NHTSA Complaint #11351917 — 2018 INFINITI Q50

ON 6/13/2020 THE DRIVE BELT SHREDDED WHILE DRIVING UNDER 30MPH, UNDER LIGHT ACCELERATION. AT FIRST, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, FOLLOWED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. WHITE SMOKE BEGAN TO COME FROM THE ENGINE. THANKFULLY, I WAS NEARBY MY HOUSE AND MADE IT THERE SAFELY. FURTHERMORE, THE ENGINE OVERHEATED DUE TO A COOLANT HOSE BEING KNOCKED OFF BY THE SHREDDED BELT. ADDITIONALLY, THE WATER PUMP AND A/C COMPRESSOR FAILED. THE PULLEY TENSIONER ASSEMBLY AND BELT WERE REPLACED UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY, ALONG WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED FAILED COMPONENTS. ALL WORK WAS DONE AT GRUBBS INFINITI OF GRAPEVINE, TX AND THE REPAIR TOOK EXACTLY THREE WEEKS TO FIX. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,660. PREVIOUSLY, ON MARCH 6, 2019, INFINITI OF VAN NUYS, CA, TIGHTENED THE PULLEY TENSIONER ASSEMBLY DUE TO A SQUEAKING NOISE I WAS HEARING WHILE ACCELERATING. VEHICLE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10,000. I WAS INFORMED THAT IF I HADN'T HAD THIS ISSUE FIXED BEFORE MY DRIVE BACK TO TEXAS, MY DRIVE BELT COULD HAVE SHREDDED. AFTER THE DEALER ADDRESSED THE CONCERN NO FURTHER NOISE WAS HEARD AT ALL. THE DEALER ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN AND HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED IN INFINITI SERVICE BULLETINS. ALTHOUGH, THIS POSES A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AS THE VEHICLE COULD HAVE STALLED AT HIGH SPEED RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT AND OR LOSS OF LIFE. I WORRY THIS ISSUE WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. TWO TIMES, TWO MANY!