Buyer Research

2021 Infiniti Q60 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $26,000–$38,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue 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

Three complaints and two recalls, and the recalls are the more useful half of that. One of them reprograms an engine control module that could cut fuel after hard acceleration and stall the car; the other restores a reversing camera that a software error can switch off. Both are free software updates, both are quick, and both are the sort of thing that stays open for years on a car whose owner never noticed. The complaints, few as they are, line up with the first recall: two owners describe warning lights and a total loss of power at speed, one of them at 75 mph on the highway. A file this small is not evidence that the car is sound — it is evidence that not many were sold and not many owners filed. Check the campaigns, drive it hard enough to make it accelerate properly, and look at the front end for crash repair before you talk price.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 3 owner complaints for the 2021 Infiniti Q60, and 2 recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under the engine (2), the body and structure (1), the transmission and drivetrain (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

2 recall campaigns cover 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 2021 Infiniti Q60

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

Engine control module can cut fuel after hard acceleration and stall the car (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 21V234000 covers 2021 Q50 and Q60 models: after the module detects rapid acceleration it may wrongly reduce engine power and fuel supply, which can stall the engine. Dealers reprogram the software free. This matters because the two engine complaints on this year read like the same event from the driver's seat — one car dropping into limp mode at 15 mph with a dash full of warning lights, another losing all power at 75 mph on the highway and refusing to restart. A stall in traffic is a safety problem before it is a repair bill. Confirm the reprogramming is recorded against this VIN, and on the test drive use full throttle at least twice, in a safe place, where a hesitation will show itself.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (2), the transmission and drivetrain (1); 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Software error can blank the screen and kill the reversing camera (recall)Medium

Recall 21V599000 covers 2021 Q50, Q60 and QX80 models: a software fault can deactivate the audio and video control unit screen so no rear-view image appears, which puts the car outside the federal standard that requires one. The dealer updates the control unit software at no cost. In a coupe with thick rear pillars the camera is doing real work, and a fault that only shows up occasionally is easy for an owner to shrug off and never report. Shift into reverse several times across the test drive — cold, warm, and after the car has sat with the engine off for a few minutes — and confirm the image appears each time without a long delay.

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

Source: 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Fractured aluminium bracket between the front bumpers — usually a sign of a front-end knockMedium

One owner reports a warning light that turned out to be a fractured aluminium bracket sitting between the front bumper structures. It is a single filing, so treat it as a thing to look for rather than a pattern. What makes it worth your time is what a cracked front structural bracket usually means on a car like this: it took a hit, and the repair either did not reach the structure behind the cover or was never finished. Kestrel cannot see title or accident history. What you can do is open the bonnet, look down at the bumper beam and its mounts for bent metal, fresh paint, mismatched fasteners or a bracket that is obviously newer than everything around it, and check that the panel gaps at the front match side to side.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,500 for the bracket and associated bumper work at an independent body shop

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (1).

The 3.0-litre twin-turbo still wants proof of oil changes, whatever the complaint count saysMedium

By 2021 the VR30 engine had been in this car five years, and the earlier model years carry owner reports of coolant loss with no visible leak and turbochargers failing without warning. None of that appears in the 2021 record, which holds three complaints in total and therefore cannot tell you much either way. The practical consequence is simple: buy this year on paperwork rather than on a quiet federal file. Ask for the full service record, look for oil changes at or under 5,000 miles with no long gaps, find out whether any of the original warranty or a certified pre-owned extension is still running on this VIN, and have an independent shop look for seepage around the turbo oil lines while the car is on a lift.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,500–$6,000 for a turbocharger replacement; more if oil starvation has reached the bearings

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Any hesitation, limp mode or warning-light cascade when you use full throttle
✗A reversing image that arrives late, flickers, or does not arrive at all
✗Uneven panel gaps or fresh paint at the front of the car
✗Oil seepage or staining around the turbocharger oil lines on a lift

Good Signs

✓Both 2021 campaigns shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓A full-throttle pull that builds cleanly to highway speed with a steady dash
✓Service records showing oil changes at 5,000 miles or less throughout
✓Matching factory fasteners and original paint across the front bumper structure