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EnginePart report

2012 Infiniti QX56 Engine Problems

Complaints
24about this part
Share
42%of 57 total for the year
Median mileage
95,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 24 complaints about the engine of the 2012 Infiniti QX56, 42% of the 57 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 95,000 miles.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Had no prior issues, driving down the hwyat 65 miles per hr.. Car failed. Costed to side of road made it to repair shop and the fuel pump went out, which affected the timming chain and broke the teeth, which has affected the motor. This is a design defect that hundred other folks are having. I could have lost my life with this vehicle”

NHTSA complaint #11403384, filed 2021-03, 130 miles

“I have issues with air compressor and timing chain that just randomly went out, I was told there was a recall or campaign for it with Infiniti I called Infiniti and sent it to the dealership they stated it was not for my actual VIN number but for same car with different VIN number, I asked the question since I am having the same issue that has a recall on another VIN same vehicle shouldn't your company fix all of that year vehicles make and model. I was told no.”

NHTSA complaint #11190228, filed 2019-03, 140,000 miles

“Vehicle dropped speed on the highway and started flashing the service engine soon light. The speed drop was severe and placed me in a dangerous situation on the highway. It also had a whining noise at start when I left . Took it to the dealer, they informed me the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle only had 83k in miles and was just 10k out of warranty. Dealer charged $4000 for the repair”

NHTSA complaint #10808059, filed 2015-12, 85,556 miles

“Infiniti QX56 has a ubiquitous issue with timing chain failures going out between 60k-80k miles. This problem is not only a very expensive repair ($3k to $5k), but is also a severe safety issue if timing chain were to fail on the roadway. Infiniti has mentioned a possible recall, but seems to stalling due to the massive expense that they would have to bare. I detected a problem at approximately 70k miles, when starting on cold mornings. My vehicle sounded like a screaming eagle for the first 5 minutes of operation. …”

NHTSA complaint #10861512, filed 2016-04, 82,000 miles

“Was driving home, A/C was on, all lights was on, all of a suddenly lost of power to the engine and while going up hill, so I floor it so the vehicle so I can get past over the hill then I started to smell something through the vents like it was on fire coming from the engine bay so I pulled over and turned off the engine pop the hood but didn't see no fire, then when I tried to start the vehicle back up it wouldn't so I waited for few minutes and tried again, the vehicle started back up so I went on driving again but it didn't show any thing on the dash no check engine light at all. …”

NHTSA complaint #11202997, filed 2019-04, 115,540 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20131959%
20122442%
20113747%
201014%
200836%
200668%
200523%
200455%

Other parts of the 2012 Infiniti QX56

Electrical system
9 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaintsAir bags
5 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsBody and structure
4 complaintsSuspension
4 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
4 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2012 Infiniti QX56

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology