There are 11 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2018 Infiniti Q50in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Leak in the turbo causing oil to burn and create smoke from the exhaust
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.
Turbos are starting to work and car is starting to consume anti freeze
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)
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.
vehicle has porous block and lead to engine failure. many other VR30DDTT engine equipped vehicles are having the same issue some are being replace and others are not. this needs to be a major concern for nissan/infiniti as they are a fantastic brand but some of the customers of these vehicles are being left high and dry with no options
ON 6/13/2020 THE DRIVE BELT SHREDDED WHILE DRIVING UNDER 30MPH, UNDER LIGHT ACCELERATION. AT FIRST, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, FOLLOWED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. WHITE SMOKE BEGAN TO COME FROM THE ENGINE. THANKFULLY, I WAS NEARBY MY HOUSE AND MADE IT THERE SAFELY. FURTHERMORE, THE ENGINE OVERHEATED DUE TO A COOLANT HOSE BEING KNOCKED OFF BY THE SHREDDED BELT. ADDITIONALLY, THE WATER PUMP AND A/C COMPRESSOR FAILED. THE PULLEY TENSIONER ASSEMBLY AND BELT WERE REPLACED UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY, ALONG WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED FAILED COMPONENTS. ALL WORK WAS DONE AT GRUBBS INFINITI OF GRAPEVINE, TX AND THE REPAIR TOOK EXACTLY THREE WEEKS TO FIX. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,660. PREVIOUSLY, ON MARCH 6, 2019, INFINITI OF VAN NUYS, CA, TIGHTENED THE PULLEY TENSIONER ASSEMBLY DUE TO A SQUEAKING NOISE I WAS HEARING WHILE ACCELERATING. VEHICLE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10,000. I WAS INFORMED THAT IF I HADN'T HAD THIS ISSUE FIXED BEFORE MY DRIVE BACK TO TEXAS, MY DRIVE BELT COULD HAVE SHREDDED. AFTER THE DEALER ADDRESSED THE CONCERN NO FURTHER NOISE WAS HEARD AT ALL. THE DEALER ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN AND HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED IN INFINITI SERVICE BULLETINS. ALTHOUGH, THIS POSES A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AS THE VEHICLE COULD HAVE STALLED AT HIGH SPEED RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT AND OR LOSS OF LIFE. I WORRY THIS ISSUE WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. TWO TIMES, TWO MANY!
VR30DDTT SERPENTINE BELT KEEPS SHREDDING
FROM START INTO THE WARM-UP, THERE IS A CONSISTENT WHORELING NOISE COMING FROM THE MOTOR.
THE SERPENTINE BELT MAKES CONSISTENT NOISE IN ALL TYPES OF WEATHER. ALREADY HAD THE DEALER REPLACE IT ONCE. NOISE CAME BACK AND THE DEALER NOW SAYS IT COULD BE THE TENSIONER PULLEY.
THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE HOOD AND COMPLETELY BURNED UP IN THE PARKING LOT AS I WAS EXITING THE VEHICLE UPDATED 12/4/18*JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026