Infiniti QX50: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Infiniti QX50: 11 model years scored from 273 NHTSA owner complaints and 11 recall campaigns. Worst year 2019, best year 2020.
Infiniti QX50: which years to avoid
Across 11 scored model years the Infiniti QX50 ranges from 45/100 in 2019 to 94/100 in 2014 — a 49-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a QX50 at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (53 of them).
Avoid: 2019 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Read the guide
Used Infiniti Q50, QX60 and QX50: the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the QX50 changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 3 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2014–2017
Mean score 92/100, about 1 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Unknown Or Other more than anything else (8 complaints).
2019–2021
Mean score 53/100, about 11 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (88 complaints). The record falls 39 points against the years before it. 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2022–2025
Mean score 86/100, about 2 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (7 complaints). The record improves by 33 points against the years before it. 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2020 (score 64). Worst: 2019 (score 45, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 92 | BUY | $3,599 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 87 | BUY | $3,608 | 4 | 1 |
| 2023 | 88 | BUY | $3,735 | 4 | 1 |
| 2022 | 78 | BUY | $4,026 | 16 | 2 |
| 2021 | 50 | CAUTION | $4,242 | 40 | 2 |
| 2020 | 64 | CAUTION | $4,331 | 32 | 2 |
| 2019 | 45 | AVOID | $4,597 | 139 | 3 |
| 2017 | 92 | BUY | $5,677 | 13 | 0 |
| 2016 | 90 | BUY | $5,826 | 19 | 0 |
| 2015 | 94 | BUY | $5,935 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | 94 | BUY | $6,073 | 2 | 0 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the QX50, through the years →
What goes wrong on the Infiniti QX50
Across every QX50 model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine100 complaints across all QX50 years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Engine And Engine Cooling42 complaints across all QX50 years · typical job: Water pump, thermostat and coolant service$600–$1,040
- Electrical System42 complaints across all QX50 years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other35 complaints across all QX50 years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Forward Collision Avoidance34 complaints across all QX50 years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
- Power Train30 complaints across all QX50 years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Infiniti QX50 years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2019 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2019 is the weakest at 45/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Infiniti QX50 years to buy?
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2014 at 94/100, on 2 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Infiniti QX50 problem?
100 of the complaints filed against the QX50 across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04