Head-to-head reliability
Infiniti QX70 vs Honda Accord
How the Infiniti QX70 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 QX70 vs Honda Accord: the QX70 logged 23 complaints over 5 years, about 4.6 per year, with 2 recalls, while the Accord logged 4,524 over 10 years, about 452 per year, with 38 recalls. The QX70's reports include brake-fluid fires and airbag sensor failures; the Accord's include steering and braking lockups. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The picture
Is the Infiniti QX70 or Honda Accord more reliable?
A plain-English read on what the NHTSA record says about living with each vehicle.
Infiniti QX70
The Infiniti QX70 is a low-volume luxury SUV that generates relatively few complaints, averaging about 4.6 per year over the five years covered. The pattern that does emerge is concerning for its type: water leaks that disable starting, brake fluid leaking onto the ABS electronics and starting a fire, and airbag occupant sensors failing. Living with one means watching for electrical and brake-related faults rather than routine wear items.
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a high-volume family sedan and hybrid with a very large complaint pool, about 452 per year across ten years, spread over 38 recalls. Owners report engine and hybrid-system alarms with sudden loss of speed, electronic power steering and braking failures, and forward collision avoidance systems that brake or misbehave unexpectedly. It is a common car with well-documented, sometimes serious, electronics and powertrain complaints.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Infiniti QX70 | Honda Accord |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 23 Better | 4,524 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 2 Better | 38 |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 1 Better | 162 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 4.6 Better | 452.4 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 1 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 QX70
- 01ELECTRICAL SYSTEM4
- 02SERVICE BRAKES4
- 03AIR BAGS4
- 04POWER TRAIN3
- 05STRUCTURE2
Owners report water pooling on the driver-side floor after rain, traced to sunroof drain tubing, which can leave the car not starting or stalling. Another owner reported brake fluid leaking onto the ABS actuator circuit board and starting an electrical fire that melted the engine harness.
One owner described the brakes having no effect while backing out of a garage, with the car rolling across the street before stopping. The same brake-fluid-on-ABS-electronics fire appears under this component too, so brake and electrical faults overlap.
Owners report the passenger-side airbag sensor system failing, with dealers unable to isolate which of three sensors is bad and quoting replacement of all three, one built into the seat. Another owner was told the seat airbag module and occupant classification system both failed, lighting the sensor warning.
Owners describe the transmission stopping gear changes on the highway with a check engine light, and hard or improper shifting around 55 mph. One owner said this happened on a previous QX70 as well, suggesting a repeat pattern rather than a one-off.
“Multiple incidents of car not starting or stalling in rain. 1. After a rainstorm while parked, noticed water on the driver side floor and dripping from the driver door side under dashboard, water coming from defective design of sunroof water drains/tubing whi…”
“Brake fluid began leaking onto the ABS actuator circuit board and created an electrical fire. This melted the engine harness and the connector to the abs module. This was confirmed by dealership technicians at Sewell Infiniti - Dallas. Dealership informed me…”
Honda Accord
- 01ENGINE1,006
- 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM895
- 03FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE837
- 04UNKNOWN OR OTHER746
- 05FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM602
Owners report a normal start followed by brake, hill descent, ABS and critical failure alarms at highway speed, with the vehicle losing speed. Others describe rattling under acceleration and rough jerking between EV and gas mode that Honda declined to fix.
One owner reported electronic power steering and braking failing and locking up together at highway speed, causing a near-collision. Another described a TPMS warranty repair followed hours later by a catastrophic tire failure.
Owners report the system failing to resolve a perceived threat despite dealer visits, and adaptive cruise control behaving unexpectedly under the same driving and weather conditions on the same route a year apart. These are driver-assist faults, not cosmetic annoyances.
Complaints include a persistent rotten-egg sulfur odor that survived a paid filter replacement and odor treatment at low mileage. A separate report describes a foot slipping behind a center console side panel, pointing to interior trim and ergonomic hazards.
“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 QX70 — 2 recalls
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Nissan Juke, 2012-2013 Infiniti M56, QX56, and 2014-2015 Infiniti Q70 (V8 engine vehicles only), and QX80 vehicles. The fuel pressure sensors may not have been sufficiently tightened during production. As a result, the fu…
The risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could cause a vehicle fire.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will re-torque the fuel pressure sensors free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
The defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Nissan Juke, 2012-2013 Infiniti M56, QX56, and 2014-2015 Infiniti Q70 (V8 engine vehicles only), and QX80 vehicles. The fuel pressure sensors may not have been sufficiently tightened during production. As a result, the fu…
The risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could cause a vehicle fire.
The fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will re-torque the fuel pressure sensors free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
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 QX70 or Honda Accord: which should you buy?
The Infiniti QX70 has far fewer complaints per year, roughly 4.6 versus about 452 for the Accord, though the QX70's smaller pool includes fires and brake loss. In practice the Accord's issues are more numerous and better documented, while the QX70's are rarer but potentially severe when they appear.
Key differences
- Complaint volume differs enormously: about 4.6 per year for the QX70 versus about 452 per year for the Accord, so the Accord's record is simply much larger.
- The QX70's standout reports are water leaks disabling the car and brake fluid igniting the ABS electronics, while the Accord's include power steering and braking locking up at highway speed.
- Airbag occupant sensor failures appear repeatedly on the QX70, and the Accord also carries an occupant classification recall, so both need that system checked.
- The Accord has 38 recalls and 3 reported deaths in the data, versus 2 recalls and no deaths for the QX70, a difference in scale worth weighing.
- Check for water on the driver-side floor and drips under the dashboard after rain, and inspect the sunroof drain tubes for clogs or splits.
- Have a shop inspect the ABS actuator area for brake fluid residue or corrosion, and confirm the passenger airbag occupancy sensor light behaves correctly with a passenger seated.
- Test the electronic power steering and brakes at low and highway speed and ask whether any steering or braking warning has appeared; scan for stored codes.
- Exercise the adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning on a test drive, and check for transmission or hybrid jerking between EV and gas mode.
Before you buy
- Pull the full NHTSA complaint and recall history for the specific model year you are considering, not just the nameplate.
- On the QX70, do a water test with a hose over the sunroof and inspect floor and dash for leaks before buying.
- On either car, have a mechanic scan all modules for stored airbag, ABS, steering and powertrain codes.
- Confirm all open recalls have been performed, especially fuel system items on the QX70 and electrical or airbag items on the Accord.
- Test drive in rain if possible and at highway speed to surface stalling, shifting and driver-assist faults.
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 QX70 | Honda Accord |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 0 | 1884 |
| 2017 | 8 | 537 |
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 QX70 or Honda Accord in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Infiniti QX70 vs Honda Accord
- Infiniti QX70 total complaints
- 23
- Honda Accord total complaints
- 4,524
- Infiniti QX70 total recalls
- 2
- Honda Accord total recalls
- 38
- Infiniti QX70 avg complaints/year
- 4.6
- Honda Accord avg complaints/year
- 452.4
- More reliable overall
- Infiniti QX70
- Infiniti QX70 top complaint area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Honda Accord top complaint area
- ENGINE