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Infiniti · NHTSA safety record

2015 Infiniti Q50

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 126 safety complaints about the 2015 Infiniti Q50 with the US government. Of those, 16 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 10 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 39 complaints, 31% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 26,615 miles, the median across the 54 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2015 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

126 complaints on file

126

Complaints

16

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

10

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 39 · 31%
STEERING 28 · 22%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 21 · 17%
AIR BAGS 19 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 18 · 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 · 13%
SERVICE BRAKES 12 · 10%
ENGINE 9 · 7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 · 2%
SEAT BELTS 3 · 2%
SEATS 3 · 2%
0 19 38

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 126.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 18.

20 15 10 5
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2015 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2015 Infiniti Q50, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR AWD 4 DR RWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 9.7% 9.7%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

24V470000 · June 21, 2024

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (INFINITI) is recalling certain 2011-2013 M56, 2012-2013 M35 Hybrid, 2014-2018 Q50, Q70 Hybrid, 2014-2019 Q70, and 2015-2019 Q70L two-wheel drive vehicles. The driveshaft can fatigue and break.
The risk
A broken driveshaft can result in a loss of drive power, or a vehicle roll away when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake applied. Both scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 13, 2024. Owners may contact INFINITI's customer service at 1-800-662-6200. INFINITI's numbers for this recall are R24A5 and R24A7.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 7,222 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:AUTOMATED/ADAPTIVE STEERING

16V430000 · June 13, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc.'s (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Infiniti Q50 vehicles manufactured December 26, 2012, to December 11, 2015, and Infiniti Q50 Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 10, 2012, to December 17, 2015. The Direct Adaptive Steering system may experience an error at vehicle start up altering the vehicle's steering responsiveness and turning radius.
The risk
If the vehicle does not steer as the driver anticipates, there is an increased the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Direct Adaptive Steering ECU software, free of charge. The recall began on August 12, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 28,182 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

16V244000 · April 26, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
The risk
If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
The remedy
Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 3,296,947 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 22,000 miles

TAKATA RECALL TGE AIRBAGS LEFT MY PASENGER AND I WITH HURT CHESTS N WAS PAINFUL INSTEAD OF PROTECTIVE

NHTSA complaint 10823048. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 28,429 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 INFINITI Q50. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP AT 10 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE RAN A RED LIGHT. THE OTHER VEHICLE STRUCK A PEDESTRIAN AND THEN STRUCK THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE THEN CRASHED INTO A CEMENT DIVIDER. THE CONTACT'S SEVEN YEAR OLD SON WAS SEATED IN THE BACK SEAT. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, BUT FAILED TO INFLATE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER AND REAR PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED WHIPLASH AND THE DRIVER SUSTAINED BRUISING TO THE LOWER BACK/STERNUM, WHICH REQUIRED X-RAYS, CAT SCANS, AND PHYSICAL THERAPY. THE DRIVER ALSO SUSTAINED HEADACHES, NAUSEA, AND

NHTSA complaint 11042583, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 8,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 INFINITI Q50. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, A DEER COLLIDED WITH THE VEHICLE AND LANDED ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE HOOD, WINDSHIELD, AND ROOF. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED SCRATCHES ON HER BODY FROM THE BROKEN CLASS, BUT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT COLLISION LOT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000.

NHTSA complaint 10874793. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 5,000 miles

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 INFINITI Q50. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, ONE VEHICLE REAR ENDED THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE, A SECOND VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE, AND A THIRD VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD, LEFT ARM, AND HAND THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V244000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF

NHTSA complaint 10917986, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
I was parked in my garage getting ready to start my car and the glass in my moonroof spontaneously shattered. There was no object that hit it because I was in my garage. It sounded like a gunshot. The glass flew upward and the glass looks like it shattered into a little volcano on the edges.

NHTSA complaint 11764255. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
While operating the vehicle, the transmission suffered an abrupt failure resulting in Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P0720 (Output Speed Sensor Circuit). Further diagnostic inspection revealed a complete internal failure of the integrated valve body assembly, which houses the Transmission Control Module (TCM), solenoids, and output speed sensors. The failure caused an immediate loss of gear selection, restricting the transmission to 3rd gear ("limp mode"). Attempting to accelerate beyond 3rd gear causes violent vehicle shaking, severe hesitation, and an inability to maintain traffic speeds due to the TCM losing signal input from the speed sensors and solenoid circuits. This total valve

NHTSA complaint 11756528, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
After starting the car the steering wheel jumps off center and the steering is all over the place. have to start the car again and the steering wheel jumps the other direction. I strongly suggest this is exactly what the June 13, 2016 NHTSA campaign number 16V43000 the software may reduce steering ability and increase risk of crash.the direct steering system my experience an error at vehicle start up altering the vehicle steering responsiveness and turning radius. Exact problem with this car. This car has been recalled for the driveshaft break NHSTA 24V470000

NHTSA complaint 11753148. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
DIRECT ADAPTIVE STEERING EXPERIENCEING AT START UP ALTERING THE VEHICLES STEERING AND RESPONSIVENESS AND TURNING RADIUS DOES NOT WORK AND IS INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THERE IS A RECALL 16V430000 ON THIS VERY PROBLEM. HAVE BEEN TOLD BY DEALERSHIP AND NISSAN MOTORS THAT MY CAR IS NOT ON THE RECALL AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY MY SELF TO GET FIXED AND TO SEE IF THAT IS THE PROBLEM. READING THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER:16V430000 THIS IS THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH THE DIRECT ADAPTIVE STEERING SYSTEM ON THIS CAR. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE RECALL!

NHTSA complaint 11751944. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
While driving my 2015 Infiniti Q50s, the transmission suddenly suffered a catastrophic electronic failure, causing the vehicle to immediately drop into "limp mode." This resulted in a sudden and dangerous loss of acceleration while operating in traffic. A diagnostic scan revealed trouble codes P0500 and P0720 (Output Speed Sensor circuit). However, following Infiniti's official Technical Service Bulletin (TSB ITB19-040), the actual failure was the Transmission Control Module (TCM), which is permanently integrated into the transmission control valve body inside the transmission. Because the speed sensor cannot be replaced independently of the integrated module, I was forced to pay

NHTSA complaint 11750490, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
DAS issue that I have been dealing with for two months now, issue is still not resolved even after taking out a personal loan for 6k to fix the modules at Douglas Infiniti, waited weeks for the modules, they replaced the modules, did the calibration but a new issue is happening where I'm losing control for a split second and the car would either pull to the left or right egregiously. I took it to back to Douglas Infiniti for the issue, they found code C13E9-00, cleared the code and did the calibration again only for the issue to happen again once I was close to getting home. Spoke with Martin the advisor and he is saying that he thinks its an issue with the rack and pinion and not a

NHTSA complaint 11745913, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Infiniti Q50

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 30 1 —
2018 44 3 —
2017 62 4 —
2016 39 4 —
2014 169 5 2

Other 2015 Infiniti models

QX60 92 QX80 18 Q70 10 QX70 9

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Infiniti on this site — 52 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst