Airbag complaints by model year
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger OCS sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,200.
The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the front passenger seat and passenger seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while his son was driving at approximately 45 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. Due to the failure, his son lost complete control of the vehicle and drove into a ditch. The air bags did not deploy. The contact's son was not injured as a result of the accident and did not seek medical treatment. The police were not called to the scene and a report was not filed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed from the scene to an independent auto repair shop. The contact was informed by the auto repair shop the serpentine belt had shredded inside the engine which caused the failure. They also informed him that there was a service bulletin on the vehicle in relation to the failure. The contact's son reached out to the manufacturer where they both agreed to an unknown settlement. The vehicle had been repaired. …
The contact owns a 2017 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side seat belt warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was no passenger located in the front passenger's seat during the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the OCS sensor had failed, and the contact was informed that the front passenger's side air bag and the front passenger's seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V244000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 169,000.
this car is being sold at nice car inc and they have erased codes from car air bags wont deploy if and accident occurs 1 turbo on car doesnt work and the car smokes runs hot the and will shut off or wont Accelerate over 10 miles per hr I was not aware of this until after purchase and i had car checked out that is dangerous and hazardous they also have called using my name pretending to be me and made false insurance claims the car... I could only upload so much but a certified mechanic stated they deleted codes from vehicle and its not listed on carfax they give. They are endangering lives of Americans and scamming insurance companies because the car doesnt have safety features that should work
The contact owned a 2015 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 to 10 mph, she experienced a diabetic medical emergency. The driver was unable to feel her legs or feet to stop the vehicle and crashed into the rear of an unknown SUV. The air bags did not deploy. The air bag warning light illuminated at impact. A police report was filed. The driver was taken to the emergency room by ambulance. The fire department was on the scene, but there was no reported fire. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was later towed to a collision center. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the airbag warning lights would remain illuminated while a front passenger was seated in the vehicle. The front passenger's side air bag system message would indicate that the system was turned off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who serviced the failure under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V244000 (Air Bags) however, the failure recurred days later. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 21,000.
Related recalls (2)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Nissan North America (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Infiniti Q50 and Q50 Hybrid vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag inflator may have been improperly welded.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Infiniti customer service at 1-800-662-6200, option 7.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City…
Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano,…
NHTSA investigations
Occupant Classification System Failure
In April 2014, Nissan North America launched Safety Recall 14V-138 to address problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS) algorithm in the following vehicles: model year (MY) 2013-2014 Nissan Altima, Pathfinder, Sentra and LEAF; MY 2013 Infiniti JX35; MY 2014 Infiniti QX60 and Q50; and MY 2013 Nissan NV 200/Taxi vehicles.According to Nissan, the OCS may misclassify adult front passenger occupants and turn…
Occupant Classification System Failure
In May 2016, Nissan North America issued a safety recall (16V-244) to address the problem of improper classification of adult front seat passengers in approximately 3.3 million vehicles, including those in the scope of this investigation when it was opened (almost one million vehicles) and additional vehicles, as shown below.Nissan models: certain model year 2013-2016 Altima, 2013-2016 LEAF, 2016-2017 Maxima,…
Frequently asked questions
Which Infiniti Q50 years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2015 (19), 2014 (16), 2017 (10), 2018 (9) and 2016 (5) model years. Airbag complaints make up 15% of all complaints for the 2015.
Is there a recall for Infiniti Q50 airbag problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 17V-571 (inflator module, Sep 15, 2017); 16V-244 (occupant classification, Apr 26, 2016). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Infiniti Q50 airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles; 74% happened before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.