Buyer Research

2018 Infiniti Q60 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $16,000–$27,000. 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

Twenty-five complaints, and they fall into two piles that between them are 60% of the file: the passenger seat airbag sensor, and the steering. The seat sensor is the same fault that runs through every year of this car, and on this one an owner reports a dealer quote above $18,000 for the sensor and its control unit. The steering is the harder question — seven filings describing the wheel going heavy with a power steering warning, wander on the freeway that alignment does not cure, and one car losing steering assist at 2,252 miles. Cars with the Direct Adaptive steer-by-wire system are the ones to scrutinise. The engine cluster is quieter than it is on the 2017, but it has not gone away: the same VR30 turbos are still in there and one owner here describes the exhaust white with smoke on the freeway. This can be a very good car for the money. It is not a car to buy without a pre-purchase inspection and a long, varied test drive.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 25 owner complaints for the 2018 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. 32% of them are about one thing — airbags. 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 2018 Infiniti Q60

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

Passenger occupancy sensor and its control unit — a five-figure dealer quote on some carsHigh — wallet impact

Eight filings, and this is where the money is. The SRS light comes on, the dealer traces it to the occupant classification system in the passenger seat, and the recommended repair is the OCS unit and sensor or the seat frame entire — one owner here was quoted over $18,000, another was told the same at under 45,000 miles. Until it is fixed the passenger airbag is switched off, so this is a safety item as well as a bill. The same cluster holds one car whose passenger airbag deployed at 45 mph with nobody in the seat and no impact, and one crash where nothing deployed at all. Test the sensor in the car park: adult in the passenger seat, ignition on, the passenger airbag indicator should show armed and the dash SRS light should go out.

Repair cost (estimate): $700–$1,600 for a sensor mat and recalibration at an independent seat-electronics specialist; $8,000–$18,000 if you accept the dealer repair — around 84% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (8).

Steering goes heavy or wanders, with a power steering warning — the adaptive steering systemHigh — wallet impact

Seven owners describe variations of one thing. The wheel suddenly becomes extremely tight with the power steering light on, sometimes clearing after a restart. Wheels that feel locked during a lane change. A car that wanders on the freeway over new tyres and a good alignment. One Red Sport lost steering control at 2,252 miles. The common thread is Infiniti's Direct Adaptive Steering — a steer-by-wire setup with a clutch that falls back to a mechanical link when it faults, which is why owners describe a sudden change in weight rather than nothing at all. Find out from the VIN or the build sheet whether this car has it, drive it at freeway speed on a straight road with your hands loose, and take any power steering warning in its history seriously.

Repair cost: Not yet priced — a safety matter first, a repair bill second

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (7).

White smoke from the exhaust, and an oil-pressure harness fault behind code P06DAHigh — wallet impact

The powertrain cluster is small but expensive. One owner reports so much white smoke on the freeway that following drivers could not see, which on a twin-turbo VR30 normally means a turbocharger oil seal letting oil into the hot side. Two others describe a manufacturer campaign for the oil pressure control system and diagnostic code P06DA, calling for inspection and replacement of the engine room sub-harness, and report a fight with the dealer over eligibility. That campaign is not in the recall record we hold for this year, so do not take our word for it — have an Infiniti dealer run this exact VIN and print the open campaign list. Watch the mirror for a blue-white haze on a hard pull after the car has idled.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,500–$6,000 for a turbocharger replacement; $400–$1,200 for the sub-harness if it is not covered — about 28% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (4).

Reversing camera shows a blank screen until the software is updated (recall)Medium

Recall 19V654000 swept a very large batch of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles including the 2018 Q60: a settings fault could leave the reversing camera display blank when you shift into reverse, which matters because federal rules require that image and because a car this shape has a poor over-the-shoulder view. The remedy is a free software update at the dealer, so there is no reason for it to be open — but it is a quiet fault that an owner can live with by using the mirrors, which is exactly how these stay unfixed. Select reverse during the test drive and confirm you get a picture, with the guide lines, every time.

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

Source: 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Power steering warning in the dash history, or a wheel that changes weight mid-corner
✗SRS light on, or the passenger airbag showing off with an adult sitting there
✗A blank screen when you select reverse
✗Blue-white smoke from the exhaust on a hard pull after the car has been idling

Good Signs

✓Recall 19V654000 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓An Infiniti dealer's printed campaign list for this VIN with everything closed
✓Steering that tracks straight at 70 mph with a light hold on the wheel
✓Passenger airbag indicator switching to armed the moment an adult sits down