AI Damage2018 Infiniti QX80: common problems
Owners of the 2018 Infiniti QX80 filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and air bags. The maker issued 78 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 9
- involving a crash
- 1
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 78
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 44% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 22% of all complaints
- 3 Exterior lighting 11% of all complaints
- 4 Communication 11% of all complaints
- 5 Seat belts 11% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 11% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (44% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 40.
- Air bags: 2 complaints (22% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 2.
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (11% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 4.
- Communication: 1 complaints (11% of all).
- Seat belts: 1 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5.6 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- automatic, 7-speed
Drive: RWD, 4WD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 9 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 40 |
| Air bags | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Communication | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Engine and cooling | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Visibility | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Powertrain | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Lane departure | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Structure | 0 | 0 | 3 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The driver's frontal air bag deployed; however, the side curtain air bags failed to deploy. The contact also stated that the seat belt failed to restrain him from moving forward. The contact sustained a concussion. The contact was transported to the hospital by ambulance. A police report was filed.
Similar to other complaints, the instrument cluster lighting is beginning to go dim or completely out starting at the high end of the RPM gauge and the low end of the speedometer gauge. This is an issue during night time driving.
The primary instrument gauge for the QX80 starts to lose illumination from around the speedometer and tachometer. The vehicle has 55,000 miles and is a 2018 model. This is the SECOND time this has happened, with the instrument gauge being replaced first at approximately 32,000 miles for the same reason.
The plastic trim on the steering wheel that is colored to match the other plastic trim in the car has cracked at the 2:00 clock position. The cracked plastic sometimes lifts when turning the wheel which I feel may cause an accident.
The contact wife owns a 2018 Infiniti QX80 AWD. The contact stated that the Telematics Control Unit (TCU) of the vehicle operated in 3G however, the AT&T servers were shutting down causing the functionality of the TCU to become inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer.
Air bag light is on. My regular mechanic took to dealer. Dealer said they see this problem all the time. Told us that in an accident the bags would not deploy and repair is more than $5000! We contacted Nissan north America. Extremely rude employee said too bad as vehicle was out of warranty.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,524 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (among the 27% least complained about).
On average one model year of the QX80 has 8 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 9, about average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Communication. Infotainment, telematics, antennas after body repair.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other…
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
- TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION See ITB19-029 for models built after those listed above for a different…
TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION See ITB19-029 for models built after those listed above for a different Service Procedure. SERVICE INFORMATION The Applied Vehicles are equipped with a wireless communication device…
- AEB WARNING LIGHT IS ON WITH WARNING MESSAGES DISPLAYED ON COMBINATION METER APPLIED VEHICLES
2015-2024 Q50 (V37) 2015-2018 Q50 Hybrid (HV37) 2017-2022 Q60 (CV37) 2015-2019 Q70 (Y51) 2015-2018 Q70 Hybrid (HY51) 2019-2024 QX50 (J55) 2022-2024 QX55 (FJ55) 2015-2021 QX60 (L50) 2022-2024 QX60 (L51) 2015-2019 QX60…
- DTC B00A0-00 STOREIF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero…
DTC B00A0-00 STOREIF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)D
- DTC C1A17-49 STORED IN LASER/RADAR This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- INTELLIGENT KEY NOT DETECTED / ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NHTSA lists 78 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Infiniti QX80?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, air bags, exterior lighting. Total complaints: 9. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbag warning light (11%), airbags did not deploy (11%), infotainment or screen glitches (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2018 Infiniti QX80?
NHTSA lists 78 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2018 Infiniti QX80 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2018 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.