2019 INFINITI QX50 Engine Problems
37 complaints about Engine
High Severity Issue
This component has been associated with crashes, fires, or deaths.
This Problem Across All Years
All Engine Complaints (37)
Safely concerned for passenger as airbag will not activate, light stays illuminated. Front driver seat frame seems loose or broken, seat rocks forward and backwards. Engine exhibiting sluggish and loss of power especially at lower speeds.
A few months ago, I received an email from CarFax letting me know that my vehicle, a 2019 Infiniti QX50 with 2.0L Turbo Engine had a major recall (NHTSA Recall Campaign No. 25V-437). The letter indicated the recall was due to issues with the engine bearings which could lead to a catastrophic failure. I wasn't sure what this meant, so I took the car to Austin INFINITI. The technicians checked the oil pan to see if there were issues. My understanding is that the oil pan should have been removed, drained of all oil to ensure there were no issues that could lead to the catastrophic failure of the engine. None of this was done. I was given my car back and told all was okay. Unfortunately On the evening of November 10, 2025, my vehicle’s engine suddenly seized while driving at highway speeds. Fortunately, I was able to coast onto the Frontage Road. For my protection, the Police Department arrived quickly to park police vehicles in the front and back of my car with their lights on to avoid a nighttime collision or worse. I had no idea why my engine suddenly lost power while driving down the highway and continued to refuse to start despite repeated attempts to restart the vehicle, the engine would not start. I was scared to death and this situation has exacerbated my current diagnosis of PTSD for which I am currently in treatment. This was a horrifying event that could have cost me my life. I can't eat or sleep and experience nightmares that my car died, then I am hit by a car driving at highway speeds as I tried to exit the vehicle. My wife and I are both terrified of driving the car now. I tried to resolve the issue with my local INFINITI dealership and even contacted NISSA/INFINITI executives. I was met with disregard, disrespect and a $1,700 bill to replace the starter that burned out as we kept trying to start the car. The starter burnout was a secondary cause due to the primary issue of the engine seizure. Infiniti disagreed and insisted on the $1,700 for the starter.
Infiniti has identified a serious engine problem with the 2019-22 QX-50 which in their own words may cause the car "to crash". recall notice was sent in mid-June 2025 and they still dont have a solution. how is this acceptable? i am afraid to drive the car. where is the compensation??
Car recently had an important safety recall that was suspended, my car is a 2019 QX 50 Infiniti Luxe, that recently shut down and had to be towed, infiniti dealership diagnosed the car and says I have all low compressions and that I need an engine, these symptoms were quoted to my service dealership prior that the car hesitate to take off, low pick up when I accelerate, stops out of nowhere at intersections, I was told car performs as it was designed to perform even tho I explained it has like a growling sound, now here I am with an engine failed vehicle that they are trying to charge me 13,000 for repairs, I am still paying on this car and have a balance of 14,000+ owed, the dealership is saying they performed a recall diagnosis and that no debri was found in oil pan, any mechanic should know just because debri wasn’t found in the oil pan does not mean the car is not eligible for recall repairs, especially if the diagnostic test was done too soon, the car is definitely part of the recall but they will not honor that, I only had the car just 3 years as of September 2025, the car itself is only 6 years old, this engine failure is definitely part of the recall and I should not be responsible for this repair, this is a safety hazard for me and Infiniti should be held accountable for this faulty engine.
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated there was smoke and fire coming from the engine compartment. In addition, the smell of burning oil and smoke was inside the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the independent mechanic was not an engine expert and recommended that the vehicle be towed to an engine expert. The vehicle was towed to an alternate independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed with total engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The engine was replaced with a used engine. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact submitted a claim for reimbursement for the repair. The contact was required to submit several documents, including a printout of the repair. The contact was informed that the report needed to include the engine failure code and engine report for the request for reimbursement. The independent mechanic was contacted by the manufacturer and the manufacturer received verbal confirmation of the repair; however, the manufacturer insisted on printed documentation of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 98,500.
Mileage: 98,500
Recall was issued in June, 2025. As of today, a remedy has not been available. This is unacceptable as driving the vehicle can result in injury.
The contact called on behalf of the employer. The contact, who was a technician, stated that there was a 2019 Infiniti QX50 in inventory. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed, the contact became aware of an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated. The contact researched and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part was not available for the recall repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available. In addition, the contact was advised to call back in two weeks to check on parts availability. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,883.
Mileage: 58,883
NHTSA has closed the case on Nissan WHY? Nissan / Infiniti issued recall notices over 2 months ago to bring my vehicle in to inspect the engine oil for metal shavings. I called a few Infiniti dealerships they all say the same thing. Inspection and replacement of engine is on hold. By NHTSA closing the case there is no government agency over seeing Nissan on solving this recall quickly. They did issue a 10 year or 100,000 mile warranty on the motor. I had my oil analysted by a company to give me a report on what metals on in my oil. The report came back with a unusual amount of silver metal 5 ppm. the report states that it's a concern normally average ppm is 2.with that problem the vehicle should not be driven. So I called Infiniti spoke with a service advisor about the report. He told me everything is at a stop with the recall nothing can be done. Wait for another recall notice in the mail. So now I have a vehicle that was recalled for the engine that is a safety issue and I'm unable to drive knowing about the metal in the oil. And the NHTSA closed the case on Nissan. Here we all sit waiting not knowing days, months or years before this will be resolved. How about a little help. Nissan and Infiniti should be paying for rental vehicles if we're unable to get our vehicle repaired. Nissan just issued a 10 year or 100,000 mile warranty and I can't use it for my engine right now today because the recall is on hold. What good is the warranty I see a problem can't get the vehicle looked at. Help is needed here.
Engine seized on road due to bearing debris (confirmed by dealer photos), covered by recall 25V-437. Infiniti corporate denied repair, falsely citing “maintenance” despite negligible sludge. No loaner provided for two weeks, stranding me. Laws Violated: 49 U.S.C. § 30120 (free recall remedy), 49 CFR § 573.6 (interim support during delays).
I went to Bill Dodge Infinity to test drive vehicles and to trade my Infinity QX50 in. KBB listed it as $38,000 as a trade in. I was told because of the “STOP TRADE” due to the engine recall they could only offer $12,500. Because of the recall. They couldn’t give me an idea if and or when it would be fixed. So I loose $25,500 in value on an payed off vehicle that I bought in good faith. What’s my recourse?
My recall appointment for August was cancelled by INFINITI and now my engine is sputtering and missing timing on acceleration.
Infiniti has admitted the KR20 VC-Turbo engine is defective and can catastrophically fail while driving, but they are dragging their feet on providing a remedy. By delaying the fix, they are gambling with customer safety — waiting until engines actually break to minimize repair costs. This is reckless and puts my family at risk. I am requesting immediate intervention by regulators to compel Infiniti to release the repair solution without delay, and to hold the manufacturer accountable for stalling tactics.
I was driving at the intersection of South I-55 and I-355 on the left most lane at 70 mph. All of a sudden, my car started knocking and since there was no shoulder to the left I had to move to the right by managing to get through multiple lanes to get to shoulder safely. Given the issue with engine, it would not accelerate so I had to safely decelerate and come to a stop. I called the towing company and they towed my car to the dealership. This car had a recall when the dealer contacted me and I had them take a look at 98K miles and they stated everything was fine. Following few weeks later, the engine completely gave out. The dealer is working with manufacturer to get the engine replaced. However, he is not sure who will pick up cost for replacing turbo. Turbo is part of the engine and should also be replaced under the recall. Needless to say, this was a dangerous situation and I am glad the situation had a safe outcome.
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, there was a beeping sound, and the vehicle stopped independently. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,520.
Mileage: 48,520
In November 2024, my 2019 Infiniti QX50 experienced a sudden and severe mechanical failure while driving. The vehicle unexpectedly lurched forward and then came to a complete stop in traffic. At that point, I was unable to shift the car into neutral or any other gear, which resulted in obstructing traffic. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic, who diagnosed a total engine failure and quoted repair costs between $15,000 and $20,000 related to a VRC component. Recently, I became aware of a recall concerning similar engine issues affecting certain Infiniti QX50 models. However, my vehicle’s VIN is not listed among those affected by the recall. Given the severity of the failure and the potential safety risks, I would like to formally file a complaint regarding the 2019 Infiniti QX50 to ensure this issue receives proper attention. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Banister Nissan of Chesapeake Greenbrier and Priority Infinity of Greenbrier in Chesapeake Virginia diagnosed and Confirmed Engine failure , Low Compression to engine Bearing failure to engine . VC-Turbo engine to be exact Date confirmed June 20,2025 Car showed no visible signs prior to no longer starting up , no check engine light , no codes , and after being diagnosed dealer confirmed “your engine has low compression due to your bearings failing “ Bearing failure while driving could have been a serious accident caused and possible injury Mileage :58,000 miles
Engine failed. Metal shavings found in oil pan at Infiniti dealer. Mechanic recommended replacing the engine. It is available for inspection. The engine failure happened on a single lane stretch on mountain highway. by the grace of god I was able to get the car into a center turning lane and we were not hit by other vehicles at highway speeds or ~45mph. no warning lights came on just a noise and then it stopped. 4 days prior the vehicle was inspected at the dealership to ensure it was safe for the trip. All maintenance was confirmed to be in good order. The date on the inspection is the date it was emailed to me however the date of inspection was June 26th.
Engine made a pop sound while getting onto the freeway. It started to slow down and then I had to pull over and stop. Took to the mechanic and he explained there was metal shavings in engine. I needed to replace the whole engine.
Car wouldn't start and been in the dealership for 2 weeks now where purchased due to purchasing a extended warrantee they need to look at it first. after several tech asses the problem they say the timing chain jumped a tooth and engine is shot. car has 66000 miles on it. I purchased with 48K so naturally i bought a extended powertrain warrantee that they say wont cover the cost of replacement due to not having the oil changed every 5K miles. I get it done about 8 or 9K due to using synthetic oils that say they are guaranteed for 15-20K miles. No lights or indication engine issues prior to my wife just trying to start the car one morning.
The engine died on me after having the car for less than 2 years. Driving on the highway car just stalled. Had car towed to the mechanic and they said the engine failed. There are plenty of consumer complaints about this model having engine failure while the vehicle is still new and properly maintained.
My engine blow at 50,000 miles and now my VCR actuator has gone bad as well
Engine lost power in normal course of driving. Loud engine noise. Burning oil smell. Mechanic assessed an internal engine component like a broken rod is the cause. Whole engine needs to br replaced at 103k miles.
On February 28, 2025, while driving home form work in my 2019 Infiniti QX50, on a 4 lane highway, I slowed to turn across 2 lanes of oncoming traffic to a side county road. I made it across the highway and the vehicle immediately lost all power. I coasted to a stop on the side of the road. I tried to restart the car and it would not start. I called for a tow and had it taken to the nearest repair shop. The vehicle was inspected and I was informed the engine was blown and would need to be replaced. Prior to this happening, there were no sounds, indicators or warnings of any possible issues. I have owned the vehicle since February 2020. It has always been maintained on schedule (records available). In fact, the vehicle was thoroughly inspected by Infiniti in October of 2024, when I had to have the rear lift gate motor replaced. I was told everything looked good, timing belt had no wear, there were no leaks or concerns. The only recommended services at that time were to change the brake fluid and antifreeze. The vehicle is available for any and all requested inspection.
My Infiniti started making a slight ticking noise. The next day, the car abruptly stalled out while going down the highway causing the vehicle to loose speed and experience engine failure. Luckily, I was able to steer the vehicle to a more manageable location out of traffic. I had lost engine power and steering. After a certified mechanics diagnosis, the engine was declared blown. The bearings and rods have failed and the engine is no longer in repairable condition. The vehicle was serviced per manufacture regularly and there had been no signs of engine failure to that date.
Engine destroyed itself upon acceleration on highway. Variable Compression system malfunctioned, metal shavings found in oil, and engine no longer starts. Check engine light flashed after acceleration, and then engine lost all power. Car coasted to a stop as the engine couldn't make power.
Bought the car from Infiniti and drove it a month,got my first oil change and that sam day my engine lock up first I heard the lifters and then the car shut down as I was trying to pull over ,I was 2,000 miles over my warranty
On January 1, 2025 at about 10:30pm, while driving at about 40 miles per hour the engine made some knocking noises and then suddenly lost power, forcing the car to be pulled over to the side of a dangerous road. When I opened the hood of the car there was a small amount of smoke. There was no advanced warning that there was a problem with the engine, it just stopped running causing a dangerous situation. I had the car towed to Infiniti of Massapequa and was told the next day that the car needed a new engine. I was told by the dealer that there was metal in the oil and it appears the main bearing broke. The car is only about 6 years old with approximately 26,200 miles and has been extremely well maintained with the dealer, including scheduled oil changes with full synthetic oil. I am trying to get Infiniti to cover the full engine replacement cost since the warranty expired about two months ago. However, they still want to charge me $7,560 plus tax. The Infiniti service report is still pending the repair.
Turbo, Rear-Coupler, Engine, Actuator Car was squealing and I was told that the serpentine belt needed to be replaced. Replaced this. Car still squealing and took it back. They replaced the belt, again.. Still squealing, now I am told its the tensioner that needs to be replaced but only Infiniti can do this (belt done at Firestone). At Infiniti - they look at the car and the tensioner is fine. But my turbo is blown. How? So, they replace the turbo and then say the rear coupler needs to be replaced. Repairs done and Infiniti said all fluids are good, everything is great. However, I might see slight smoke and a burning smell for 100-150 miles as theres a thin layer of oil on the turbo that will burn off. Oil change isnt due for 5k miles and I checked before my short road trip - all is good. Past the 100-150 miles and the car is SMOKING and SMELLS OF BURNING... Call infiniti, this is normal it will go away. Check fluids again, as no lights on the dashboard and oil is fine. Come back to get my car, check the ground as I always do and no oil/fluid and proceed home. 10 mins from my house the car WREAKS of burning smell, will not accelerate, no dashboard lights. So, I sit there and let it cool down - check again everything looks good. Try again, car will not go. Fluids look fine - oil, no spikes in temp, and no lights. Next day, no fluids under the car. Car accelerates but lunges me then stops going. Car smells bad, smoke.. go to check the fluids and NO OIL in the car out of no where. Infiniti tows it and it sounded like it was going to blow up. Also, a tink tink tink sound started out of no where. This is dangerous as the vehicle could had started on fire. I still dont know what is going on as Inf. has the car right now. This is a major safety hazard as I found a LOT of reports on this happening to others with this specific model and year. I had NO issues like this until Inf replaced the turbo.. NONE!
The engine stopped working. Allowing me to go no faster than 15 miles an hour. The safety issue is you can no longer drive at the speed that you need to drive. especially if you’re on the highway. The problem has been addressed by a dealer. I needed a whole new engine $13,000. The car at 97,000 miles on it. Was well taken care of. No warning signs prior also did not come up on my display Apparently, there are many other 2019 Infiniti QX 50’s that have this issue
While driving I heard a roaring noise from my engine and my car’s A/C stopped cooling. I have no warning messages from car regarding the engine. The noise only stops once the car is fully powered off. I recorded a video of the noise and alert panel that shows no warnings/issues. Will be contacting my local service department.
About five months ago, while driving on the highway, the care would say it's in Drive, but sounded like it couldn't get out of 1st gear and I'd get high RPMs. Thankfully there was stop-and-go traffic and I didn't have to exit pull off the highway or hit high speeds. I exited at the next exit and, as soon as the car stopped, it wasn't possible to get it into gear. Eventually the car started and I was able to get into gear and drive it using Manual drive mode. Once at the dealership we were told it was a bad VCR and they needed to replace that to get it going. That was around 38,000 miles. This most recent incident, I had just gotten onto the highway when I started to hear a low whiney noise when pressing the accelerator. I only had a few miles till my exit and decided to continue, thinking it might just be debris or something. After exiting, I literally rolled into the gas station because the car, despite being in Drive, was not in gear. The car stalled and I couldn't get it started, or I could get it started, but it refused to go to Neutral to allow me to push it out of the way. Eventually, the car started and I was able to put it into Drive. Thinking it was the same issue, I planned to drive it the 2 miles home. I made it to the first traffic light and the car turned off, leaving the me stranded in the middle lane of the road. I called the police and tow trucks to come help me get the car moved (no one knows how to put the car into an emergency Neutral position including the 2 officers, 4 tow truck drivers and an Infiniti mechanic that was driving by). Eventually the tow truck came and I was able to drop it off at the dealership, who have told me there is "a chunk of bearing material in pan with copper particulates." I'm currently around 40,000 miles.
Engine acceleartion issue. Rpm goes high but car struggle to speed up.. At first it happened when car was at stop light, struggle to move forward.. took to Grubbs infiniti.. At first,dealer could not replicate the issue, but luckily I had taken the video of the issue I had. Than the dealer was finally able to experience the issue themselves and replaced the transmission thinking that was the issue. I took the car after repair and within 3-4 days I had the same issue. This time I was driving in a freeway at 60 mph. When I hit the gas pedal to accelerate faster,the engine RPM went high but instead of speeding up, car felt like slowing down. So i exited the freeway to service road. Once the speed went down to 20mph, it didn't go any higher than that.This time there was a check engine light on I took it back to the dealership .They again could not replicate the issue and just did the ECM software update. I took the car home but after driving less than 20 miles,the car had the same issue. I again took it back to delearship. This time they are replacing something called VCR..Still waiting now
I was driving on the highway and the engine started to make a humming sound I would say. Within the next 3 to 4 miles I started losing forward power, and the noise started to get louder. I was afraid my car was going to die on the highway so I stayed in the far right lane so I could coast into the shoulder if I had to. Thankfully, there was an exit and I was able to get off and pull off onto a street at which point it was a louder knocking sound coming from the engine. I drove another block and the check engine light came on and I was getting less power as I pushed the gas pedal. At that point I parked the car and had it towed for repair. This all happened on October 9, 2023. Later that week, I was told by the dealership that I needed a complete new engine that I had thrown a rod in the engine. The car was only four years old and had 75,000 miles on it. Infiniti did help pay part of the bill, but I still had to pay a good portion of the repair and oddly enough the morning after I drove it home, the car would not start. The car was towed back to the dealership. I needed a new starter. That too has since been repaired. I decided to report this after seeing an article this morning regarding an investigation into Nissan for engine failure problems in my model of car.
CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE UPON PRESSURE OF THE GAS PEDAL PLACING DRIVER IN IMMEDIATE DANGER. DRIVER PULLED OVER MULTIPLE TIMES, SHIFTED CAR INTO PARK AND TURNED CAR OFF, PROCEEDED TO ATTEMPT TO DRIVE AGAIN. AFTER FOURTH TIME, THE TRANSMISSION/ENGINE RESPONDED. THIS CAR WAS RETURNED TO AUTONATION INFINITI OF TUSTIN TWO DAYS AFTER PURCHASE, THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED THEY WOULD PLACE THE CAR BACK ON THE LOT WITHOUT INSPECTION, THIS CAUSES GREAT CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF ANY FUTURE DRIVERS OF THE CAR. *TR
Mileage: 7,515
WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WILL DECLINE IN ACCELERATION AND YOU CAN NOT INCREASE ACCELERATION. WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, THE CAR WILL PROCEED AT A SLOW PACE. INFINITI DEALER TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO LET THE CAR WARM UP FOR 30 MINUTES. THE ENGINE MAKES NOISE AS IF THE VEHICLE IS IN NEUTRAL. AT TIMES, ONCE TAKING YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SWITCH THE GAS, THE CAR WILL TAKE OFF FROM UNDER YOUR FOOT. WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR WILL COME TO A COMPLETE HALT AS IF IT WAS APPROACHING A COLLISION. ALL EMERGENCY INDICATORS WILL GO OFF. THE CAR MUST BE TURNED OFF TO RETURN TO DRIVING. VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED BY INFINITI, WHERE DIAGNOSTICS ARE RAN BUT DOES NOT REGISTER AN ISSUE. LAST SERVICING, THE SERVICE MAN TOLD ME TO JUST CALL CONSUMER AFFAIRS, BUT CONSUMER AFFAIRS ASKED FOR A CLAIM NUMBER WHICH I DID NOT HAVE. ON APRIL 28TH, THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AND FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN TO THE RIGHT. NOTHING WAS HIT FOR THE CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT. ALL AIRBAG DEPLOYED BUT THE STEERING WHEEL AND REAR AIRBAG. STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED TO THE LEFT AND COULD NOT BE MOVED. VEHICLE WAS DECLARED TOTALED. DUE TO COVID-19, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOUR TIMES SINCE NY DECLARED A SHELTER-IN.*DT*JB*DT *TR*JB
Mileage: 7,970
AT STOP LIGHTS THE CAR WILL IDLE ROUGHLY LIKE IT WILL STALL THEN IT WILL ALSO JUMP FORWARD.
Mileage: 6,700
VEHICLE 2019 INFINITI QX50 PURE 4DR SUV AWD (2.0L 4CYL TURBO CVT) REVIEW WE HAVE THIS CAR ABOUT 3 MONTHS NOW. HAVE APPROXIMATELY 3500 MILES ON IT. WE EXPERIENCING A HUG DEFECT ON THIS CAR. IN OCTOBER, I DROVE THE INFINITY TO THE GYM IN THE MORNING 5:20AM. IT WAS LESS THAN 1 MILES AWAY, PARKED THE CAR OUTSIDE ABOUT 70 MINUTES. WENT HOME, PARKED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE 2 HOURS. WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR AND STARTED, THE FAN CAME ON. IT WAS SO LOUD THAT WE CAN HEAR IT INSIDE THE CAR WITH ALL WINDOWS UP. IT WAS ON OVER 40 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE TO WORK. GOT TO WORK, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, RESTARTED THE CAR, THE FAN IMMEDIATELY CAME BACK ON. THIS HAPPENED 4 TIMES NOW. WE DO BELIEVE SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER, THEY CANNOT FIX IT, SAID IT IS PER DESIGN, NOT A DEFECT. BOUGHT THIS AS A LUXURY CAR, NOT LUXURY AT ALL. NOW, I AM WORRYING ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND MY PASSENGERS. NOT SURE WHEN OR IF THE ENGINEER IS GOING TO DIE ON THE HIGHWAY. IF ANYONE HAS THE SAME PROBLEM PLEASE REPORT IT. WE ARE AT A LOSS REGARDING WHAT TO DO NEXT. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TO BUY, THERE IS STILL A LOT OF PROBLEMS ON THIS VEHICLE TO WORK OUT.
Mileage: 38