Infiniti

Infiniti QX50 years to avoid

Years to avoid: 2019 and 2021. Best years: 2016 and 2017.

The 2019 and 2021 Infiniti QX50 draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2019 has 140 complaints (18 for each year on the road) and 2021 has 40 complaints (7 for each year on the road), against a median of 4 a year across the 6 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is engine failure (39 reports).

140complaints
3recall campaigns
1model years with a page

Newest report Sep 25, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

Pick your model year

2019140

Owner complaints on file for each year.

Years to avoid

2019
140 complaints·18 a year·3 recalls
Most reported: engine failure (39 reports, median 94,000 miles) and stalling (26 reports, median 82,000 miles).
2021
40 complaints·7 a year
Too few complaints for a page of its own.

Best years

2016
19 complaints·2 a year
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2017
13 complaints·1 a year
Too few complaints for a page of its own.

Complaints for each year on the road

Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.

Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.

Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong

At a glance

Where the complaints sit: The 2019 has the most complaints of any Infiniti QX50 year here: 140 of 140 (100%).
Problem across the years: Engine failure is the top problem in every model year with a page, 39 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 21 owners who gave a mileage for engine failure were under about 94,000 miles.
Crash, fire and injury reports: 4% of Infiniti QX50 complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
Recalls on the top problem: Every model year where owners report engine failure also has a recall on the same system. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
When owners filed: Filings jumped in 2025, with 56 complaints, 5.6 times the next busiest year. So far in 2026, 33 more have come in.

Photo: Kevauto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Second generation

Year	Complaints	A year	Recalls	Most reported	Median miles
2019 avoid	140	18	3	Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing (39)	53,000

Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2016 (19), 2017 (13), 2020 (33), 2021 (40), 2022 (16).

Year by year

2019 Infiniti QX50 avoid

140 owner complaints, 18 for each year on the road (4.4 times the model median). Most reported: engine failure (39 reports, median 94,000 miles), stalling (26 reports, median 82,000 miles) and phantom braking (14 reports). 3 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 25V-437 on the engine and 19V-654 on the backup camera.

Questions

What Infiniti QX50 years should you avoid?

What are the best years for the Infiniti QX50?

The 2016 and 2017 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2016 has 19 (2 a year) and 2017 has 13 (1 a year).

What is the most common problem on the Infiniti QX50?

Engine failure, with 39 reports across the 1 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2019.

How many recalls does the Infiniti QX50 have?

3 recall campaigns cover the Infiniti QX50 model years 2019 on this site.

How many Infiniti QX50 complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?

4% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.

Is there a recall for engine failure on the Infiniti QX50?

Yes, on every model year where owners report it.