Owners have filed 70 complaints on the Infiniti G20, covering 1991–2002. The system named most often is Engine And Engine Cooling (11 reports). Worst years by volume: 1995, 1996, 2000; cleanest: 1992, 2002, 1993. 10 reports describe a crash, 2 a fire. On average the car was 4.9 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Infiniti G20
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 70 G20 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine And Engine Cooling 11 Read
Was driving vehicle 60mph & had just checked rearview mirror. Noticed flames dropping from underneath vehicle. Vehicle then filled with black smoke. Pulled vehicle to side & left it. Vehicle then blew up. Fire dept arrived & extinguished the flames. Had indicated the problem originated from the engine. Vehicle was…
While traveling about 50mph on the highway and without prior warning vehicle shut down , and it didn't restart
Sulfur/eggy smell coming from exhaust system. Vehicle taken to dealership on numerous occassions (4 times) with no resolution. Complaints filed with bbb, and infiniti customer service. I want the problem fixed or I want to use the lemon law and get my money back. A letter was also sent to the NHTSA
Power Train 8 Read
I had the brakes applied on my car, and put it in reverse in order to correctly position the car in a parking space. With my foot still on the brakes, because I was only moving the car a few feet, the tachometer took off like crazy, the engine reved up and the car starting inching backwards even though I still had my…
Transmission failure. Automobile well maintained prior to incident
No summary listed for above vehicle
Service Brakes 5 Read
Brakes failed, locked, car skid, hit the post with the speed of 50 miles an hour, the airbags did not deploy, I believe this is a faulty product
ABS brakes failed, resulting in a collision/injuries. Dealer also replaced master cylinder and engine motor mounts
When applying brakes there is a screeching sound. Dealer found front rotors glazed over, cleaned and lubricated rotors. Then on 7 june 2001, vehicle was taken back to dealer due to screeching noise. Dealer found front pads cracked, and front rotors to be grooved and hot spotted, turned rotors. Checked rear brakes,…
Visibility 5 Read
No summary listed for above vehicle
The vehicle exhibits whistling from the drivers side mirror at speeds above 40mph. Infiniti has been unable to repair problem after 4 visits. Very unhappy
Consumer states there is an odor that can be strongly detected from both inside and outside the vehicle, the smell is apparent whenever the air conditioner or heating unit is on, dealer made some repairs which seemed to work for some time, however consumer states odor has gotten worse and she is experiencing headaches…
Seat Belts 5 Read
Both rear seat belts lock around the occupants extremely tight within 0-10 mintues, trapping occupants in the seats. This happens while vehicle is moving, and when the vehicle is not moving. Dealership/manufacturer have been told about the seat belt problem numerous times. Solution given defeats the purpose of the…
When my daughter went to buckle her seatbelt in the back seat of my car, the buckle wouldn't latch. I tried it, too--the metal piece slid into the other part without latching. Then it'd latch; next try it wouldn't. I couldn't trust the seatbelt, so we couldn't let the children ride in that car any longer. Thankfully…
Automatic seat belt locked passenger in and will not loosen without force, have had belts replace 3 times. Tt
Fuel System 5 Read
Received recall notice (#97V072000). Called dealer to make appointment. Was told could not get an appointment due to contract indicating getting a loaner vehicle while owner's vehicl is being repaired
Defective fuel filler tube/fuel vent tube
Original injectors have failed on 3 separate occasions during the last 5 years. The failure results in sudden loss of power, and stalling
Air Bags 4 Read
While vehicle was stopped, consumer's vehicle was hit in the rear, causing the vehicle to hit another vehicle head-on, and the driver's and passenger's side air bags did not deploy
Vehicle involved in an accident by hitting a deer at approimately. 60 mph. At impact, th driver's seat belt unlatched ,and air bag did not deploy, causing back injury to driver
My daughter was involved in a car accident, she was on the freeway going 65 mph when the speed limit was 75 mph. She was driving a 1994 infiniti g20. The front and back of the car was completely ruined, yet the airbags never deployed. I trust the that the car ar made following all safety regulations, and that these…
Electrical System 4 Read
While driving smoke came through the vents. The consumer exited the vehicle, and a fire started. *ak
While starting up the vehicle a loud noise came from front. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the starter needed to be replaced. But consumer was responsible to pay for parts and labor
Purchase a 2000 infinity from a car dealer with out air bags and without the diagnostic computer/equipment
G20 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Air Bags,child Seat | — | — | |
| 2001 | Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | — | |
| 2000 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 1999 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 1996 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 1994 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1993 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | 1 | |
| 1992 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | — | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 54 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.3 |
| Worst single series | 5 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.9 years |
A model average of 1.3 hides a worst series at 5. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the G20?
By complaint volume, 1995, 1996, 2000 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which G20 years are the cleanest?
1992, 2002, 1993 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Infiniti G20 have?
70 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1991–2002. Of those, 10 describe a crash and 2 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.