This is the second QX56 we purchased - the first, a 2004 was traded in for the 2006 thanks to a very generous offer from Infiniti - apparently there were problems with the 2004. We never experienced any problems with ours however. The brakes, over the course of ownership have always been kinda wonky, which is kinda scary considering how big this vehicle is and how much it weighs.

I am a female owner/driver, and have owned all kinds of SUV's for the last 50 years, ranging from a 46 Jeep Willys, a 66 Ford Bronco, Jeep CJ5 and then moved up to full sized SUV's including - Ford Broncos, Ford Expeditions, Chevy Suburbans and GMC XL Denalis, and numerous Chevy/GMC pick ups, so I am well versed with 4x4 and truck like performance vehicles. I have towed boats and snowmobiles, horse trailers, car trailers and equipment trailers. I am not a rookie here.

However, this QX56 is making me crazy. First of all, I love it. It's not your run of the mill truck - it was advanced when I bought it almost 12 years ago when it came to the technical stuff and the creature comforts. It has a distinctive look and a heavy presence on the road - it doesn't have that "light feeling" as you're going down Interstate 81 at 90 mph. This truck has only ever had one problem - the frickin' brakes. They have been checked, tested, pulled, etc., etc., etc. over the course of a decade and finally rotors, pads, etc. were replaced about a 1000 miles ago. Now, keep in mind this truck only has 64,563 miles on it and when I tell you this truck is my baby, well, it is babied - like when you get ready to make a turn into a driveway or the entrance to a parking area, I gently ease it in, unlike my husband who has 2 speeds, stop and go like a bat out of hell. That's why he has his own vehicle and I have mine.

Today, as I'm just running "wifey" errands, as I approach a stop light, I apply the brakes and the pedal goes to the floor and a loud grinding noise ensues. The noise sounds as if you threw metal parts into a blender. Not panicking, I start pumping the brakes and coast to a stop. A check of the dash shows a red brake light indicator. As I sit at the light, I engage and disengage the emergency brake pedal numerous times and then turn the vehicle on and off numerous times. As the light turns green, I proceed and notice the brake light is still on and instead of completing my list of errands, I head home, taking the back roads to avoid stop signs, red lights and traffic. The brake light stays on, the grinding occurs when I apply the brakes, but I manage to get home, pull the vehicle into the garage, and there it sits.

I have called the dealership and as of now am waiting for a return call from the service department. I am pissed as the brake job that was done at the last maintenance service cost over a thousand dollars - out of my pocket - as the dealership swears there are no recalls, reported problems, or notifications from Nissan/Infiniti. At least my complaints regarding the brakes are documented on the service records of the truck, but it's interesting that a recall was done on the Nissan version of this vehicle, but not the more expensive Infiniti. Can't wait to hear what the dealership has to say......