2013 Infiniti G37 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a passenger-side air bag warning light that comes on or flashes even when an adult is seated, with dealers commonly reporting the occupant sensor is faulty and that the whole seat must be replaced. A second recurring theme is water entering the cabin — through the sunroof drains or windshield seals — soaking carpets and sometimes reaching modules under the passenger footwell.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Passenger air bag light on with an adult seated

   • 25 complaints (40%)
   • median 37,000 mi at 5.5 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $7,388 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe the passenger air bag off indicator or the air bag warning light illuminating or blinking while an adult is properly seated, meaning the passenger air bag is shown as inactive. Several report the dealer could not duplicate the condition or said the system was operating as designed, while others were told the occupant sensor is built into the seat and the entire seat must be replaced. Quoted repair costs in the complaints are high, and some owners mention the seat part being on back order or discontinued. Reported from as little as a few hundred miles up to well past 100,000 miles, across all model years of this generation and in both city and highway driving.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: With the engine on, have an adult sit in the passenger seat and confirm the air bag status shows on rather than off; ask the seller whether the occupant sensor or seat has ever been replaced. A dealer scan of the occupant classification system can confirm whether a fault is stored.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Passenger air bag light would light up (meaning air bag will not deploy) when my wife (117 lbs) was seated on the front passenger seat. This was also happening on my 2010 nissan frontier pro 4x truck with leather seats. Nissan dealer could not fix it. They were blaming my wife. This is a safety issue! Please help. Thank you!”

   NHTSA complaint #10617715, filed 2014-07, 892 miles

   “Passenger air bags on my G37 its being turned off with a passenger seating in the seat. First started with my daughter age 17 weights about 120 pounds and Infiniti stated that their airbags are activated by weight and that she may be too small which she is 5'4 tall. They didn't address the issue and it continued to happen with everyone seating in the passenger seat including an adult male of 6'2 and over 200 lbs. I took it back to Infiniti of tampa and they didn't address the issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10585651, filed 2014-04, 100 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Water leaks into cabin from sunroof drain and seals

   • 7 complaints (11%)
   • median 78,000 mi at 6.8 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2025

   Owners report rainwater entering the interior and soaking the passenger-side carpet and rear footwells, sometimes while parked and sometimes while driving. Several trace it to the sunroof drain tube routing water down the A-pillar onto the body control module above the glovebox, with resulting electrical symptoms such as warning lights and the vehicle dropping into limp mode. Others describe leaks around the windshield seal or trim gasket; dealers quoted repairs for the drain and the water-damaged module. Commonly reported between roughly 55,000 and 100,000 miles, most often after heavy rain, whether the car is parked or moving.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Lift the passenger-side floor mats and check the carpet and padding for dampness, musty smell, or water stains; ask whether the sunroof drains have been cleared or repaired and whether the body control module has ever been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The carpet on the passenger side gets wet and now moisture was on the inside of the wind shield. I am concerned that that my electronics and wiring under the carpet may be damaged as well as cause mold and mildew. Plus it will cause me financial difficulties but not because of my neglect but because of some fault with the car's manufacturing. The vehicle was stationary in my driveway when my wife told me that her side the passenger side was wet.”

   NHTSA complaint #11355034, filed 2020-09, 96,000 miles

   “The windshield is leaking on both driver and passenger side. Whenever there is a heavy down pour of rain my carpet is completely wet. It happens if I'm stationary and while driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #11098768, filed 2018-05, 60,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bag system warning after a collision

   • 10 complaints (16%)
   • median 39,744 mi at 5.7 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2023

   A smaller group of complaints describes the air bags not deploying in a crash, including front-end and rear-end impacts, or a side curtain air bag deploying and causing ringing in the ears. Several of these are filed together with reports of unintended acceleration, where the driver says the car surged and the air bags still did not deploy. In most cases the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer afterward. Reported at low mileage, from under 2,000 miles to around 40,000 miles, mostly during low-speed parking-lot or stop-light incidents.

   What to check: Ask for any collision and repair history and whether the air bag system was inspected afterward; a scan tool check of stored air bag fault codes is a reasonable pre-purchase step.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was in a parking lot. I backed out when I started to shift into drive the car accelerated and started to spin in circles. The steering wheel locked. I was not in control of the car and nothing would worked in the car. I couldn't shift gears so I shoved it into park. The car finally stopped but not before it hit an island causing $7822 in damages to the rear of the car. The air bags did not deploy. I was quite shaken up but had no serious injury. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was contacted at the local and regional levels. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10767417, filed 2015-09, 27,633 miles

   “My son was driving the car and someone failed to yield in a roundabout and hit him. The passenger side curtain airbag deployed and popped. Now he has ringing in his ear and possible ear drum damage. Doctors appointment is scheduled to confirm that.”

   NHTSA complaint #11519652, filed 2023-04
4. 4
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden acceleration or engine surge at low speed

   • 5 complaints (8%)
   • median 23,816 mi at 3.0 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2017

   Owners describe the car accelerating on its own at very low speed, often while pulling into a parking space or braking, with the engine revving loudly and the vehicle surging into a fence, tree, or building. In one case the steering locked and the car spun; drivers report being unable to stop it with normal inputs. Complaints note the incidents happened without warning, and several say the dealer was not able to explain the cause. Reported from about 1,800 to 30,000 miles, typically during slow parking-lot maneuvers.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: During a test drive, practice slow parking-lot maneuvers and note any unusual idle or throttle response; ask whether the engine control module has been reprogrammed under the relevant service bulletin.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “It started when I was pulling into the parking lot in my office building. With no warning, the car started to accelerate at around 7-8 RPM making a roaring noise heard by many witnesses. This resulted in losing control of the car which then went off the side of the lot into a steep decline where I hit a tree. If it wasn't for that tree there was another 60-70 ft drop into a canyon that I inevitably would have fallen into. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10810761, filed 2015-12, 30,000 miles

   “When I tried to park the car in parking area slowly, but the car suddenly accelerate itself with big engine sound and run into canyon over parking area. Fortunately the car stop after hit the big tree otherwise I am not sure I can survive because there are very stiff canyon area after that tree. Please investigate it what problem of this car cause this incident. Thanks.”

   NHTSA complaint #10809263, filed 2015-12

Buying note. Check the passenger air bag status light with an adult in the seat before buying, since sensor and seat repairs reported in these complaints are expensive, and inspect the carpets on both sides for dampness or water damage to the module under the passenger footwell. Asking for service records on the sunroof drains, door locks, and any engine control module updates will show whether these items have already been addressed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 58 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.