Total Complaints
61 filings
INFINITI I30 · model year
61 NHTSA complaints, 7 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998INFINITII30 carries 61 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 7 crashes, 6 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1998 I30 is air bags with 11 filings, followed by electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator (7) and air bags:frontal:sensor/control module (6). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 7 investigation files overlapping the 1998 I30. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
61 filings
Crashes Reported
7 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 11 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 7 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | 6 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 3 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM | 1 |
AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHING, DEALERSHIP INDICATED "A VERY COMMON PROBLEM" FOR THIS YEAR AND MAKE INFINIITI . WELL A COMMON PROBLEM TO ME SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD BE A RECALL. I WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP THAT IT WOULD OVER $1000 DOES THIS HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH TAKATA INFLATORS THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLS ON MILLIONS OF CARS BUT JUST SKIPPED THIS YEAR AND MAKE? I WAS TOLD AIRBAG WILL STILL DEPLOY, WELL I WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END ACCIDENT, AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY! THIS IS A REAL CONCERN, THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED, AND RECALL IMPLEMENTED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES AS A RESULT!
Mileage: 150,000
WHILE DRIVING HOME COULD HEAR A CLICKING NOISE IN THE WIRING CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND EVENTUALLY DIED IN THE ROAD, JUMP STARTED IT TO GET TO A SHOP WAS TOLD IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR, BOUGHT NEW ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE CAR SHORTED OUT AGAIN LOST POWER AND ONCE AGAIN DIED ON THE ROAD, JUMP STARTED CAR TO GET HOME. CAR WILL NOT HOLD POWER KEEPS SHORTING OUT IN THE WIRES, ALTERNATOR IS STILL GOOD AS WELL AS BATTERY. YOU CAN HEAR THE WIRING WHEN IT SHORTS OUT AS IT CLICKS. WHEN I JUMP START THE CAR IT WILL ONLY STAY CHARGED FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE DYING OUT AGAIN. I AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR NOW AS IT WILL NOT STAY CHARGED, SOMETHING ELECTRICAL IS DRAINING THE BATTERY. WHEN THE WIRING STARTS TO CLICK RADIO GOES OFF AND CLOCK DIMS BEFORE SHUTTING OFF AS WELL.
Mileage: 200,000
WHILE DRIVING HOME COULD HEAR A CLICKING NOISE IN THE WIRING CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND EVENTUALLY DIED IN THE ROAD, JUMP STARTED IT TO GET TO A SHOP WAS TOLD IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR, BOUGHT NEW ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE CAR SHORTED OUT AGAIN LOST POWER AND ONCE AGAIN DIED ON THE ROAD, JUMP STARTED CAR TO GET HOME. CAR WILL NOT HOLD POWER KEEPS SHORTING OUT IN THE WIRES, ALTERNATOR IS STILL GOOD AS WELL AS BATTERY. YOU CAN HEAR THE WIRING WHEN IT SHORTS OUT AS IT CLICKS. WHEN I JUMP START THE CAR IT WILL ONLY STAY CHARGED FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE DYING OUT AGAIN. I AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR NOW AS IT WILL NOT STAY CHARGED, SOMETHING ELECTRICAL IS DRAINING THE BATTERY. WHEN THE WIRING STARTS TO CLICK RADIO GOES OFF AND CLOCK DIMS BEFORE SHUTTING OFF AS WELL.
Mileage: 200,000
TAKATA RECALL THE CAR HAS MANUFACTURE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FIX FOR NO XCOST
Mileage: 1
TAKATA RECALL THE CAR HAS MANUFACTURE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FIX FOR NO XCOST
Mileage: 1
TAKATA RECALL THE CAR HAS MANUFACTURE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FIX FOR NO XCOST
Mileage: 1
TAKATA RECALL THE CAR TURNS OFF BY IT SELF
TAKATA RECALL THE CAR TURNS OFF BY IT SELF
TAKATA RECALL THE CAR TURNS OFF BY IT SELF
I PURCHASED THIS CAR, AS THE SECOND OWNER, IN 2001, AND EVERYTHING APPEARED FINE. WITHIN 6 MONTHS, MY AIR BAG LIGHT HAD COME ON. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT/INCIDENT INVOLVED - I TURNED THE IGNITION KEY AND THE LIGHT CAME ON. I HAVE ASKED A FEW MECHANICS ABOUT IT, BUT THEY ALL SAID THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW IF IT IS TRULY DEFECTIVE IS TO HAVE IT DEPLOY, AND THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING UNLESS I ACTUALLY HIT SOMETHING. IT HAD 81K MILES WHEN I PURCHASED IT IN 2001, AND NOW HAS ABOUT 153K. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT IF I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT IS SAFE. WE DID HAVE ONE VERY MINOR COLLISION ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO, (ANOTHER DRIVER HIT US DRIVING VERY SLOWLY) AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR QUARTER PANEL WAS DENTED, BUT IT DID NOT DEPLOY THE AIRBAG. WITH SO MUCH PRESS ABOUT THE AIRBAGS, I THOUGHT I SHOULD CHECK TO SEE IF MY MODEL HAS BEEN RECALLED YET. JUST BECAUSE MY CAR IS OLD DOES NOT MEAN IT HAS NOT BEEN ISSUE FOR OVER 10 YEARS. IT IS A SCARY WAY TO DRIVE AROUND. I TRIED TO CHECK TO SEE IF WAS A RECALL BUT THE WEB
Mileage: 81,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 INFINITI I30. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, SMOKE AND FIRE BEGAN TO RISE FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ALTERNATOR SYSTEM FAILED AND CAUSED THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 99V129000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR). THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 145,000. UPDATED 01/25//12 *BF
Mileage: 145,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 INFINITI I30. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, SMOKE AND FIRE BEGAN TO RISE FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ALTERNATOR SYSTEM FAILED AND CAUSED THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 99V129000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR). THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 145,000. UPDATED 01/25//12 *BF
Mileage: 145,000
INFINITI I30 AIR BAG RED LIGHT ON DASH BLINKING INDICATING FAULTY AIR BAGS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW IF THE AIR BAGS ARE FUNCTIONAL OR IF IT IS JUST THE LIGHT. INFINITI WANTS > $600 TO REPLACE THE AIRBAG WHICH ONLY SEEMS TO LAST A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. MANY OWNERS HAVE INDICATED THIS PROBLEM ON THE WEB: HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/REVIEWS/INFINITI/I30/R71712/COMMENTS/ HTTP://FORUMS.NICOCLUB.COM/AIR-BAG-SIGN-BLINKING-ON-1998-INFINITI-I30-T285511.HTML HTTP://X.INFINITIHELP.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/AIR-BAG-LIGHT-FLASH-1250.HTML?S=E57EE447DB4834484BF21B4FA7BD8AA0&P=4558
Mileage: 80,000
IN SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009, I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH INFINITI AND NHTSA REGARDING A STRUCTURAL DEFECT TO THE FRAME OF MY 1998 INFINITI I30T. BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN, THE FRAME ROTTED AND COMPLETELY SEPARATED UNDER THE ENGINE DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION. MECHANICS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE ENGINE AND/OR TRANSMISSION COULD FALL OUT CAUSING THE OPERATOR TO LOSE COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY INJURIES AND/OR DEATH. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE NISSAN MAXIMAS AROUND THE SAME YEAR ALSO HAD THE SAME ISSUE BECAUSE THEY UTILIZED THE SAME FRAME. I CANNOT BELIEVE INFINITY, NISSAN AND/OR NHTSA HAVE NOT INITIATED RECALLS ON THESE VEHICLES GIVEN THE RECENT RECALLS AND SERIOUS ACCIDENTS OF VEHICLES WITH SIMILAR ISSUES THAT HAVE RESULTED IN DEATHS (I.E. FORD WINDSTAR VANS AND HONDA PASSPORTS). WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO ISSUE A RECALL OF THESE VEHICLES TO PROTECT THE OPERATORS? *TR
Mileage: 110,459
I OWN A 1998 INFINITI I30. ON THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2010, MY DAUGHTER NICHOLE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE FREEWAY WHEN SUDDENTLY THE CAR ACCELERATED TO OVER 4000 RMP WITHOUT HER APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. SHE APPLIED THE BRAKE WITH ALL PRESSURE SHE COULD MUSTER (2 FEET) AND EVENTUALLY PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY, WITH SMOKE POURING FROM ALL FOUR WHEELS. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AN AUTO MECHANIC, WHO FOUND THAT THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE WAS BAD. WHEN THE MECHANIC STARTED THE CAR IN THE SHOP, THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY RACED TO 5000 RMP. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN A CASE WHERE WHEN THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE GOES BAD, THAT IT CAUSES THE ENGINE TO RACE. INSTEAD, HE SAYS THE ENGINE JUST DIES. IN THE PROCESS OF STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE FRONT PADS WERE FRIED AND WORN DOWN TO BARE METAL, AND DESTROYED THE FRONT ROTORS. THE REAR DISC PADS WERE ALSO FRIED, BUT THE REAR ROTORS CAN BE SALVAGED.
Mileage: 122,961
AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON, TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, WAS TOLD SENSOR WENT BAD. MADE REPAIR. ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER, AIR BAG LIGHT CAME BACK ON WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM. WAS TOLD AIR BAGS WERE NON-FUNCTIONAL WHEN AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON. *TR
Mileage: 65,000
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 INFINITY I30. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH HE SMELLED RUBBER BURNING AND THE FOLLOWING DAY HE HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING THE VEHICLE. HE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL GARAGE. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ALTERNATOR CAUSED THE BURNING SMELL. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER CONFIRMED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT A PART OF RECALL 02V171000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ALTERNATOR/ GENERATOR/ REGULATOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 108,000.
Mileage: 180,000
IN JUNE 2009, I TOOK MY 1998 INFINITI I30T INTO A DEALERSHIP FOR A ROUTINE SERVICE. THE DEALERSHIP NOTIFIED ME THAT MY VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE FRAME HAD ROTTED UNDER THE ENGINE & HAD DISCONNECTED FROM THE BODY. HE THEN INFORMED ME THAT CONTINUED OPERATION COULD RESULT IN THE FRAME COMPLETELY SPLITTING APART CAUSING THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TO FALL OUT OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD THEN TRIGGER A SERIOUS M/V ACCIDENT. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER PASS THE YEARLY STATE INSPECTION. I ADVISED THE SERVICE MANAGER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HE INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO CORRECT THE DEFECT. THERE WAS NO REPLACEMENT PART OR WAY TO WELD THE PIECES TOGETHER. I WENT TO KELLY INFINITI AND SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, WHO ADVISED ME THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS FOR FRAMES IN THESE VEHICLES. HE WENT ON TO STATE THAT HE HAS HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM IN SIMILAR VEHICLES AND BELIEVED THE KELLY COLLISION CENTER COULD POSSIBLY REPAIR THE PROBLEM. WHEN ASKED HOW AN A
Mileage: 110,459
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 INFINITI I30. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF OVER $1,000. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 64, 726. UPDATED 07/14/09 *BF UPDATED 07/15/09.*JB
Mileage: 64,726
AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHES, THIS PROBLEM OCCURS WITH MANY 1998 INFINITI I30'S AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET. NISSAN WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CORRECTING THE PROBLEM. LIGHT SUGGESTS THAT THE AIRBAG IS FAULTY HOWEVER NISSAN SAYS THIS IS NOT THE CASE. FAULTY OR NOT THE FLASHING LIGHT SUGGESTS SAFETY ISSUE AND THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM THAT NISSAN HAS TAPPED THE CONSUMER FOR AT ANYWHERE FROM 500-1000 PER OCCURRENCE. *TR
Complete loss of motive power due to engine failure
Occupant Classification System Failure
Improper Frontal Air Bag Deployment
Steering column separation
Collision Mitigation System Malfunction
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.