Buyer Research

2023 Infiniti Q50 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $26,000–$36,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 10 Infiniti Q50 years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Eight complaints and no recalls, and half of the eight are about steering: three owners say the car weaves or feels loose and disconnected over uneven pavement, and an alignment did not fix it. That is worth taking seriously on a car whose upper trims use steer-by-wire, and it is the one thing on this year you can test in five minutes on a rough road. The rest is the platform's known list carried forward — the 3.0L twin-turbo V6's turbochargers, the passenger airbag sensor — with no 2023-specific complaints yet. A thin record on a two-year-old car mostly means the warranty has been absorbing the bills; check the in-service date, drive it on a bad road, and buy on the warranty, not on the silence.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 8 owner complaints for the 2023 Infiniti Q50, and no 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 steering (4), the brakes (2), the suspension (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.

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

Known Issues for the 2023 Infiniti Q50

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

Steering wanders over uneven pavement and feels loose or disconnected; alignment does not cure itMedium

Four of eight complaints. Three separate owners describe the same thing: the car weaves out of its lane when it hits uneven pavement, the steering feels 'loose and jumpy' or 'disconnected from the road', and a dealer alignment changed nothing — one owner went to a second dealer and got the same answer. The fourth is a combined brake-steering-throttle complaint from one car. Sensory and Red Sport trims use Infiniti's Direct Adaptive Steering, which has no mechanical link in normal driving and can be recalibrated; base trims have a conventional electric rack. Drive it on the roughest road you can find at 45 mph and note whether you are correcting constantly. Under warranty, insist on a diagnosis, not an alignment.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$300 for an alignment or steering recalibration; $1,500–$3,500 if a steering component is replaced out of warranty

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (4), the suspension (1).

3.0t twin-turbo V6: turbocharger and engine failures documented on earlier yearsMedium

No engine complaints on this year yet, but the 2018 and 2019 Q50 records are full of this engine's turbochargers failing past 40,000 miles and, in fewer cars, low oil pressure and metal in the filter. The engine is unchanged. At this age the powertrain warranty should still cover it — confirm the in-service date with an Infiniti dealer and that the oil-change history is on paper, because a claim on an engine with no records is a fight. Cold-start it yourself and listen for a whistle that grinds.

Repair cost (estimate): $3,000–$7,000 for turbochargers; $10,000–$15,000 for a replacement engine — about 48% of what this car is typically worth

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Airbag light from the passenger occupant classification sensorMedium

One airbag complaint on this year; on the 2018 it is the second-largest cluster. The airbag light stays on, a scanner shows an Occupant Classification System code, and the dealer replaces the passenger seat sensor or seat bottom, with the passenger airbag disabled until then. Same seat here. Make sure the light goes out after the bulb check and that the 'passenger airbag off' indicator changes when someone sits down. In warranty it is free; out of warranty it is four figures.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,800

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Constant small corrections needed to hold a lane on rough pavement at 45 mph
✗Steering that feels light or 'jumpy' on centre after a bump
✗Turbo whistle that changes pitch or grinds on a cold start
✗Airbag light that stays on after the bulb check
✗Dealer records showing repeat alignments with the same complaint

Good Signs

✓Steering recalibration or component replacement documented on a dealer invoice
✓In-service date confirmed with a dealer, factory warranty still in force
✓Straight, settled tracking on a rough road with hands light on the wheel
✓Oil changed every 5,000 miles with receipts
✓Passenger-airbag indicator that changes state when someone sits down