Head-to-head reliability
Infiniti QX50 vs FORD F 150
How the Infiniti QX50 and FORD F 150 compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.
Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records
Infiniti QX50 averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. Infiniti QX50 has 266 complaints and 11 recalls on record; FORD F 150 has 11,102 complaints and 144 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Infiniti QX50 | FORD F 150 |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 266 Better | 11,102 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 11 Better | 144 |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 10 Better | 319 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 26.6 Better | 1110.2 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 13 Better | 287 |
| Reported deathsTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 1 |
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 QX50
- 01ENGINE95
- 02ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING43
- 03ELECTRICAL SYSTEM40
- 04UNKNOWN OR OTHER37
- 05FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE35
“so after my initial report about my engine catching fire on the highway, I received an invoice for $5,000 for a used engine with 80k miles on it; plus another $2800 for the service fee. I already put down about $3900 for the engine repair. The mechanic sent m…”
“There are 2 check engine codes that came up as an issue for my vehicle, out of the blue: P0720 and P0500. I reached out to my mechanic and he couldn't fix it. So my plan was to take it to the dealership at the end of this month; however, while driving the veh…”
FORD F 150
- 01POWER TRAIN3,492
- 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2,052
- 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER1,380
- 04EXTERIOR LIGHTING1,150
- 05ENGINE828
“I started noticing hard and delayed shifts from 7th into 8th gear. My RPM's were not increasing when this happened, and then on a very crowded major road I lost all power, vehicle shut off and drifted, then started up and jerked again very hard. This failure…”
“The vehicle experienced intermittent transmission-related drivability issues before the recall remedy was available. The vehicle had delayed/hard shifting, an intermittent wrench warning light, and a reduced power/limp mode condition where the transmission wo…”
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 QX50 — 11 recalls
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Titan, Frontier, Infiniti QX60, Pathfinder, 2023-2024 Sentra, Versa, Kicks, Infiniti QX50, and 2023 Rogue vehicles. Due to a manufacturing issue, the driver's air bag inflator may absorb moisture, and cause the air bag to deploy improper…
The risk: An air bag that deploys improperly may not protect the driver as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the front driver's air bag assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD103, PD10…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Titan, Frontier, Infiniti QX60, Pathfinder, 2023-2024 Sentra, Versa, Kicks, Infiniti QX50, and 2023 Rogue vehicles. Due to a manufacturing issue, the driver's air bag inflator may absorb moisture, and cause the air bag to deploy improper…
The risk: An air bag that deploys improperly may not protect the driver as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the front driver's air bag assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD103, PD10…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2023 INFINITI QX55 and 2022 INFINITI QX50 vehicles. The incorrect door latch may have been installed in the front right-side passenger door lock assembly, preventing the front right-side door lock from automatically locking.
The risk: An unlocked door may unlatch and open during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the front right-side passenger door lock assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 14, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for…
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. The engine bearings may have manufacturing defects tha…
The risk: Engine failure increases the risk of a crash. A bearing failure may cause a breach in the engine block, allowing hot oil to be discharged, increasing the risk of an engine fire.
The fix: Dealers will reprogram the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 8, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261 or Infiniti's customer service at 1-800-662-6200. Nissan…
FORD F 150 — 144 recalls
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causin…
The risk: When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford…
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894. During the previous repair, the block he…
The risk: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the engine block heater cord, free of charge. The…
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.
The risk: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-…
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford F-150, and 2017 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty trucks. The doors on these vehicles may have a bent or kinked actuation cable or the door latches may freeze after water gets into the latch. Either condition can result in the do…
The risk: A door that opens while driving can increase the risk of injury.
The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the door latch actuation cables and repair if necessary, and install water shields over the door latches, free of charge. The recall began October 12, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer…
Year by year
Which model years to avoid
Complaints per model year for both vehicles — lower is better. The spikes are the years to scrutinize.
| Year | Infiniti QX50 | FORD F 150 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 324 |
| 2024 | 4 | 607 |
| 2023 | 4 | 1484 |
| 2022 | 16 | 3388 |
| 2021 | 39 | 5162 |
| 2020 | 30 | 25 |
| 2019 | 137 | 31 |
| 2017 | 13 | 27 |
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 QX50 or FORD F 150 in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Infiniti QX50 vs FORD F 150
- Infiniti QX50 total complaints
- 266
- FORD F 150 total complaints
- 11,102
- Infiniti QX50 total recalls
- 11
- FORD F 150 total recalls
- 144
- Infiniti QX50 avg complaints/year
- 26.6
- FORD F 150 avg complaints/year
- 1110.2
- More reliable overall
- Infiniti QX50
- Infiniti QX50 top complaint area
- ENGINE
- FORD F 150 top complaint area
- POWER TRAIN