2018 Infiniti Q60 Problems and Top Complaints – Is Your Car A Lemon?

Updated on January 13th, 2023 Author: Brian Jones

High-end cars are driven by professionals that demand an exceptional ride, which is why many choose the 2018 Infiniti Q60. The newest lineup claims to offer the “luxury of performance,” but owners are struggling to find the luxury or the performance in this model. From defective air bags to a faulty electrical system and malfunctioning steering, this opulent model might look stylish, but it’s just an expensive insurance claim on wheels.

NHTSA Complaints for the 2018 Infiniti Q60

Problems with the Air Bags

Air bags are designed to keep occupants safe during an accident, but this vital safety equipment can pose more danger when the system is defective. That’s precisely what happens with this luxury model.

One NHTSA complaint states, “The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti Q60. While driving 45 mph, the passenger side air bag deployed without warning or an impact occurring. The passenger seat was not occupied at the time. The vehicle was taken to [dealer] where the contact was informed that there was a small tear in the plastic splash guard underneath the vehicle, which could have triggered the air bags to deploy. The dealer stated that the repair would not be covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 37,100.”

Air bags shouldn’t go off simply because of a minor incident that doesn’t result in any impact, especially not something as small as a tear in a splash guard. This probably didn’t even occur at the same time; it was just used as an excuse for the dealer to charge for a repair. The automaker failed to take any responsibility for this instance, which is quite disappointing. After all, no one wants to pay a premium price for a vehicle that deploys its air bags when someone sneezes on it.

Problems with the Electrical System

When a fault occurs within the electrical system, it can be seen in multiple ways. Some are annoying, while others can cause an accident.

We see a dangerous situation with this NHTSA review. “My car is brand new and was purchased on 12/26/2017. 12/27: After a 3+ hour drive with 350~ miles on the car at this point, an indicator light with a steering wheel and exclamation point lit up the dash and the steering wheel locked up and became extremely hard to turn. I pulled over, turned my car off and waited about 5 minutes and crank it back up and the light was gone. 1/5: Approximately 650+ miles on the car, it happened again – steering got extremely tight and hard to maneuver; I pulled over and repeated the same off/rest/on process!!! It happened 3 more times in the course of that hour. Infiniti sent a tow truck to pick it up on 1/5 from my home and still have not been replicate or get some resolve on the issue. I am frightened because I was truly blessed to be in an area each of the 5 times to get to safety. That may not always be the case. I am even more mortified that my car doesn’t even have 1,000 miles on it and it’s causing a severe issue already. The service team at [dealer] are working diligently on it but as of yet have not been able to figure a solution which is more petrifying.”

That’s a scary situation that no one wants to deal with. This Infiniti model struggles with electrical issues and even suffers from a massive recall affecting more than one million vehicles. NHTSA Campaign Number 19V654000 states that the back-up camera might lose its image, leaving people in the dark while backing up. As customers attempt to make the image show up, they are in danger of an accident. Thankfully, the air bags aren’t deploying when customers put the car in reverse – yet!

Problems with the Steering

While a steering issue was referenced above when discussing the electrical system, there are even more complaints about these components.

Just look at this NHTSA comment. “Loss of steering control while driving 2018 Infiniti Q60S Red Sport. After a search online, I found that this problem has been predicted with the drive-by wire or steer-by-wire system. (Direct Adaptive Steering System).Mileage at time of event approx. 2,252 miles.Dry roads, no rain, overcast, about 70 degrees. Speed at time of steering failure between 65 and 70 mph. Road straight. Driving in right lane of three lane, same direction traffic. Steering suddenly and immediately changing from normal to what initially felt like both front tires completely flat. Quickly realized it was not flat tires but rather a sudden and complete loss of steering control. Much worse than flat tires.Warning light on dash. I had almost no reaction on the steering wheel. Once parked, I turned the car off and waited a few seconds and turned it on again. Warning light off. I moved the car and it behaved normally. As if it never happened.”

It seems that the steering system can’t decide what it wants to do. Certainly, this model hasn’t exhibited any luxury or performance as suggested by the automaker. In fact, according to Service Bulletin #PC609 2018 Q60 E, some Q60 models were placed on a sales hold due to some concerns with the electronic power steering system. Basically, this means that some models were forced to sit on the dealer lot because the system was that defective. That’s a tell-tale sign that this is the poster child for a lemon car.

Your Lemon Law Legal Rights

Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Infiniti pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

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