2005 Infiniti QX56 problems & reliability
80 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 Infiniti QX56, alongside 3 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 (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2005 Infiniti QX56 vehicles were involved in 12 fatal crashes with 8 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 22 | 28% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 15% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 11 | 14% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 9% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 6% |
| Power Train | 5 | 6% |
| Steering | 4 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 96,500 miles (middle 50% between 64,500 and 147,250 miles), based on 66 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I started to break saw a major traffic jam . And my steering started shaking and my breaks did not Stop like they're supposed to.almost was i huge crash w I th my [XXX] and [XXX] old INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
Steering · filed Nov 14, 2024
“The contact owns a 2005 Infiniti QX56. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the residence where it was discovered that no fuel was present although the fuel gauge indicated that there was a quarter tank of fuel in the…”
Fuel System, Other · filed Nov 7, 2022
“The vehicle will lose power to the brakes while driving intermittently. When problem occurs you will lose power steering and pressure to braking system. Also the driver hid headlamp gets moisture in it whenever it rains. I have had to replace the hid bulb about 6 times in the past year. Also there seems to be an…”
Steering · filed Jan 4, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
99 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2005 Infiniti QX56. The 10 most recent:
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
ITB09-063C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
INTELLIGENT KEY NOT DETECTED / ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB13-052E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 20, 2024
CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB13-006D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 20, 2024
CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB10-029C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 20, 2024
WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB17-009H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
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.
ITB13-007I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB09-039K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 29, 2024
ABS/VDC CAN DIAGNOSIS INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB10-074B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 8, 2023
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
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 2005 Infiniti QX56 has 3 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 2005 Infiniti QX56?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 96,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.