The engine and turbo system failed in my 2017 Infiniti Q50 Signature Edition (VIN [XXX] ). The vehicle remains at CarMax Naperville, where it has been since March 2025. Internal repair orders show CarMax performed two failed inspections in August 2020 before selling the vehicle as “CarMax Certified” on September 3, 2020. The vehicle should not have passed certification. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, I noticed it was pulling hard to the right. During my first tire rotation and oil change, the technician informed me that all four tires were severely dry-rotted and unsafe to drive on. CarMax had represented the vehicle as fully inspected and road-ready. These conditions suggest the vehicle had sat for an extended period after a prior four-point accident and should have never been certified for sale. None of this was disclosed to me at purchase. In March 2025, the engine failed. CarMax later reported that a replacement engine was installed, part #10102-6HN3A (single-turbo) instead of the required #10102-5CH2D (twin-turbo VR30DDTT). This engine does not match the original factory specifications for my VIN. Infiniti of Naperville confirmed that my vehicle qualifies for a free extended turbo and engine warranty (TSB P4A05/P4A06), but CarMax declined to use the required OEM one-time-use parts, voiding that coverage. CarMax has refused to provide inspection reports, diagnostic data, emissions test results, or engine serial numbers despite over forty written requests. I have no documentation confirming what work was performed or whether the vehicle is safe or compliant with emissions standards. The car has now been sitting at CarMax for over seven months, with rusted brakes and unknown mechanical condition. They are just concerned about me coming to get the car. This raises serious concerns about safety, emissions compliance, and potential consumer fraud involving improper certification and undisclosed prior damage. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2017 Infiniti Q50: engine failure
5 of the 63 complaints about the 2017 Infiniti Q50 describe engine failure.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- recalls
- 0
Engine failure by model year
- 20201
- 20194
- 20184
- 20175
- 20168
- 20143
What owners say
In October of 2023 I was driving onto the high way and my car just started to slow down I could not accelerate that gas while I was on the highway which is very dangerous when you are on the highway. My car turn off completely the engine light started to blink. All the lights were blinking. The only thing that was on was my radio. I could not move the car I was having. Trouble putting the car into park. Everything was stuck. Good thing I was not in the middle of the highway and not on a really busy highway but it was late at night. Drivers on the high way and myself are out at risk I could not even put my hazards on. A car could have crash into me and serious injury’s could have happen. I was stuck and was having trouble putting the car in park. Could not go into neutral. For a car to come to a sudden stop not be able to put the car in park that can be a risk factor due to if the car turn back on going into neutral on its own. The car was fixed with new engine at an auto body In July or August 2024 Now the engine light is on again the car will not even turn on. All the oil leaked out. Infiniti did my last oil change and said it was due at 117k which that is my current reading. When the oil all leaked out the car had a steering issue it crashed into a guardrail. That is the second time the car slow down had some type of issue is a big risk factor In August 2024 when the oil came out the car that can cause a fire and lost of steering the car crashed into rail with us in it. I did not have any warning signs about this going to happen. The car has not been driven since
The engine in this car needs to be replaced. The main bearing is failing, head gasket blew, and coolant has leaked into the engine. About August 30, 2023 I had a sudden coolant loss followed by temperature spike. If the engine had seized while driving, it could have caused a loss of power and locked up the drive train. After sitting while i tried to determine the coolant loss and temp spike, i made arrangements with a local infiniti dealer about jan 9 with a drop off date of jan 22 or 23. The dealer has confirmed the bearing, oil, coolant issue. There were no warning lights or check engine lights before the issue occurred.
Engine failure due to porous motor and oil deprevation related to a tsb
Camshaft pos sensor went out during driving. Car lost power and jerked. Had car looked at by independent service station and heard knocking. Brought car to dealership and was determined to have a blown engine. Was specifically told that the turbos were 'eating' the oil and not allowing oil to flow to lower end of motor. Which caused failure to main bearing in cylinder 3. Car needs a new engine. Service department has seen this before with same year make and model of vehicle
Service bulletins that may apply
- Turbocharger replacement procedure applied engines: VR30DDTT if you confirm
- Retailer Announcement INFINITI is committed to providing the highest levels of product quality and...
- MIL on with dtc(s) stored in the ECM
- Turbocharger replacement procedure
- ISS Reprogram Voluntary Emission Recall Campaign REVISED June 14, 2023 Please discard earlier versions of
- ISS Reprogram Voluntary Emission Recall Campaign REVISED June 10, 2023 Please discard earlier versions of
- Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN 2016-2019 Q50/Q60; ENGINE CONTROL MODULE INTRODUCTION Infiniti is...
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2017 Infiniti Q50 engine failure
Is engine failure a common problem on the 2017 Infiniti Q50?
5 of 63 owner complaints about the 2017 Infiniti Q50 (8%) mention engine failure. The model year with the most reports is 2016.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2017 Infiniti Q50?
There are 0 recalls and 42 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2017 Infiniti Q50
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