2020 Infiniti QX50

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Above Average

Quick Summary

The 2020 Infiniti QX50 has 45 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.6x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (42% of all complaints), specifically: fuel smell coming from the vehicle when parkied in the garage. has been check out twice. 1 st time infiniti could not find any issue, but told me they were looking into it under engineering review. 2 months later after living with the smell brought it back they had a infiniti engineer look at it. no.

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.6x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

19 complaints

42%

• FUEL SMELL COMING FROM THE VEHICLE WHEN PARKIED IN THE GARAGE. HAS BEEN CHECK OUT TWICE. 1 ST TIME INFINITI COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUE, BUT TOLD ME THEY WERE LOOKING INTO IT UNDER ENGINEERING REVIEW. 2 MONTHS LATER AFTER LIVING WITH THE SMELL BROUGHT IT BACK THEY HAD A INFINITI ENGINEER LOOK AT IT. NO
• Pulled out into an intersection with limited visibility. Once I got into my lane I observed a car behind me that I had not seen. I tried to accelerate to avoid being hit. My car began making a knocking sound with loss of power. The other car went around me on the shoulder to avoid a collision. Infi
• I own a 2020 Infiniti QX50 that is included in NHTSA Recall 25V-437 for defective engine bearings that may cause sudden engine failure. My VIN has been confirmed by the dealer as part of the active recall. I have already noticed intermittent shaking at idle and a grinding sensation during accelerat

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“FUEL SMELL COMING FROM THE VEHICLE WHEN PARKIED IN THE GARAGE. HAS BEEN CHECK OUT TWICE. 1 ST TIME INFINITI COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUE, BUT TOLD ME THEY WERE LOOKING INTO IT UNDER ENGINEERING REVIEW. 2 MONTHS LATER AFTER LIVING WITH THE SMELL BROUGHT IT BACK THEY HAD A INFINITI ENGINEER LOOK AT IT. NO”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

10 complaints

22%

• -DISPLAY SCREEN COMPLETELY BLACK, BUTTONS WOULD WORK, RADIO WOULD WORK, HEATED SEATS WOULD WORK, AC WOULD WORK BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ON THE SCREEN. I DID NOT BRING THE VEHICLE IN BECAUSE I THOUGHT 'THAT WAS WEIRD' AND IT WOULD JUST GO AWAY. UPON STARTING THE CAR THE NEXT TIME, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL
• While driving vehicle, randomly vehicle brakes are applied on their own, causing vehicle to suddenly slow down in traffic. Red warning light appears on the dash. This has occurred 6-7 times over the past 2 years. 3 of the times occurred on the interstate, causing vehicle to drop speed from 60-40 wit
• Jan 25,2021 Highway 35 San Antonio Texas Display board lights turned off for a few seconds it made a click sound and the car turned off and turned back on for a few seconds, stalling the car. The automatic break was activated and deactivated at the same time. Trying to stop the car. This is the

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“-DISPLAY SCREEN COMPLETELY BLACK, BUTTONS WOULD WORK, RADIO WOULD WORK, HEATED SEATS WOULD WORK, AC WOULD WORK BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ON THE SCREEN. I DID NOT BRING THE VEHICLE IN BECAUSE I THOUGHT 'THAT WAS WEIRD' AND IT WOULD JUST GO AWAY. UPON STARTING THE CAR THE NEXT TIME, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

4 complaints

• CAR ABRUPTLY STALLS WHILE DRIVING. HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES. DRAMATICALLY INCREASING A CHANCE OF COLLISION. NAVIGATION ALWAYS GETS ME LOST. NAVIGATION AND OTHER SCREEN GOES BLACK AND RESTARTS WHILE DRIVING. AUDIO/RADIO COMES ON WHILE DRIVING ON IT'S OWN WHEN I WANT MUSIC OFF. TOUCH SCREEN APPLICATIONS L
• -DISPLAY SCREEN COMPLETELY BLACK, BUTTONS WOULD WORK, RADIO WOULD WORK, HEATED SEATS WOULD WORK, AC WOULD WORK BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ON THE SCREEN. I DID NOT BRING THE VEHICLE IN BECAUSE I THOUGHT 'THAT WAS WEIRD' AND IT WOULD JUST GO AWAY. UPON STARTING THE CAR THE NEXT TIME, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL
• Jan 25,2021 Highway 35 San Antonio Texas Display board lights turned off for a few seconds it made a click sound and the car turned off and turned back on for a few seconds, stalling the car. The automatic break was activated and deactivated at the same time. Trying to stop the car. This is the

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“CAR ABRUPTLY STALLS WHILE DRIVING. HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES. DRAMATICALLY INCREASING A CHANCE OF COLLISION. NAVIGATION ALWAYS GETS ME LOST. NAVIGATION AND OTHER SCREEN GOES BLACK AND RESTARTS WHILE DRIVING. AUDIO/RADIO COMES ON WHILE DRIVING ON IT'S OWN WHEN I WANT MUSIC OFF. TOUCH SCREEN APPLICATIONS L”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

4 complaints

• Day 1 noted car was having issues with irregular RPM's while cruising, and spiking of rpm's during acceleration. while on hwy w/ cruise control activated, "malfunction" warning lit on screen and forward propulsion ceased. had to move car to roadside, turn off engine and turn back on. took to dealers
• The vehicle's engine light turned on. The engine light remains on, and frequently the Malfunction and System fault See Owners Manual will display. When the malfunction message appears all the traction lights are also turned on. The RPM's in the vehicle are very accelerated, and it's difficult to dr
• Infiniti has acknowledged that certain vehicles equipped with this engine may experience bearing failures caused by a manufacturing defect affecting the main, A-, C-, and L-link bearings. These defects can result in engine damage or complete engine failure, as outlined in Infiniti’s recall notice. I

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“Day 1 noted car was having issues with irregular RPM's while cruising, and spiking of rpm's during acceleration. while on hwy w/ cruise control activated, "malfunction" warning lit on screen and forward propulsion ceased. had to move car to roadside, turn off engine and turn back on. took to dealers”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

3 complaints

• CAR ABRUPTLY STALLS WHILE DRIVING. HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES. DRAMATICALLY INCREASING A CHANCE OF COLLISION. NAVIGATION ALWAYS GETS ME LOST. NAVIGATION AND OTHER SCREEN GOES BLACK AND RESTARTS WHILE DRIVING. AUDIO/RADIO COMES ON WHILE DRIVING ON IT'S OWN WHEN I WANT MUSIC OFF. TOUCH SCREEN APPLICATIONS L
• The plastic clips on the panoramic sunroof holding the sunshade cover snapped while I was driving causing the shade to rapidly roll up. Note that there was no misuse of the sunroof shade and I wasn’t even using it when this Happened. This seems like a dangerous liability in case it were to hit the d
• Infiniti has acknowledged that certain vehicles equipped with this engine may experience bearing failures caused by a manufacturing defect affecting the main, A-, C-, and L-link bearings. These defects can result in engine damage or complete engine failure, as outlined in Infiniti’s recall notice. I

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 45 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: FUEL SMELL COMING FROM THE VEHICLE WHEN PARKIED IN THE GARAGE. HAS BEEN CHECK OUT TWICE. 1 ST TIME INFINITI COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUE, BUT TOLD ME THEY WERE LOOKING INTO IT UNDER ENGINEERING REVIEW. 2 MONTHS LATER AFTER LIVING WITH THE SMELL BROUGHT IT BACK THEY HAD A INFINITI ENGINEER LOOK AT IT. NO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: -DISPLAY SCREEN COMPLETELY BLACK, BUTTONS WOULD WORK, RADIO WOULD WORK, HEATED SEATS WOULD WORK, AC WOULD WORK BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ON THE SCREEN. I DID NOT BRING THE VEHICLE IN BECAUSE I THOUGHT 'THAT WAS WEIRD' AND IT WOULD JUST GO AWAY. UPON STARTING THE CAR THE NEXT TIME, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: CAR ABRUPTLY STALLS WHILE DRIVING. HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES. DRAMATICALLY INCREASING A CHANCE OF COLLISION. NAVIGATION ALWAYS GETS ME LOST. NAVIGATION AND OTHER SCREEN GOES BLACK AND RESTARTS WHILE DRIVING. AUDIO/RADIO COMES ON WHILE DRIVING ON IT'S OWN WHEN I WANT MUSIC OFF. TOUCH SCREEN APPLICATIONS L
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: Day 1 noted car was having issues with irregular RPM's while cruising, and spiking of rpm's during acceleration. while on hwy w/ cruise control activated, "malfunction" warning lit on screen and forward propulsion ceased. had to move car to roadside, turn off engine and turn back on. took to dealers
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)