Antilock brakes, Back Over Prevention and electrical system issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The world of luxury SUVs is not lacking for models, but the 2019 Infiniti QX60 tends to stand out from the crowd. It was even awarded as an “IIHS Top Safety Pick,” but recent complaints cause owners to wonder how these ratings are determined. This model suffers from a defective back-over prevention system, a faulty vehicle speed control and a glitchy electrical system.
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Over the past few years, having a backup camera has become standard technology. With a company like Infiniti, the system should be perfected, but it’s not.
One NHTSA complaint states, “The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX60. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking garage there was a vehicle behind them, however, the reverse camera did not show the vehicle was nearby, nor, did the vehicle’s alarm system indicate a vehicle was nearby. The contact ended up hitting the vehicle behind them on the left bumper area with the rear of their vehicle. The contact’s vehicle was not towed. The contact did not receive any injuries, nor did the person in the other vehicle. No medical attention was needed. A police report was not filed. The contact stated their vehicle received damage to the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 19V654000 (Back Over Prevention), however, the vehicle had not been repaired for the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximated failure mileage was 4,000.”
The recall being referenced applies to more than a million vehicles. It states that the backup camera image doesn’t display correctly, leaving people at risk of having an accident, just like the one listed above. How does this failure help the luxury SUV continue to be a Top Safety Pick? Someone must have been paid off to offer that rating.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Power Train | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Back Over Prevention | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Structure:body | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Air Bags |
Additionally, there’s another serious safety issue when looking at the faulty vehicle speed control.
Another NHTSA complaint states, “The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX60. While idling, the vehicle spontaneously accelerated. Additionally, the RPMs increased to 7,000 for 20 seconds. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to [dealer], but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 1,000.”
Aside from this malfunction, there’s also another recall. This time, the failure is occurring within the braking system. NHTSA Campaign Number 19V807000 states that almost 400,000 vehicles could have a defective Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) actuator pump that allows fluid to leak onto the circuit board. If this occurs, a fire could ignite, putting everyone in danger. While the average consumer may not know a lot about what creates a safe vehicle, it’s fair to assume that these issues are enough to warrant the Infiniti losing its ranking with the IIHS. Unless of course, it’s perfectly acceptable to have SUVs catching on fire and failing to maintain the appropriate speed.
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In general, the electrical system runs a lot of equipment that could pose safety concerns if something major were to happen. However, many complaints with the QX60 come from convenience features that aren’t working right.
Here’s one Edmunds review to consider. “The problem is I own a smartphone. I want to listen to podcasts when I drive. And the audio keeps cutting off. (It has a non-navi system to those who are interested.) My dealership people were nice, so I went to them to investigate this Bluetooth problem. Here’s what I learned. Infiniti does NOT support all the Bluetooth profiles and it does not support all the phones. Which is weird because Bluetooth is a standard and it’s supposed to solve that problem. The solution that they recommended was to use a 3.5mm audio cable. Tough luck for me because the two phones that I own are Pixel 2 XL and iPhone 7 Plus. Neither have a headphone jack. So, the dealership recommended that I call the Infiniti Consumer Affairs. They troubleshoot me through a process which resulted in ‘you are using unsupported phones’ for audio streaming? Okay, it’s Nov 2018. One of my phones is a year old and the other two years.”
Aside from not being able to stream their favorite tunes, there are also concerns with the push-button ignition and door switches. Service Bulletin #ITB19-036 indicates that these systems might be inoperative. With this malfunction, there are several symptoms. These include non-functioning door locks and the engine won’t start when the ignition switch is pressed. To correct the issues, Infiniti must replace the BCM. Obviously, customers won’t have much to complain about when it comes to connecting their smartphone if they can’t even start the car. It’s a logical way to solve that problem.
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.
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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