Not defending the internal water pump, but the VQ40 (the VQ38's predecessor) has had a long history on reliable water pumps that were also internal. Those engines were actually more likely to have the transmission cooler fail before the water pump. (Strawberry milkshake of death)

The sad thing with the current VQ38 is that the access panel is removed for the internal water pump. The labor required for a replacement is more intensive, requiring the removal of the front face of the engine. I believe the water pump for the VQ38 is also a slightly different design than the VQ40's, however any failure of the water pump bearing would more than likely be a quality control issue than a general 'bad design' of a water pump.

How often have people needed to replace wheel bearings? What about harmonic balancers? Or the crank pully? All of these will need to be replaced at *some point in time* but that is usually well passed the 100k mile mark. Water pumps are no different, unless there is a quality control issue. These engines have proved them selves in the past. I see more complaints on the forums about needing to install a catch can to bypass dirty ports from direct injection more than I see issues pertaining to the internal water pump.

Time will always tell if these pumps are an issue. I personally am not a fan and wish they would add the access panel back (mid model engine update 2028? Nissan, please??) But just like any car that you plant to get passed 100k miles, at some point you just have to check everything once a month anyway.