2018 INFINITI Q50 Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the front passenger seat and passenger seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

NHTSA ID

11748898

Incident

May 7, 2026

Mileage

34,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger OCS sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,200.

NHTSA ID

11742781

Incident

Jun 8, 2026

Mileage

59,200 mi

I am submitting this complaint regarding a safety defect in my 2018 Infiniti Q50, which was manufactured prior to May 1, 2018. Despite matching the make, model, and production timeframe associated with an existing Infiniti recall for backup camera failures, my specific vehicle is not included in the recall population. The backup camera in my vehicle intermittently fails to display an image or presents a blank or distorted screen when the vehicle is placed in reverse. This defect significantly impairs rear visibility and increases the risk of a collision, particularly in situations involving pedestrians, children, or obstacles that may not be visible through mirrors alone. The backup camera is a critical safety feature, and its failure directly compromises safe vehicle operation. The exclusion of my vehicle from the recall is concerning, given that it shares the same model year, platform, and manufacturing period as those already identified as defective. This suggests that the defect may be more widespread than currently acknowledged. A malfunctioning backup camera is not a minor inconvenience as it creates a clear and preventable safety hazard. I urge the NHTSA to review this issue and consider expanding the scope of the existing recall to include all affected 2018 Infiniti Q50 vehicles, including those manufactured before May 1, 2018, that are currently excluded. Additionally, I encourage further investigation into the consistency and reliability of the backup camera systems in this model line. This complaint is submitted not only to address my individual vehicle but also to contribute to a broader understanding of a potential safety defect that may affect other drivers. I believe that multiple reports of similar issues will help prompt appropriate action to ensure public safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

NHTSA ID

11735910

Incident

May 5, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Infiniti Q50. It was discovered that there were three separate mileage discrepancies. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 50,370; however, at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage had been rolled back from 54,000 to 28,630 miles. The mileage before the vehicle was purchased was 47,650.

NHTSA ID

11725568

Incident

Jan 12, 2026

Mileage

54,000 mi

Filing this complaint regarding a safety-related defect involving the turbocharger system on my 2018 INFINITI Q50. The vehicle has approximately 46,000 miles and is 8 years old. INFINITI/Nissan has acknowledged through its own Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that turbocharger failure on 2016–2018 Q50 3.0T vehicles is a known defect. Nissan’s documentation identifies issues such as turbo oil seal leaks, reduced engine power, smoke, and potential catastrophic engine failure, and provides an extended warranty of up to 10 years or 120,000 miles due to the safety risks associated with sudden power loss. My vehicle experienced turbocharger failure consistent with these known defects, resulting in loss of engine power, which presents a serious safety hazard, particularly during highway driving, merging, or intersections. Sudden loss of propulsion increases crash risk and endangers vehicle occupants and others on the road. In some cases, turbo failure can occur with little or no warning, further increasing risk. The failure was confirmed by INFINITI/Nissan service departments, and the vehicle remains available for inspection. CarMax insurance approved the engine repair, acknowledging mechanical failure; however, they declined to approve turbocharger repair specifically because INFINITI has issued a known TSB and extended warranty covering turbo failure, deferring responsibility to the manufacturer. Despite the vehicle being within the extended warranty limits, Nissan denied coverage, claiming the vehicle has a “branded title.” This claim is unsupported by VIN reports, the loan originator, and CarMax’s own title search prior to leasing all confirm the title is not branded. Nissan has provided no documentation supporting its assertion. Nissan N.A. reviewed and closed the matter despite the known safety defect and lack of evidence for the title claim. Represents a safety-related defect and improper denial of a manufacturer-recognized safety remedy, warranting NHTSA review.

NHTSA ID

11709489

Incident

Oct 4, 2025

Leak in the turbo causing oil to burn and create smoke from the exhaust

NHTSA ID

11704146

Incident

Dec 10, 2025

The serpentine belt on my 2018 Infiniti Q50 Sport became contaminated with oil immediately after dealer turbo replacement at the end of August 2025, causing the belt to slip, shred, and be pulled into the engine. This resulted in sudden loss of essential engine functions and poses a significant safety hazard. This failure was caused by improper repair at the dealership.”

NHTSA ID

11701863

Incident

Nov 11, 2025

The contact's son owns a 2018 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that soon after purchasing the vehicle, there was an abnormal screeching sound coming from the brakes while depressing the brake pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's son took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to have the brake pads and rotors replaced. However, less than one month after the replacement of the pads and rotors, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the front passenger’s side brakes. The mechanic was notified of the issue, and the contact was informed that the brake calipers might also need to be replaced. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot(H), with white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, but the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic and the contact's son was informed that the head gasket had failed, and an engine replacement was recommended. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls or warranty on the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and provided the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

NHTSA ID

11693654

Incident

Aug 1, 2025

Mileage

88,000 mi

The airbag/srs light is on. I've read on multiple forums that this is a common occurrence with this model and year of Infiniti. It did not come on as a result of any accident/incident.

NHTSA ID

11692169

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

Airbag light turn on, on my dashboard, I checked it with a professional OBD2 scanner and shows a code which indicates a fault in the Occupant Detection System (ODS), which the scanner says it is very common for my vehicle. This puts my passengers at risk due to an airbag system fault. My vehicle has not been in an accident, nor has my passenger seat been messed with. I have spoken to other individuals with the same vehicle, also checked the forums for my specific vehicle and almost all of them have the same issue with the ODS, with no recalls or warranty resolution from the dealership. This is a common issue. It is concerning because there is a pattern of the ODS being faulty by no fault of our own but no resolution or recall.

NHTSA ID

11691027

Incident

Oct 2, 2025

Within one month of purchase, the airbag warning light illuminated and has remained on continuously. A separate dealership later confirmed the airbag system is defective and may not deploy in an accident. This is a serious safety defect that was not disclosed to me at the time of sale. Additional Issues: •On July 14, 2025, I dropped the car off for prolonged starting issues. I was told the vehicle had six faulty fuel pumps/injectors. •I have not had possession of the car since July 14. •On August 30, 2025, I received an email from Nissan of Orange Park stating the car was “completed and ready.” When I called the next day, I was told the car was not at Nissan at all, but at Infiniti, with no clear repair status or timeline. Concern: This is a federal safety defect. I request NHTSA’s review and investigation into Infiniti/Nissan’s handling of defective airbag systems in this vehicle and the misleading communication surrounding repairs.

NHTSA ID

11686256

Incident

Jul 14, 2025

My car wouldnt start and when it did, it would start shaking and every time I accelerate, The speed wasnt going any faster but only the RPMs were

NHTSA ID

11681634

Incident

Aug 10, 2025

I was driving down the highway leaving the barbershop and my car wouldnt go over more than like 55 mph and I got a flashing green symbol beside my check engine light which had just came on when the AUTO (Stop/Start) light did. once I got home turned it off and turned it back on the for a second the light doesn’t come on but once you drive it maybe a quarter of a mile or less it come back on and the car wont function properly again

NHTSA ID

11663542

Incident

May 23, 2025

Car has white smoke coming from the exhaust and the oil level keeps decreasing. Car stalls and takes time to accelerate P0106 code pops up from engine. There’s a rattle and whine noise coming from the engine bay. Also the gas was stuck accelerating. Had to switch the car to neutral so it does continue accelerating. After switching to neutral I was able to decrease power to the wheels and had to pull over on the road.

NHTSA ID

11649920

Incident

Jan 3, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low Oil Pressure - STOP", message was displayed, and the contact stopped driving the vehicle. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine was abnormally loud. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the timing chain. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 107,000.

NHTSA ID

11638873

Incident

Jan 23, 2025

Mileage

107,000 mi

Turbos are starting to work and car is starting to consume anti freeze

NHTSA ID

11624689

Incident

Oct 1, 2024

The locks on the car automatically keep locking all day long and drain my battery, I have had to have my car jump started and recently towed to Infiniti dealer and they are stating there have been known issues with this electrical problem with rain getting into the sunroof and deteriorating the lines that short out the other systems. I have a bumper to bumper warranty that I took out with the Infiniti Dealership but they are stating only part of the repairs will be covered by the warranty and not the sunroof part and that will cost me $1,300 to fix. If this is a known problem, how is this not a recall and why do me, the consumer, have to pay out-of- pocket for something that is a known issue with the sunroofs on these Infiniti's? Can someone please contact me regarding this issue asap. It started when my car was at Infiniti's body shop in September getting repaired from a hit and run to my vehicle that required replacement of rear left back panel and rear left back passenger driver door (that had nothing to do with this issue) and when I picked the vehicle up they had to jump start my car. They had my car for a month and nothing prior to this was wrong with my vehicle. I don't know if someone left my sunroof open and it rained or what happened since this repair, but now I am having the issue with the car locks automatically/continuously locking and draining my battery. I read online that there is a button that should be available on the dashboard to shut off the automatic locking system, but the dealer has not mentioned this and is stating I need all this electrical things done to my car that will cost over $3,000 and that the sunroof part is not covered. This is absurd and not trusting what I am hearing from the dealership. Please advise asap. Thank you for your time!

NHTSA ID

11621012

Incident

Sep 11, 2024

I was driving down the highway and my car started to shut down and started to make a knocking sound inside the engine bay, putting at risk other drivers, so i turned on my hazards and pulled to the shoulder of the road,the car wouldn’t turn on so i called a tow truck. Took the car to dealer and stated engine is seized

NHTSA ID

11592525

Incident

Jun 1, 2024

I was in my car waiting my for complex security gate to open when I heard a loud noise. I got out of my car to see what it was and turns out my sunroof exploded. For no reason. No rock or item hit my car nor was the car in motion. It was also not from the heat as it was 60 degrees outside. I called my warranty and they refuse to cover it because it is glass. I am reading many others with this same issue. How does a 6 year old car have the sunroof explode??

NHTSA ID

11573206

Incident

Feb 21, 2024

The airbag passenger light is illuminated causing air bag system to remain off until resolve. The vehicle was taken in for inspection and dealer confirmed diagnostic results found Occupant sensor malfunctioning. Under warranty, the sensor was covered, but after installation the system also found that wasn’t the only thing to replace. It’s a handful of sensors and harness that is integrated within the seat frame with the ONLY solution to replace the entire chair/seat frame. This item does not fall under warranty. My concern is the safety of my family riding in the vehicle. This issue was happening to 2016 and 2017 models that were recalled for the same issue. Unfortunately this vehicle may have been manufactured in 2017, but holds the 2018 year on paper found through carmax.

NHTSA ID

11567612

Incident

Jan 16, 2024

I went to Evo Motors to find a car and found a car filled out an application and had to return to the next day because they were closing There was already talk about a down payment but no credit transaction was happening yet. I didn’t even have an offer on the credit yet so I came back the following day and on the way there I got a phone call that the bank was requesting a down payment in the amount of $4500. The salesperson was requesting cash downpayment and I thought that was strange since that was a lot of cash to have on hand. Me and girlfriend had a decent score to acquire the car but the dealer insisted on the cash downpayment and told us the bank was requested the down payment in order to get the car. I was very uncomfortable but I needed the car as I had lost my previous car in an accident and I needed to get to work and was in a rental car. I demand my down payment back in the amount of $4500 plus interest and keep the car as the transaction was unconscionable. They took advantage of my position in the basic necessities and livelihood as I needed to keep working to survive. The added burden was that I had to call friends and family all day long to come up with a downpayment I didn’t have and I had to pay everyone back in a short time. I was so stressed that I got sick and have still not recovered from the transaction that took place that has led to the moment where it was not fair to extort funds I did not have to further benefit them even after had already enriched themselves with the sale of a vehicle that had a very high-interest rate for our credit profile. It’s obvious they had complete control over every aspect of this contract.

NHTSA ID

11541649

Incident

Jan 21, 2022

The Air bag system on a 2018 Infiniti Q50 AWD is malfunctioning. I’d like to get it checked out especially if this could be a tentative recall issue for myself and other owners of the same vehicle. I feel very unsafe for my family and I because the system was never tampered with, yet the light used to go away randomly. Currently, the light is permanently on, and passenger airbag light states the system is off from deploying in case of an accident. This would mean that I would be driving at a risk of airbags being non-deployable and that is truly unsafe. This problem was not addressed with a dealer or any other service center. The vehicle has never been inspected yet, but it is a concern that I’d like to move forward on. The passenger airbag light is illuminated on my dashboard as well as the light depicting that the system is off. I recently bought this car July 2022 and within six months from purchase the light started coming on randomly and disappearing. Now it is permanently on.

NHTSA ID

11541577

Incident

Feb 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that the back-up camera was flickering while in use. The contact stated that over time, the back-up camera screen had gone blank and failed to operate as needed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V654000 (Back Over Prevention) which she linked to the failure. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11532224

Incident

Jun 14, 2023

Mileage

130,000 mi

My coolant reservoir kept on going empty, I took to dealer for service they replaced the radiator fan module and told me my engine was not porous. I was driving and my engine ended up stalling, turned off while I was driving in the freeway at a high speed cause me to almost lose control of my vehicle because everything stopped working. It looks like an inner rod failed possibly because of the coolant going into engine.

NHTSA ID

11517540

Incident

Feb 21, 2023

2/1/2023 we took our 2018 Q50 to the Infiniti dealership and service center. The engine was having issues, increased RPMs while simultaneously experiencing loss of power/stalling. This was experienced by both my wife and I. Infiniti's determination was the Mass Air Flow Sensor and told us the issue was not covered by the platinum, bumper to bumper extended warranty they sold us due to the warranty only covering mechanical issues, not electrical. The service tech was able to get costs waived as factory warranty covered such events to 75k miles. We picked the car up on 2/8/2023. On 3/18/2023 the car was again towed to the dealership. The intermittent issue that was thought to be the Mas Air Flow Sensor and electrical, hit suddenly and with such force the car would not run whatsoever and stalled out on a very busy 50 MPH Parkway and my wife had to maneuver her way to safety with cars flying all around her. No obvious sign of electrical mass failure, lights still on, etc. On 3/24/2023 I received a call and was told the engine needed to be replaced, the cost was $32k, and that the warranty’s fine print says that the warranty will only cover up to the fair market value of the car, which they determined to be about $21k. I’m responsible for their faulty engine & poor mechanical workmanship? I was sent pictures of debris and springs sitting in the bottom of the dropped oil pan and a separate photo clearly showing a disintegrating cam shaft / lower engine area adjacent to the oil pan. Catastrophic and very avoidable failure (this is not an engine in a military vehicle or motorsports vehicle). I believe the problem was never the Mass Airflow Sensor, it was the alloys used in this area of the engine that were failing. This failure is not the first for Infiniti (have been reading forums)

NHTSA ID

11513781

Incident

Mar 18, 2023