Owners have filed 49 complaints on the Infiniti J30, covering 1993–1997. The system named most often is Air Bags (10 reports). Worst years by volume: 1994, 1995, 1993; cleanest: 1996, 1997, 1993. 9 reports describe a crash, 2 a fire. On average the car was 4.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Infiniti J30
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 49 J30 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 10 Read
Consumer was involved in a minor collision driving at 7 mph which caused the driver's and passenger's air bags to deploy, resulting in injuries to the occupant and severe damage to the vehicle. *ak.et
Air bag system malfuntioned during 2 accidents, at both accidents the vehicle was going 40-45 mph and a frontal collision occurred, caused extensive damage to vehicle without prior warning
The impact of this accident should have deployed airbag, however did not. *ak (DOT number: 085upto299 tiresize: 215/65r15)
Electrical System 6 Read
Dt: contact stated vehicle caught on fire while driving 60 mph. The tow company and the fire department told contact it was an electrical fire. The car burnt completely. She bought the car from an individual , and hasn't talked to the manufacturer. There were no injuries. The fire dept. Was called. The fire started in…
Compressor comes on while idling causing unintended vehicle movement, causing accident. Tt
When coming to a red light consumer smelled something and noticed smoke coming out of the dashboard. Consumer had to pull over. Fire department came out and put the fire out. Fire was caused by electrical wires overheating. Dealer was aware of the problem
Engine And Engine Cooling 4 Read
The exhaust manifolds crack from what I believe to be a design flaw. Which could lead to a engine compartment fire. Infiniti knows of the problem. They have superseded the part with a new part. The cost for the new manifolds are $1200.00. Not only did they make faulty manifolds that have the potential to start a fire…
Electronic control unit replaced
Vehicle would lurch forward felt like the gears were slipping. Also, while driving heard a loud popping sound. This was after having vehicle serviced and changing belts. Took the vehicle back to the dealer who said that the engine main bearing was causing the noise
Vehicle Speed Control 3 Read
While driving into the driveway, vehicle suddenly accelerated, ran into garage; pushed mercedes (inside garage) about 28 inches against the wall. Took to dealer, did not find a problem
Vehicle experienced an involuntary acceleration, vehicle accelerates at high speed on its own.*ak. Consumer stated while at a complete stop, the vehicle surged and lunged foward, the rpms went up and consumer stated the vehicle went under a dump truck, the vehicle was then dragged a few feet, and then the vehicle…
Vehicle suddenly accelerated while slowing down at a stop light
Latches/locks/linkages 3 Read
Driver door won't open when inlocked
Trunk release failure
Consumer was standing by the trunk in windy conditions when the trunk flew open, flapping from side to side, and suddenly popped off, striking consumer in the forehead and causing her to sustain an injury which required ten stitches
Seats 3 Read
When turning the vehicle to the right after the engine is warm, the driver's seat automatically reclines. This could cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The dealer does not know the cause but believes a switch is worn or faulty
Drivers seat won't stay stationery while driving. Dealer had been contacted. Please provide any further information
The driver's side seat track has been replaced by the dealer once, but the problem has not been resolved. The movement in the driver's seat assembly continues to get worse (fore and aft movement in the seat when the car accelerates and brakes). The infiniti dealer and their customer service department has not resolved…
Power Train 3 Read
Automatic transmission failure, adaptive type of transmission will react erratically. Tt
Possible torque converter failure leading to engine overrevving, making it difficult to hold a cruising speed. Requires replacement of transmission assembly at a cost of $3,600 for remanufactured part. Failure at only 76k miles seems premature
My transmission began "jumping" into second gear several years ago. I have had the dealer check it 3 times, and they have been unable to determine a problem. In their defense, the folks at the dealereship are pleasant and helpful, but the problem persists. The jump is somewhat inconsistent (let's say 50 percent of the…
Structure 2 Read
The rear passenger door stopped working , a month later the rear drivers door stopped working, 2 weeks later the drivers door stopped working on my 1997 infiniti j30 (which I purchased new, only 107,000 miles on it).now the only door that works is the front passenger door. There are no blown fuses. It seems there is a…
Automatic door lock failure
J30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 1996 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 1994 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 1993 | Air Bags | 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 | 32 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.5 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.7 years |
A model average of 1.5 hides a worst series at 4. 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 J30?
By complaint volume, 1994, 1995, 1993 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 J30 years are the cleanest?
1996, 1997, 1993 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Infiniti J30 have?
49 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1993–1997. Of those, 9 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.