Problems · NHTSA complaints
2016 Infiniti QX80 problems
Owners filed 15 complaints about the 2016 Infiniti QX80 with NHTSA between Aug 2016 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is service brakes (3).
Complaints
15
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Service brakes3
- Air bags2
- Engine2
- Structure1
- Forward collision avoidance1
- Visibility1
- Power train1
- Fuel system, gasoline1
- Electrical system1
- Fuel/propulsion system1
- Steering1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Other / unknown2
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
2
2
2
2
1
0
0
0
4
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Service brakes
3 reports
“I HAD MY INFINITY 2016 QX 80 FOR 6 MONTHS AND THE BREAKS WENT OUT TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ONLY GOING OVER A SPEED HUMP, LUCKILY. I PULLED OVER AND THE CALIPER WAS AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE RIM. I WAS TOLD THE PIN FELL OUT. VERY DANGEROUS!”
Air bags
2 reports
“Airbag light keeps coming on and we take it in to be serviced and they say hey it shows low voltage so we tighten down your battery and that fixed it. Then we drive 100 miles and it's back on. Took it to a different dealer and they said the same thing. Another few hundred miles airbag light is on again. Putting my families lives in danger. When we bought this vehicle from Carmax that the same issue and took over 6 weeks before we could pick it up.”
Engine
2 reports
“RETURNING HOME FROM A TRIP TO BIRMINGHAM, AL ON SUNDAY APR 29TH, 2018 AND NOTICED THE AIR WAS NO LONGER COOLING IN THE CAR. MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH INFINITI TO TAKE THE CAR IN TO BE CHECKED OUT ON MONDAY APR 30. UPON GETTING CAR CHECKED OUT WAS TOLD THAT A ROCK ALLEGEDLY WENT THROUGH THE GRILL, SOME HOW MISSED ALL THE OTHER COMPONENTS IN THE CAR AND HIT THE CONDENSER/COOLANT LINE AND CAUSED ALL THE FREON TO RUN OUT OF THE CAR. MIND YOU THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENTS AND YOU CAN HEAR IF YOUR CAR IS IT BY A ROCK AND NONE OF THAT HAS HAPPENED. SOME FAMILY FRIENDS WITH THE SAME CAR HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR CAR AND WAS TOLD IT WAS HIT BY A ROCK ALSO. HOW LIKELY IS THAT TO HAPPEN, NEED TO INVESTIGATE INFINITI FOR POOR COOLANT LINES AND CHARGING CUSTOMERS FOR ITEMS THAT SHOULD BE UNDER WARRANTY. WAS TOLD REPAIRS WILL COST $1200 AND CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY WITH LESS THAN 21000 MILES. CALLED INFINITI TO COMPLAIN AS OTHERS HAVE AND WAS ONLY GIVEN A REFERENCE NUMBER AND TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK. OTHERS HAVE BEEN MADE TO PAY FOR REPAIRS AND THIS IS HAPPENING WAY TOO OFTEN AND INFINITI NEEDS TO STEP UP AND OWN THEIR DEFECTIVE PART AND STOP PASSING THE EXPENSE…”
Structure
1 report
“National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE West Department, Washington, DC 20590 SUBJECT: SAFETY COMPLAINT – STRUCTURAL PAINT DELAMINATION AND DEBRIS HAZARD • Vehicle: 2016 Infiniti QX80 • Paint Color: Pearl White (Paint Code: QAA) • Affected Area: Roof, hood, and upper body panels To Whom It May Concern, I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding a severe manufacturing defect on my 2016 Infiniti QX80 featuring the factory Pearl White (QAA) paint finish. The factory paint and primer have experienced a complete adhesion failure, causing the paint to shear off in massive, thick chunks down to the bare, unprimed sheet metal. This issue is not a cosmetic concern; it is an active highway safety hazard. The paint layers are delaminating at highway speeds, causing hard, sharp chunks of paint debris to violently fly off my vehicle’s roof. This poses an immediate distraction and danger to trailing motorists who are forced to swerve or suffer windshield impacts from the flying debris. Furthermore, the rapid deterioration of the protective coating risks structural corrosion of the roof panel over…”
Forward collision avoidance
1 report
“I live in a state where it is required to have both front and back plates. When I got my 2016 QX80 it did not have official front plate mounting so I bought a kit and installed the front license plate. Since then I have not had a working sensor. The front collision sensor states there’s an obstruction. I can no longer use cruise control or the front collision safety sensor because the front sensor was brilliantly placed where the plate needs to be installed. Poor design.”
Visibility
1 report
“The contact owns a 2016 Infiniti QX80. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 50 MPH on the interstate, there was an abnormal booming sound coming from the sunroof, and the driver discovered that the sunroof glass had shattered. The contact called the Insurance Company for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the sunroof needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the dealer was in the process of ordering the part to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 27,448.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.