2013 Infiniti QX56

Routine

Owners filed 32 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. It has been recalled 3 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine15
000
Service Brakes4
101
Suspension3
000
Electrical System3
100
Vehicle Speed Control2
000
Power Train2
000
Visibility1
100
Unknown or Other1
000
Suspension › Rear1
000

3 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Equipment › Other › Labels26V455000
Filed Jul 15, 2026168,149 vehiclesNissan North America, Inc.

Defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Nissan Armada, 2011-2013 Infiniti QX56, and 2014-2027 QX80 vehicles equipped with 22" wheels. The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) listed on the certification label is incorrect, which can allow the vehicle to be overloaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Risk. An overloaded vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will install new labels, free of charge. Additionally, Nissan will mail replacement labels to owners. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed September 2, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated Fall 2026. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R26B1 and P6A13/4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.

Fuel System, Gasoline14V683000
Filed Nov 28, 2014133,592 vehiclesNissan North America, Inc.

Defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Nissan Juke, 2012-2013 Infiniti M56, QX56, and 2014-2015 Infiniti Q70 (V8 engine vehicles only), and QX80 vehicles. The fuel pressure sensors may not have been sufficiently tightened during production. As a result, the fuel pressure sensor may loosen with vehicle usage and cause a fuel leak.

Risk. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could cause a vehicle fire.

Remedy. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will re-torque the fuel pressure sensors free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air Bags › Frontal › Driver Side › Inflator Module14V668000
Filed Oct 24, 20141,848 vehiclesNissan North America, Inc.

Defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Infiniti QX56 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2012, to April 26, 2013, and 2014 Infiniti QX80 vehicles manufactured June 18, 2013, to February 11, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag inflator may have been manufactured with an incorrect part.

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's air bag, the incorrect part may block the flow of propellant to the air bag and the air bag's inflator may rupture. The rupture could cause metal fragments to strike and potentially seriously injure the vehicle occupants.

Remedy. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine
Filed Aug 9, 2023115,000 milesIL

The contact owns a 2013 Infiniti QX56. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormally loud ticking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the timing chain had failed, and the failure was related to Infiniti Campaign Number: P6305. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the campaign had expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

Power Train
Filed Jun 14, 2023131,000 milesNC

The contact owns a 2013 Infiniti QX56. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment while accelerating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the timing chain. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Infiniti Service Campaign: ITB16-015a (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000.

Suspension
Filed Apr 26, 2023IL

Control arm failure

Engine
Filed Mar 27, 2023OR

Started car in the morning and it started misfiring very badly. Flashing check engine light. Immediately pulled over and shut engine off. Had it towed to my shop I use they hooked it up to computer and it was diagnosed as a loose timing chain. Basically timing chain replacement This is rediculous only has 129k miles. They claim timing chain and components are good til 300k with regular maintenance. This suv since new has had synthetic mobile 1 oil changed every 3500 miles. There was a voluntary recall on this issue. Why was it ever taken down Now I’m paying the car payment on a car I cannot drive. Till I spend $5000 to have all that replaced

Suspension
Filed Feb 27, 202340,000 milesNJ

The contact owns a 2013 Infiniti QX56. The contact stated that intermittently while parked, and while driving at various speeds, the rear of the vehicle was sagging. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the air shocks and compressor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that the warranty had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000. The contact stated that the air suspension system on the vehicle never properly worked. There was an attempt to make repairs but that did not fix the problem.

Engine
Filed Sep 13, 2022SC

Our Infiniti QX56 started misfiring and shaking when driving. We took it in to the Infiniti dealership and was informed it is a bad timing chain. Upon research, we realized there was a recall for this issue on 2013 Infiniti QX56 models just like ours. However, our VIN did not show on the recall list. Our car has been meticulously maintained. Our research revealed that timing chains in well maintained cars should last up to 300,000 miles. Our car has 105,000 miles. We feel this repair should be covered by Infiniti. We did not pay for a luxury car to have this type of issue. The car is undrivable due to safety concerns and we would like this addressed immediately.

Engine
Filed Mar 1, 2022PA

The timing chain needs to be replaced on my vehicle with under 80,000 miles. Researching the issue i found that this is a very common problem with this specific engine. This is an $80,000+ car brand new and it did not last 80,000 miles. This is an obvious part malfunction due to the design of the vehicle. Infiniti should do something. It is a costly repair.

Suspension
Filed Jan 19, 2022IL

While my wife was driving our QX56 during normal conditions at approximately 40MPH, QX56 begun to swerve repeatedly left to right in a dangerous manner and she had to apply brakes rapidly. Looking under the vehicle, the lower control arm was badly cracked and the cause of the swerving. I towed to my local shop (not Infiniti dealership) for repair and they confirmed the right control arm was cracked. They stated the left control arm was also severely rusted / damaged and wasn't too far from cracking either. Fortunately, my wife was only going 40mph and was able to control the swerving. If going 70 or 75MPH on the highway, I'm not sure that would have been possible. Pictures are attached, both of broken right control arm which caused swerving and left control arm that is near cracking. With both control arms going out at same time, I feel this is a dangerous, quality control issue from Infiniti. I spoke with Seth at Infiniti Consumer affairs who stated they wouldn't reimburse the repair at a non-Infiniti repair show and didn't appear to plan to pass on the seriousness of the problem.

Engine
Filed Nov 3, 2021105,000 milesIN

The contact owns a 2013 Infiniti QX56. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made abnormal rattling sounds. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the failure was occurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the timing chain guide and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The contact referenced service bulletin #P6305. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Engine
Filed Sep 29, 2021MD

Took car in for maintenance and was told I needed a new timing chain as its an often replaced part and that is failing on my car , I looked it up and found out that its a voluntary recall at present after numerous complaints and the dealer admitted they are faulty but mine wasn't in the VIN range for reimbursement. I had to pay $3800 dollars to replace and wait 10 days for completion, this is an expensive repair on a car of this caliber , yet Infiniti offers no compensation. This faulty chain which is supposed to last a cars lifetime could cause the engine to FAIL resulting in a hazard to my family.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Sep 17, 2021LA

Timing Chain

Electrical System
Filed Sep 4, 2021MD

SUV WOULD NOT START SO HAD TO GET A JUMP. 1 WEEK LATER SAME THING. HAD BATTERY TESTED BUT WAS NOT BAD AND IT HAD JUST BEEN REPLACED BY DEALER IN 2019. 1 WEEK LATER AGAIN SUV WOULD NOT START. GOT A JUMP AND TOOK TO JBA INFINITI IN ELLICOTT CITY, MD WHO CHARGED THE BATTERY FOR 2 HOURS. 2 WEEKS LATER, SUV IS HESITATING TO START. I REFUSE TO PAY ANOTHER $186 FOR THEM TO DIAGNOSE AND THEN RECHARGE THE BATTERY AGAIN. AFTER SOME RESEARCH IT LOOKS LIKE OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. NEXT, CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. SUV IS 8 YEARS OLD AND JBA INFINITI IS TELLING ME I NEED TO REPLACE THEM @ A COST OF $7500. THIS IS RIDICULOUS.....I DON'T HAVE LOSS OF POWER BUT I SO GET THE "ROTTEN EGG" SMELL SOMETIMES. I WOULD THINK THIS PART WOULD BE COVERED UNDER EMISSION WARRANTY FOR AT LEAST 15 YEARS. I HAVE 142000 MILES ON IT.

Engine
Filed Jun 19, 2021CA

Timing belt/chain failure - Recalled and repaired by dealership. When picking up my vehicle from the dealer for the above mentioned repair I was notified that I need new Catalytic Converter's as now the Service Engine light was coming on. The Service Engine light was NOT coming on prior. After an hour or two researching the CAT issue online I have found hundreds if not more instances with the same issue for this vehicle. A bad CAT can cause numerous issues with vehicle performance to vehicle fires which could cause accidents putting not only passengers but other motorists at risk. And then there's the damage to the environment. If the timing belt warranted a recall for causing misfires...etc. why wouldn't the manufacturer include parts of the system effected by the part being recalled? Timing Belt causes misfires --> Misfires cause CAT damage/failure, but CAT not included in the recall.

Electrical SystemCrash
Filed Apr 26, 202199,000 milesGA

THERE WAS CAR THAT PULLED UP BEHIND ME WHILE I WAS IDLE IN THE DRIVEWAY AND AS I PULLED OUT NO WARNING BEEP..AND NOW THE VEHICLE. WAS NOT CRANKING FOR SEVERAL HOURS AND NOTHING IS WRONG WITH BATTERY AND REMOTE IS FULLY CHARGED & HAVE BEEN STRANDED SEVAL TIMES BECAUSE IF OF IT...THIS HAS TO BE A RECALL

Engine
Filed Feb 2, 2021118,000 milesIA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 INFINITI QX56. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE MISFIRED AND STALLED. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AND FLASHING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO WILLIS INFINITI (2101 NW 100TH ST, DES MOINES, IA 50325, 855-638-2280) AND WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER, NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

Electrical System
Filed Oct 13, 2020OR

DEAD BATTERY. REPLACED ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY, VEHICLE IS DEAD EVERY 2-3 DAYS. MANY OTHERS REPORT THE SAME ISSUE. INFINITI HAS AN "INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE" TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BUT HAVE NO FIX FOR OLDER VEHICLES.

Service Brakes
Filed Aug 24, 2020135,000 milesWI

THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMS SPONGY AND WHILE BRAKING AT SLOWER SPEEDS THE SEAT BELT PULLS BACK VIOLENTLY PINNING THE DRIVER BACK AGAINST THE SEAT. REAR BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND BRAKE SYSTEM FLUID CHECK STILL NO DIFFERENT.

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 31, 202096,000 milesNC

DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY 421 IN WILKESBORO, NC ON A 45 MPH SECTION OF THE HIGHWAY, MERGED OVER INTO THE TURNING LANE TO TURN LEFT ACROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC. WAITED FOR A BREAK IN TRAFFIC, UPON A BREAK IN TRAFFIC TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO CROSS TRAFFIC, AS VEHICLE STARTED TO ACCELERATE IT STALLED IN MIDDLE OF ROAD. WIFE AND CHILDREN IN CAR STARTED SCREAMING. TRAFFIC NICE ENOUGH NOT TO RUN INTO US. HAD CAR TOWED TO LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP. FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 5.6 LITTER NISSAN/ INFINITI ENGINE. ONE OF THE TIMING GEARS FOR THE LEFT BANK STOPPED ROTATING SOME HOW. THIS SIDE OF THE ENGINE TIMING SYSTEM ALSO POWERS THE FUEL PUMP SO THAT YOU CANNOT EVEN LIMP ACROSS THE ROAD ON HALF THE ENGINE. IT JUST STOPS RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE. YOU HAVE NO STEERING NO BREAKING AND NO PROPULSION. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESIGN AND LACK OF QUALITY OF THE ENGINE.

Engine
Filed Mar 4, 202075,000 milesLA

THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DEAD AND WOULD NOT START WHEN BATTERY WAS JUMPED. BATTERY WAS REPLACED ONCE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ORIGINAL BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. ONCE THE VEHICLE STARTED , THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS VISIBLE ON THE DASH. THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING A VERY LOUD HUMMING SOUND COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE SOUND GOT LOUDER AND INTENSIFIED AS THE RPMS INCREASED.

Engine
Filed Mar 2, 2020153,000 milesIN

TIMING CHAIN WAS LOOSENED AND WAS RUBBING AGAINST ANOTHER PART MAKE A LOUD NOISE WHILE SITTING AND DRIVING. THANKFULLY I STOPPED IN TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID IT WAS READY TO BREAK AT ANYTIME. THANKFULLY NOTHING HAPPEN TO ME, KIDS, AND HUSBAND ON THE HIGHWAY. FRIGHTENING TO THINK OF LOSING CONTROL OF A VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH. THERE WAS A RECALL ON TIME CHAINS FOR THE SAME YEAR, BUT MY VIN # WAS NOT COVERED. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED. I HAVE HAD IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES FOR NORMAL UPKEEP. SHOULD THERE HAVE BEEN A RECALL, THE SERVICE DEPT WOULD HAVE CAUGHT IT. THEY AGREED THIS MORNING AS WELL.

20 of 32 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2004
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2013 — this page32300Routine
201257300Routine
201178210Routine
201025300Routine
20097300Routine
200853400Routine
200721200Routine
200679400Routine
200580400Routine
2004106210Routine

Compare every QX56 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Jul 15, 2026. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.