NHTSA Complaint #11699837 — 2020 INFINITI QX50

I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding Recall R25B2 on my 2020 Infiniti QX50. I purchased the vehicle in July 2024 from a dealership in Indiana and currently reside in Illinois. Summary of the Issue In July 2025, I received notice that my VIN was included in Recall R25B2 for an engine-related defect. Infiniti of Orland Park (IL) inspected the vehicle and confirmed that it exhibited symptoms consistent with the recall. My recall/warranty repair was denied because Infiniti claims the engine is “branded” in its internal system. This branding does not appear on Carfax or any public record and was never disclosed at the time of sale. According to California DMV documentation I obtained, the vehicle sat on a California Infiniti dealership lot from 2022 through 2024 before being auctioned. Infiniti later stated that the engine was branded in 2023 due to “lack of maintenance”—a period when the vehicle was under Infiniti’s possession or control. I purchased an Infiniti Vehicle Service Contract (VSC) in 2024 (which has since been refunded), indicating Infiniti’s own retail systems did not flag the vehicle as ineligible. During two prior oil services (January 2025 and the week before the recall inspection), no dealership representative mentioned any “engine smut” or branding concerns until the recall claim was denied. I believe this situation represents a safety and consumer transparency issue. Infiniti is allegedly using non-public internal “engine branding” flags to deny recall eligibility for vehicles otherwise included in a safety recall. Consumers and selling dealerships have no way to access or verify these internal designations through Carfax or public records. As a result, affected vehicles may be excluded from safety recall repairs without notice or recourse—despite meeting all other criteria. Requested NHTSA Actions Investigate whether Infiniti/Nissan is improperly using internal branding to deny Recall R25B2 remedies to otherwise eligible vehicles.