover itself couldn't be replaced, the entire wiring harness had to be done as well and the dealership wasn't authorized to do that since it was an $11,000 repair. The dealership contacted Infiniti and the request was denied. They said it was designed that way. But when I checked the QX30 loaner they had given me, it wasn't crushed. I then checked a couple other cars on the lot. One was crushed to the point it had actually pushed the VIN number plate up and out of place. Several of the other cars also were also crushed.

I then contacted Infiniti Consumer Affairs. Spoke to a regional manager who told me since I haven't had any problems "yet" with the electrical system they can't and won't do anything about it. She also said while my case has been documented she can't guarantee that if these problems don't occur until after the warranty expires, that Infiniti will be willing to assist me.

The major problem is from what I gather, everything electrical runs through that harness. The regional manager did say that every time the hatch is opened and closed those wires are getting pinched. She also said that even if/when they replace it, it will happen again. If it's crushed once, it's going to get crushed again.

I was told the only way something will be done is if enough people have this problem and complain to consumer affairs. IMHO it is a design flaw that Infiniti won't own up to.

 

[p07r0457]

How many times are you going to post this? I think one thread is sufficient, no?

 

[__XIS__]

Thanks for the warning. I just checked mine and luckily, it was fine.
Get the BBB involved if you feel it was a MFG issue that they should resolve.

 

[svnisus]

p07r0457 Only posted this once under new thread. Did respond to several other folks concerns because I want to make sure everyone that is having what could be a related problem is aware of the situation.

 

[fastrack]

I purchased my QX30 two months ago. It was back at the dealership one month after owning it because the backup screen was going black, the audio system was malfunctioning and once after turning the car off and opening the door the radio and lights continued to stay on. I was told it was a software problem and that they updated the system.

Then approximately 6 weeks after owning it I released the rear hatch cover to vacuum only to discover the left harness was crushed. The next day I went to the dealership and asked to have the part replaced. When I went in for my follow-up appointment for another problem I was told the cover itself couldn't be replaced, the entire wiring harness had to be done as well and the dealership wasn't authorized to do that since it was an $11,000 repair. The dealership contacted Infiniti and the request was denied. They said it was designed that way. But when I checked the QX30 loaner they had given me, it wasn't crushed. I then checked a couple other cars on the lot. One was crushed to the point it had actually pushed the VIN number plate up and out of place. Several of the other cars also were also crushed.

I then contacted Infiniti Consumer Affairs. Spoke to a regional manager who told me since I haven't had any problems "yet" with the electrical system they can't and won't do anything about it. She also said while my case has been documented she can't guarantee that if these problems don't occur until after the warranty expires, that Infiniti will be willing to assist me.

The major problem is from what I gather, everything electrical runs through that harness. The regional manager did say that every time the hatch is opened and closed those wires are getting pinched. She also said that even if/when they replace it, it will happen again. If it's crushed once, it's going to get crushed again.

I was told the only way something will be done is if enough people have this problem and complain to consumer affairs. IMHO it is a design flaw that Infiniti won't own up to.

Do you have any pictures so I can compare yours with mine? I am just curious.

 

[svnisus]

The last picture is of the undamaged harness on the right side. The next four are different angles of the left side crushed harness.

 

[pavy]

What's actually inside of that sleeve? Is there a harness? Or just wires? Was anything done to determine if there is something wrong with what's inside of the sleeve beyond the obvious outer compression/damage? It's kind of hard to tell, but it doesn't look that it's been crushed that much - are you sure there's something wrong in that exact spot?

 

[p07r0457]

These are good questions, @pavy.


I'm not convinced that the pictures themselves demonstrate actual crush damage. Is it possible the harness if perfectly fine, inside, and it's only the boot that has been twisted?

 

[svnisus]

I was told by the dealership service manager that one continuous run of wires which control everything electrical in the car are run through both harness covers. He explained that if the repair was authorized basically the entire car from front to rear bumper would have to be disassembled. Then when I spoke to the Infiniti regional manager she said, "yes the wires are being pinched but it doesn't make sense to replace the part at this time since you aren't having any "major" problems because the problem will just reoccur since it seems to be design defect."

 

[svnisus]

The service department doesn't know what is causing the problems. They first said the car simply needed a software update which they did. But then yesterday the backup camera once again went black.

 

[p07r0457]

I purchased my QX30 two months ago. It was back at the dealership one month after owning it because the backup screen was going black, the audio system was malfunctioning and once after turning the car off and opening the door the radio and lights continued to stay on. I was told it was a software problem and that they updated the system.

When your backup camera goes black, please try holding down the radio power knob for several seconds. This force-reboots the infotainment system. Several of us have experienced black camera images, and rebooting the system brings the camera back online. If that works for you, too, then your camera issue is likely software based, and not due to the harness.

Then approximately 6 weeks after owning it I released the rear hatch cover to vacuum only to discover the left harness was crushed. The next day I went to the dealership and asked to have the part replaced. When I went in for my follow-up appointment for another problem I was told the cover itself couldn't be replaced, the entire wiring harness had to be done as well and the dealership wasn't authorized to do that since it was an $11,000 repair. The dealership contacted Infiniti and the request was denied. They said it was designed that way. But when I checked the QX30 loaner they had given me, it wasn't crushed. I then checked a couple other cars on the lot. One was crushed to the point it had actually pushed the VIN number plate up and out of place. Several of the other cars also were also crushed.

I then contacted Infiniti Consumer Affairs. Spoke to a regional manager who told me since I haven't had any problems "yet" with the electrical system they can't and won't do anything about it. She also said while my case has been documented she can't guarantee that if these problems don't occur until after the warranty expires, that Infiniti will be willing to assist me.

I inspected my harness/boot/grommet, today. They were not "crushed" like in your picture. However, I squeezed the boot and can feel the harness, inside. It feels like an average harness -- a group of wires that are tightly bound together -- I assume with electrical tape. The wires inside the boot do not fill the entire boot, and there is room to spare. It is entirely possible your boot was "twisted" upon installation, and that may not actually affect the integrity of the harness, inside. The boot is simply a protective jacket to keep water and other elements away from the wiring. I opened/closed the hatch, and I do see how the boot gets lightly compressed by the hatch against the body. It seems to only be a light compression, and as the boot has empty space inside of it (larger than it needs to be for the harness) I don't think the light compression would cause any harness damage.

The major problem is from what I gather, everything electrical runs through that harness. The regional manager did say that every time the hatch is opened and closed those wires are getting pinched. She also said that even if/when they replace it, it will happen again. If it's crushed once, it's going to get crushed again.

I do not believe wires should be getting "pinched". Mine aren't. If you're are actually being pinched, then what is pinching them?


I checked the service manual and it is part of the "Main Harness" that runs through that boot. However, it is only PART of the main harness -- not the entire thing. There are no CANBus or data lines. And the wires seem limited only to the functions on the rear hatch. Although the camera lines do run through the hatch, other people have experienced camera issues that are NOT due to hardware/wiring problems, so I'm not ready to blame your harness for that, yet. Please try the workaround I mentioned earlier. I'm curious to hear if that works for you. Your other issues are certainly concerning... But they would not be easily explained by damage to this harness, given the lack of any data lines or wires related to those functions.

I was told the only way something will be done is if enough people have this problem and complain to consumer affairs. IMHO it is a design flaw that Infiniti won't own up to.

Possibly. But beyond the inconsistent appearance, we haven't actually demonstrated that your harness is or will become damaged. Unless we can determine that, I wouldn't get too mad at Infiniti for not wanting to replace the entire main harness -- a complex procedure that requires removing a LOT of stuff. To be honest, I'd be more concerned about the vehicle not being put back together 100% properly and without damaging something else... So I wouldn't push for replacement, just yet, as it may not be your problem -- but it could cause new problems.

 

[svnisus]

These are good questions, @pavy.


I'm not convinced that the pictures themselves demonstrate actual crush damage. Is it possible the harness if perfectly fine, inside, and it's only the boot that has been twisted?

Unfortunately from what I've been told there is no way of knowing without destroying the boot cover.

 

[svnisus]

Thank you very much for all the comments and especially to p07r0457 who took the time to include the service diagram of the back hatch wiring.

Also, I appreciate the information on how to reset the backup camera. I will do it and see what happens.

Point well taken about the perils of having to disassemble the car in order to replace the harness...last thing I want is to be handed the keys to my car along with a bag of spare parts!

All your remarks have given me plenty to think about along with definitely giving me a bit more peace of mind. I will continue to monitor the harness to ensure it doesn't become even more compressed while also documenting any additional service concerns.

Thanks again!

 

[dsuslavi]

I was one of the earlier reports of the Backup camera issue way back in early 2017, and haven't posted here in a while. My suggestions for all of this would to keep pushing consumer affairs on this. Infiniti offered me a cash settlement for the electrical issues, then, after that my QX30 was in service for another 30 days for a turbocharger issue, and at that point, the state agreed to take my lemon case. Infiniti ended up offering a full buyback of the vehicle a week before the state lemon hearing earlier this year.

I hated to do it, but after leasing several Nissan and Infiniti vehicles, I took the buyback, switched to Lexus and haven't looked back. This car was such a nightmare, it just put a bad taste in my month.

I pulled a Carfax of my VIN and it looks like after the buyback the car is a ghost, so I'm not sure if corporate took it and tore it apart or what

 

[Shoshana Rozenberg]

hey,

Im having a similar problem with my qx30 harness. Can you tell me how your issue was resolvd?