1998 Infiniti QX4 problems & reliability
29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Infiniti QX4, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Infiniti QX4 vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 3 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 10 | 34% |
| Steering | 6 | 21% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 17% |
| Structure | 5 | 17% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 17% |
| Power Train | 3 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 10% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 7% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“When you let off the gas peddle the rearend starts a violently shakeing back and forth and will cause you to drive over something or someone due to defective bushings!!!how can they sell us crap that can cost the lives of so many people and not honor a recall on rear bushings...I nearly shut down the interstate on my…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 9, 2019
“I brought my truck in for a recall with strut tower and chassy,they patched tbe chassy up,when I went to pick it up I didn't get 5 minutes up the road and it was pulling to the right hard and shaking ast 40to 50mph,it's a driving hazard,I brought it right back they did an alignment on it,called me and said it's still…”
Steering · filed Sep 7, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 infiniti qx4. The contact stated that while driving at 15 mph, the steering wheel fractured. As a result, the contact was unable to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering wheel fractured due to corrosion and that the steering…”
Structure · filed May 4, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Frame/Body Structure Corrosion
Preliminary Evaluation PE11004 · opened Jan 28, 2011 · closed Jun 30, 2011 · led to recall 11V244000
Technical service bulletins
83 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Infiniti QX4. The 10 most recent:
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB13-007H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2023
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB09-039J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2023
WHEEL BEARING COLLISION DAMAGE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB10-067C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2023
INFINITI; FRONT SONAR PARKING SENSOR SERVICE INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB16-006A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 24, 2021
EXTERIOR CLEANING INFORMATION SERVICE INFORMATION When cleaning the exterior of an Infiniti vehicle, damage may occur when using a cleaner with too high of an alkaline concentration. - Always refer to the Appearance and…
ITB19-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2019
PLASTIC INTERIOR TRIM PROTECTIVE COVERING REMOVAL SERVICE INFORMATION Vehicles are delivered with plastic interior trim protective covering on the front and rear seats, front and rear door panel finishers, steering…
ITB18-037 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 24, 2018
TRANSMISSION & ENGINE AUTOMATED DATA COLLECTION AND DIAGNOSTIC REPORTING SERVICE INFORMATION To support proper diagnosis and to promote Fixed-Right-First-Time ? Infiniti may review CONSULT-III plus (CIII plus) data…
ITB18-034 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 12, 2018
Infiniti USA Electronic Field Communication Subject: Retailed Vehicle Open Campaign Report Lists Updated The lists for each retailer?s Retailed Vehicle Open Campaign Report has been updated today in DBS. We made our…
Infiniti USA Ret · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 9, 2018
Infiniti USA Electronic Field Communication Subject: Takata Completion Objectives for Q3 INFINITI is continuing to ask its retailers to urgently help increase customer participation in the Takata recalls to help it…
Infiniti USA Tak · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 2, 2018
DBS Enhancement: Retailed Vehicle Open Campaign Report INFINITI announced the availability of a new DBS enhancement tool to the Service > Campaign screen: Retailed Vehicle Open Campaign Report on July 9, 2018, which…
IPSB18-218 Retai · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 28, 2018
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1998 Infiniti QX4 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1998 Infiniti QX4?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.