Buyer Research

2017 Infiniti Q60 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $13,000–$24,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 7 Infiniti Q60 years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The first year of the new Q60, and the record splits neatly along the engine bay. Thirty-four complaints is not a large file, but 38% of it is the engine, and the filings inside that cluster are not small stuff: a thrown main bearing at 80,000 miles on documented oil changes, metal in the pan with coolant quietly disappearing, engines and turbos failing with no warning light and a dealer quote most people would not spend on a house deposit. This is the twin-turbo VR30 in its first model year, and it earns real caution. The 2.0-litre four has a different profile — its own stalling recall, and a crankcase ventilation fault that throws a P052E. On top of either engine sits an occupant sensor in the passenger seat that Infiniti answers with an $8,000 seat quote. Buy this car with a pre-purchase inspection that includes a cold compression or leak-down check and a coolant level you have seen with your own eyes, or buy a different car.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 34 owner complaints for the 2017 Infiniti Q60, and 1 recall campaign.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 38% of them are about one thing — the engine. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

One recall campaign covers this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2017 Infiniti Q60

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

The 3.0T twin-turbo V6 loses coolant, then turbos and bearings — sometimes with no warning lightHigh — wallet impact

The engine cluster is the biggest thing in this year's record, and the worst filings all rhyme: coolant disappearing over months with no visible leak, metal shavings found in the oil pan, a main bearing thrown at 80,000 miles on 3,500-mile synthetic changes, and turbos failing outright with no check engine light beforehand. One owner was quoted thirty-six thousand dollars for an engine and turbos and had an extended warranty deny the claim. Before you buy, open the coolant reservoir cold and look at the level and the colour, pull the oil cap and look for a mayonnaise film, and pay for a leak-down test. Ask to see every oil change. On a turbocharged engine an owner who stretched the interval is the difference between this car and the one beside it.

Repair cost (estimate): $6,000–$14,000 for a used or rebuilt engine fitted by an independent shop — dealer quotes for a new engine and turbochargers run far above that — around 76% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (13).

Passenger seat occupancy sensor fails and the dealer's answer is a whole new seatHigh — wallet impact

Six owners on this year report the same sequence: the passenger airbag off light stays lit with an adult sitting there, the dash airbag warning stays on, and the dealer diagnoses the occupant classification sensor built into the seat. Because the sensor is not sold separately, quotes here run to $8,000 for the seat or seat frame, at mileages as low as 24,000. Owners note that a recall covered this sensor on earlier Infiniti models and that this year is not included in it — true, and a good reason to check it yourself rather than hope. Have an adult sit in the passenger seat with the ignition on and watch the little airbag status light near the gear lever: it should read that the passenger airbag is on.

Repair cost (estimate): $700–$1,600 for a sensor mat and recalibration at a seat-electronics specialist; $5,000–$8,000 for the seat the dealer quotes — about 43% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (6).

Fuel pump control software can starve the 2.0L engine and stall it while driving (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 17V476000 covers 2017 Q60s built with the 2.0L engine: the fuel pump control module software could let the level in the main tank sit too low to feed the engine, so the car stalls in traffic. The remedy is a free reprogramming at an Infiniti dealer. It is a software fix, which means it is quick and it means there is no excuse for it being open nine years later — run the VIN through NHTSA's lookup and confirm it is closed. The rest of this fuel cluster is unrelated and worth knowing: one car leaking fuel onto the ground from under the middle of the vehicle, and one running rough and losing power at idle. Smell around the back of the car before you drive it.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (4); 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

P052E crankcase ventilation fault on the 2.0L four — check engine light and a strong smellMedium

An owner of the 2.0-litre car reports a recurring P052E, the code for crankcase ventilation valve performance, with a check engine light and a strong smell to go with it. This four-cylinder is the Mercedes-derived unit Infiniti bought in for this car, and the PCV valve on it is a known service item rather than a catastrophe — but it will fail an emissions test, it can push oil where it does not belong, and it comes back if only the code is cleared. Ask whether the light has ever been on, and scan the car yourself rather than trusting a dash that was reset an hour before you arrived.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,100 for the valve and gasket work

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (13).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Coolant reservoir low or stained on a cold engine with the seller unable to say why
✗Passenger airbag off light staying lit with an adult in the seat
✗A check engine light that was cleared recently — ask when the battery was last disconnected
✗A squeal, rattle or visible wobble from the air conditioning compressor pulley at idle

Good Signs

✓Recall 17V476000 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Oil change receipts at 5,000 miles or less, every time, since new
✓A leak-down or compression test result in hand from an independent shop
✓The passenger airbag status light switching to on as soon as an adult sits down