INFINITI QX56 reliability by year
11 recall campaigns and 434 owner complaints across 9 model years. Best year to buy: 2011. Year to avoid: 2012.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 9 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 28, more than the 11 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the QX56 aggregated across 9 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a INFINITI QX56?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2011 INFINITI QX56 scores 9.2/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2013 range. 78 complaints on file, 2 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which INFINITI QX56 year should I avoid?
The 2012 INFINITI QX56 scores 7.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 59 owner complaints with NHTSA, 3 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2012 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the INFINITI QX56 should I avoid?
No INFINITI QX56 model year currently rises to an "avoid" or "high-risk" verdict on the NHTSA data — either the record is clean or sample sizes are still too thin for a confident call. The year-by-year breakdown below shows what's on file regardless.
How many years of the INFINITI QX56 are tracked?
9 model years (2005 through 2013) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 11 distinct recall campaigns and 434 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 28 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the INFINITI QX56?
brakes is the most-reported category — 113 complaints across 5 model years. Average shop repair runs about $450.