Total Complaints
16 filings
INFINITI Q45 · model year
16 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998INFINITIQ45 carries 16 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 1 fire, 8 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 Q45 is air bags:frontal with 3 filings, followed by air bags (2) and suspension (1). 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 Q45. 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
16 filings
Crashes Reported
4 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 3 |
| AIR BAGS | 2 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 INFINITI Q45. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WAS FAULTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 INFINITI Q45. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SENSOR ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO WAS NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V455000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
Mileage: 100,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 INFINITI Q45. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC SHOP WHO ADVISED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WAS FRACTURED AND THE REPAIRS WOULD COST $2400. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED WHO ADVISED THAT HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
Mileage: 130,000
WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE OWNER HIT A VEHICLE ON THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE. UPON IMPACT, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES, BUT DID NOT SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION. *AK *SC *JB THE IMPACT WAS SO GREAT THAT IT PUSHED BACK THE FRAME RAIL ONE INCH. THE CONSUMER IS QUESTIONING WHETHER OR NOT THE VEHICLE EVEN HAS AIR BAGS AND WANTS NISSAN TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. *NM
Mileage: 76,002
WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH THE VEHICLE COLLIDED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED SPINAL INJURIES AND THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED CHEST AND BACK INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS CONSIDERED TOTAL LOSS. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB
Mileage: 76,000
FRONT SEAT PASSENGER - 5'9" SITTING ALL THE WAY BACK WITH SEAT BELT ON. LIFTED LEFT ARM UP JUST BEFORE FRONT END CRASH IMPACT AND SUFFERED A BAD FRACTURE REQUIRING SURGERY AND PIN PLACEMENT TO LEFT DISTAL RADIUS (FOREARM BONE NEAR WRIST ON THUMB SIDE). 1998 INFINITY Q45. *NLM
SEAT BELT RETRACTER ON DRIVER SEAT IS VERY WEEK AND MUST BE ASSITED TO RETACT
Mileage: 77,000
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY VEHICLE SHUTOFF WITHOUT ANY WARNING. AS A RESULT, TO ALTERNATOR MALFUNCTIONED. DEALER CONTACTED.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY VEHICLE SHUTOFF WITHOUT ANY WARNING. AS A RESULT, TO ALTERNATOR MALFUNCTIONED. DEALER CONTACTED.*AK
THE CAR WAS PARKED AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR APPROX 1.5 MILES AND AFTER ABOUT 15 20 MINUTES RESTAUARANT ATTENDANT INQUIRED WHO OWNS THAT CAR? AND INFORMED THAT THERE IS SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE CAR. 911 WAS CALLED FOR FIRE DEPT HELP. FIRE FIGHTERS EXTINQUISHED THE FIRE.*AK
DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT APPEARED ON DASHBOARD CONSTANTLY. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
BRAKE SYSTEM FAILS TO ADEQUATELY STOP VEHICLE. LSO, VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY SURGE WHILE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE, BUT CANNOT FIND A REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER FEELS THIS COULD BE RELATED TO BRAKE BOOSTER FAILURE. *JB
BRAKE SYSTEM FAILS TO ADEQUATELY STOP VEHICLE. LSO, VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY SURGE WHILE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE, BUT CANNOT FIND A REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER FEELS THIS COULD BE RELATED TO BRAKE BOOSTER FAILURE. *JB
ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS STICKING WHILE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. TOOK EXTREME PRESSURE TO RELEASE STICKAGE AND VEHICLE WOULD LUNGE FORWARD DUE TO PRESSURE ON ACCELERATOR PEDAL. IN TRAFFIC CREATED A HAZARD TO VEHICLES IN FRONT. *AK
GEAR SHIFT VIBRATED ABOVE 30 MPH. YH
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG DURING COLLISION, FRONT OF VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED ENOUGH TO GIVE AIRBAG WARNING FOR DEPLOYMENT, HOWEVER THERE WERE MULTIPLE INJURIES. *YC
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.