2012 Infiniti QX56 problems & reliability
57 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2012 Infiniti QX56 vehicles were involved in 17 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 24 | 42% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 16% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 7 | 12% |
| Unknown OR Other | 6 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 7% |
| Power Train | 4 | 7% |
| Structure | 4 | 7% |
| Suspension | 4 | 7% |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 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 87,000 miles (middle 50% between 64,000 and 107,752 miles), based on 37 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While driving my vehicle with my family, I experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of control. I was able to safely maneuver the vehicle off the roadway without injury. After inspection, it was determined that the subframe had fractured due to severe rust, which was not previously identified. The failure occurred…”
Suspension · filed Jun 8, 2026
“The contact owns a 2012 Infiniti QX56. The contact stated that while driving at 56 MPH, the vehicle slowed down and failed to respond as intended. An oil change was performed; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the high-pressure fuel pump was leaking, causing the timing chain to fail. The check…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Mar 4, 2026
“While driving at highway speed, rear of vehicle suddenly became uncontrolled and caused vehicle to swerve dangerously. If a vehicle would have been in the adjacent lane an accident would have occurred. Upon initial inspection, the left rear lower control arm failed catastrophically due to rust rendering the vehicle…”
Suspension · filed Apr 7, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
164 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 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
DTC B00A0-00 STOREIF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)D
ITB19-024D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 19, 2024
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
HEADLAMP, FOG LAMP, OR REAR COMBINATION LAMP FOGGING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB03-051Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 5, 2023
CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
ITB13-008D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 29, 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 2012 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 2012 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 87,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.