Head-to-head reliability
Infiniti FX45 vs Honda Accord
How the Infiniti FX45 and Honda Accord compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.
Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records
Infiniti FX45 vs Honda Accord: The FX45 has 27 complaints over 6 years (4.5/year) and 40 recalls, while the Accord has 4,524 complaints over 10 years (452.4/year) and 38 recalls. The Accord also reports 162 crash-related complaints, 146 injuries, and 3 deaths. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The picture
Is the Infiniti FX45 or Honda Accord more reliable?
A plain-English read on what the NHTSA record says about living with each vehicle.
Infiniti FX45
The Infiniti FX45 is a luxury SUV with a low complaint rate—27 over six years, about 4.5 per year—but 40 recalls, which is high for so few complaints. Owners report headlights aimed too low, airbags deploying in minor impacts, and driveshafts falling out. It's a niche vehicle where recalls and a few serious failure patterns define ownership more than everyday complaints.
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a mainstream sedan with a very high complaint volume—4,524 over ten years, about 452 per year—and 38 recalls. Owners report engine stalling, electrical failures, and forward collision avoidance issues, with 162 crash-related complaints, 146 injuries, and 3 deaths. The sheer number of reports suggests widespread, recurring problems across many model years.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Infiniti FX45 | Honda Accord |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 27 Better | 4,524 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 40 | 38 Better |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 1 Better | 162 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 4.5 Better | 452.4 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 146 |
| Reported deathsTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 3 |
Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.
What actually goes wrong
The problems owners report
The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.
Infiniti FX45
- 01EXTERIOR LIGHTING6
- 02AIR BAGS5
- 03POWER TRAIN4
- 04STRUCTURE4
- 05FUEL SYSTEM3
Owners complain that headlights are aimed too low, limiting visibility to about two car lengths ahead, and that lights 'sweat' or fog up. This matters because poor nighttime visibility can make driving on unlit roads dangerous.
Reports describe side airbags and even a seat airbag deploying during a minor grazing impact on the doors. Unexpected deployments can startle the driver and cause injury, and may indicate overly sensitive sensors.
Owners report loud noises when accelerating and, in some cases, the driveshaft falling out from under the vehicle at speeds like 35–50 mph. A dropped driveshaft can cause loss of control and expensive repairs.
Complaints include steering wheel peeling and becoming sticky, and cracks in the dashboard near the airbag or speaker. These are mostly cosmetic but can affect airbag performance and resale value.
“I RECENTLY TOOK DELIVERY OF A NEW INFINITY FX45. IT NOW HAS ABOUT 600 MILES ON IT. THE HEADLIGHTS ARE AIMED TOO LOW TO ILLUMINATE THE ROAD AHEAD. VISIBILITY IS SEVERELY LIMITED TO ABOUT 2+ CAR LENGTHS AHEAD. I CANNOT MAINTAIN MINIMAL SPEED ON AN UNLIT HIGHWAY…”
“ALL THE LIGHTS ARE SWEATING, POOR VISIBILITY. ACCORDING TO: NUMBER OF REVIEWS ON HTSA: 06V-328 REVIEW DATE: ABRYCT 3 2006 NUMBER REVOCATION MANUFACTURER: R0608 SUMMARY DURING CANADIAN COMPLIANCE TESTING SOME SPECIAL VEHICLES SPORTS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL ST…”
Honda Accord
- 01ENGINE1,006
- 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM895
- 03FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE837
- 04UNKNOWN OR OTHER746
- 05FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM602
Owners report alarms for brake, hill descent, ABS, and critical failure, followed by loss of speed. Others hear rattling noises like a diesel and rough transitions between EV and gas modes. These issues can leave a driver stranded or unable to maintain highway speeds.
Complaints include simultaneous failure of electronic power steering and braking at highway speeds, and TPMS warnings followed by catastrophic tire failure. Such failures can cause immediate loss of control and near-collisions.
Owners describe the system failing to resolve threats, with incidents occurring under similar conditions on the same route, sometimes with adaptive cruise control set. This undermines a key safety feature meant to prevent crashes.
Reports include persistent rotten-egg/sulfur odors that remain after paid repairs, and a foot slipping behind a plastic side panel. These may seem minor but can indicate underlying issues or distract the driver.
“Vehicle drove normally in the morning commute. In the afternoon commute it started normally and as i approached highway speeds the alarms started showing up. the Brake, hill descent system, abs, critical failure. the vehicle started losing speed and could not…”
“Vehicle makes rattling noises while accelerating similar to a diesel engine also rough transitions between EV mode and Gas mode also when you press the charge button the engine makes a very noticeable jerk once it’s on ,Honda does not want to fix my issue and…”
Official recalls
Safety recalls on record
Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.
Infiniti FX45 — 40 recalls
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles ar…
The risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 o…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Missis…
The risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer s…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2003-2005 FX35 and FX45, and 2006 M35 and M45 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registere…
The risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-70…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may caus…
The risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: On December 18, 2015 Nissan informed…
Honda Accord — 38 recalls
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Honda Accord Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the integrated control module (ICM) central processing unit (CPU) may reset while driving, causing a loss of drive power.
The risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix: Dealers will reprogram the ICM CPU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is TN2. Vehicle Identificati…
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2026 CR-V Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, and 2025-2026 CR-V Fuel Cell EV vehicles. When using the tire repair kit, pressure may build within the sealant bottle, causing the bottle cap to detach.
The risk: A detached bottle cap can become a projectile and strike the user or others nearby, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the tire repair kit nozzle or sealant bottle, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipat…
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint sys…
The risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura R…
The risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls ar…
Buyer analysis
Infiniti FX45 or Honda Accord: which should you buy?
The Infiniti FX45 has far fewer complaints per year (4.5 vs. 452.4), but its 40 recalls and reports of driveshafts falling out are serious. The Honda Accord's much higher complaint volume, including 162 crash-related reports and 3 deaths, suggests more frequent and widespread problems. In practice, the FX45 may have fewer day-to-day complaints, but the Accord's issues appear more common and potentially severe across many vehicles.
Key differences
- Complaint volume: Infiniti FX45 averages 4.5 complaints per year; Honda Accord averages 452.4 per year, a hundredfold difference.
- Crash and injury reports: FX45 has 1 crash-related complaint, 0 injuries, 0 deaths; Accord has 162 crash-related, 146 injuries, 3 deaths.
- Recalls: FX45 has 40 recalls (including airbag inflator and lighting); Accord has 38 recalls (including hybrid power control and fuel pump).
- Reported failure types: FX45 owners report headlights aimed low, airbags deploying in minor impacts, and driveshafts falling out; Accord owners report engine stalling, electrical failures, and forward collision avoidance malfunctions.
- Check the driveshaft and undercarriage for any signs of looseness, noise, or previous repair, as owners reported driveshafts falling out at speed.
- Inspect headlight aim and lens condition for fogging or sweating, and test dashboard for cracks near the airbag and steering wheel for peeling.
- Test drive at highway speeds and watch for warning lights related to brakes, ABS, or hill descent, and listen for engine rattling or rough transitions between EV and gas modes.
- Verify that forward collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control function correctly, and check for any history of electrical power steering or braking failures.
Before you buy
- Obtain a full vehicle history report and confirm all recalls have been performed, especially airbag and fuel system recalls.
- Have a mechanic inspect the Infiniti FX45's driveshaft, headlight aim, and dashboard for cracks; for the Honda Accord, check engine operation, electrical systems, and forward collision avoidance.
- During a test drive, replicate conditions from complaints: drive on unlit roads at night for the FX45, and use adaptive cruise control on the highway for the Accord.
- Ask the seller for maintenance records and any warranty repairs, particularly for hybrid components on the Accord or airbag deployments on the FX45.
- Check for outstanding recalls by VIN with a dealer, and budget for potential repairs based on the reported issues.
Check the actual car
Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.
Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific Infiniti FX45 or Honda Accord in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Infiniti FX45 vs Honda Accord
- Infiniti FX45 total complaints
- 27
- Honda Accord total complaints
- 4,524
- Infiniti FX45 total recalls
- 40
- Honda Accord total recalls
- 38
- Infiniti FX45 avg complaints/year
- 4.5
- Honda Accord avg complaints/year
- 452.4
- More reliable overall
- Infiniti FX45
- Infiniti FX45 top complaint area
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Honda Accord top complaint area
- ENGINE