Nissan 350Z Problems and Solutions

jaz499 · February 2005

I'm aware that the '03 had problems with the tire wear but what about the '04 model?

andrekuch · February 2005

my paint is very bad too,very easily to chip especially at the bumper,but i have bigger problem with tires like many others. supposedly the newest alignment settings fix the problem,previous one in TSB from 3/04 were not right. Lets hope that it will be end of this.

fish8 · February 2005

From what I have read in this forum and in many trade magazine's, the '04's and some '05's have the same issue.

jweston · February 2005

Bad paint job on my 04 Z convertible as well. I had about 3 or 4 on my hood alone. I had a body shop guy touch it up but it doesn't look "good".

liongirl · February 2005

I have the suspension defect and was told that the warranty for my 2003 Enthusiast was good for two years after service date. That would include free tires and alignment. They did not know what would happen after the 2 year warranty. Do you have a specific announcement, bullentin or proof that they will provide free tires for life? I will definitely bring it up with my dealer. Thanks for the info.

zinger · February 2005

Do you mean the bumper or the hood right above the bumper? When it chips is the remaining area left white?

I am considering an 05 Touring vs an 05 GTO. I like them both but dont want to get into problems.

Thanks

bhstinger · February 2005

I have the same problem with my 2005 Enthusiast. First gear is fine. Then it feels and sounds like I have no synchro into second. It goes but with a big clunk. This happens only sometimes, mostly when the tranny has not been warmed-up completely. However, It will also occur at different times even after it has been completely warmed-up. I have the same problem going into 3rd also, but it isn't as pronounced as 2nd and rarely occurs. If i downshift into 3rd or 2nd its completely fine, no noise or anything. Go figure. I have 1,600mi on it and it feels horrible. Maybe the double cone synchro is a bad part.

eattrig · February 2005

If it's not too much trouble, can you give me some more information about what exactly your father had to do to get Nissan to buy the car back?

I bought an '04 Enthusiast in March '04. By August (about 8000 miles), the tire wear problem was apparent. They replaced the tires and "re-aligned" the front free of charge, so I was happy. Now it's March '05, I have about 22000 miles and the problem is back, louder than ever. Took it in today and they said they won't replace it for free again - they wanted me to pay for another "alignment" - why would I pay for an alignment that didn't work the first time?

Any help would be much appreciated.

morrisgray · February 2005

I hate to hear and read about all the problems some people are having with their Z but I am glad there is a place like this to discuss them. I own a 03 Enthusiast and have only 5,700 miles on it. Sits in my garage most of the time as you can tell by my mileage. I have had no problems so far with anything. Maybe a little streaking on the windows but nothing else at all. I really love the car especially driving it but will probably sell it soon to get something else with a back seat. Looking at a G35 or maybe a Lexus IS300, don't know for sure yet. T.Morris/Ringgold, GA

fish8 · February 2005

It sounds like my father had some of the same experiences as you. He worked with his Service manager (who was honest and helpful) as much as possible, but eventually had to get a lawyer involved and let them do most of the legwork. Not really sure where he found the lawyer (I can find out if need be). But, after a couple of tire replacements and the Service Manager stating that there is no apparent fix to the tire wear problems, a lemon Law filing was started.

Nissan originally blamed the dealer for not having the proper equipment to deal with this problem. The dealer (Service manager) was furious at this notion and responded to Nissan stating they had top of the line equipment and it was not the dealers fault. It was defect in the car itself. The lawsuit dragged on for many months but eventually Nissan agreed to settle the suit for $2000. My dad basically told them not to waste his time with such an offer. After about 4 months, Nissan agreed to buy back his '03 Z.

An interesting side not: About 2 months after he returned the car to a local dealer, his Z was still sitting the dealers lot where he parked it. I wonder what happened to that car.

tireless · March 2005

Was your fathers 350Z a 2004 model? My dealer checked out my tires on my 2004 Z and said there was nothing they could do for me. They are only taking care of the 2003 models. It seems like if TIRE problems carry over into 2004, Nissan would do something about it. If you are a 2004 350Z owner and you have had better luck with Nissan let me know.

Tireless

jwilson1 · March 2005

You got 14000 on the second set of tires, eattrig. I don't think you'll find any dealer who would give you new rubber at that mileage, unless of course you had an all-season tire with a guarantee for 45k or something like that.

I have Z rated summer tires on my car, not a Z. I usually get around 10000 miles and am delighted when I get 12000 -- but I don't know how you drive or if you spend time on track. I do and so the tires, tho they are being driven near capacity, don't last long.

JW

jrsimpleman · March 2005

I posted on one of the other threads, but to fix the tire wear issue is easy, if you find the right guys. You need to have your Z "mechanically aligned," not computer aligned with the computer. For some reason, "if" you are having the tire feathering issue, it will work. Although, if you have an '03 take it to nissan, and it's a recall.

smohr · March 2005

I have a 04 Roadster and my tire noise started out around 7500 miles. Three months ago my local dealership (that I have a person relationship with) gave me no hassles at all. They did the alignment and replaced the front tires with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. I have about 800 miles on them and I do not see any abnormal wear (yet). Bottom line is the 04 have the same problems as 03's. I am hoping that those junk Bridgestones are the majority of the issues, but who knows.

randyboy · March 2005

I have had to replace the front brake pads/drums twice and the rear ones once since buying my '03 Z in Dec. of 2002. I believe this is a design defect similar or even related to the recent recall that required replacement of my front tires. Has anyone else had the same brake problems and if so, do you believe that Nissan should be obligated into exploring a recall to fix this deficiency in these brake assemblies?

pscholes18 · March 2005

where are you at and what dealer? Ive been told not all dealers will replace the tires for free. I have a 05 base model with 1300 miles on it and I dont see a problem yet.

qbrozen · March 2005

well, frankly, averaging front pads once a year on a car like this isn't exactly a big problem. BUT, it depends. How many miles are on your car now?

And replacing rears half as much as fronts is very normal. Its pretty much standard, really. So I have to think that all 4 wheels are wearing an relatively balanced rate. Also indicating no particular problem.

By the way, just for clarity, "drums" are a different style of brakes altogether and are not found on this car. So, for future reference so that there is no confusion on the part of those reading the posts, you should refer to them as "rotors."

I haven't had my car long enough to warrant brakes, so i'm interested in learning more of your particular issues. Thanks.

drgene · March 2005

I too have a bad, uneven noisy tire problem with my Z which now has 6000 miles. Too bad since I love the performance and styling of the car. My dealer said the problem was my fault (without testing anything - just visual look at the tires), and that there was no problem with the 04's. After a shouting match and talking with two layers of management upward, they did an alignment at my insistence (it was off) and rotated the front tires (I was still forced to pay $62 for the rotation). Their mechanic told me in a side discussion that he had dealt with many 04's with this problem. I have owned an Alfa for 40 years and sold a Porsche 911S which I had owned for 28 years when I bought the Z one year ago so I know sports cars pretty well. I am putting my Z up for sale tomorrow. The thrill of ownership is gone and the irritation is not worth it. So long.

randyboy · March 2005

Thanks for the terminology clarification. I have about 22,000 miles on my Z; if your informed opinion is that I will be replacing the brake assemblies every 10,000 miles or so, that really sucks!. I guess thats the price you pay for owning a "true" sports car (I owned a '96 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX AWD Turbo and probably replaced the brake assemblies maybe once in 3 years of ownership). I still would like to hear from other owners with that many miles on their vehicles who have spent almost $800.00 on brake repairs.

fish8 · March 2005

I am sorry to hear about your problems!! I think your experiences confirm the fact dealers will not replace affected tires.

qbrozen · March 2005

I respectfully disagree. One, a few, or many experiences don't confirm anything. I've heard several stories of dealers replacing tires on '04s, as well.

qbrozen · March 2005

Well, that's why I asked how many miles. Now I can say that 10K is a bit low. Its tough to know without experiencing your driving habits first hand. The worst I ever remember experiencing with any car was 15k miles. It could be a number of factors contributing to this, however. Have you been getting them replaced at the dealer? The first thing I would try is a set of aftermarket pads.

One experience I can share that might help is the brake replacements in my current Volvo. Owners of this car frequently find they need to replace pads every 15k and rotors every 30k. After my first set of rotors and second set of pads, I switched to aftermarket materials. Not only are they lasting much longer, but they grab much better AND produce much less brake dust. good luck. let me know if anything changes.

fish8 · March 2005

Ok, I stand corrected....maybe I should of said some dealers will replace the tires. But, I would venture to guess, most will not. I hope I am wrong, but.......

qbrozen · March 2005

heck, i'm just hoping i have no problems with mine.

jrsimpleman · March 2005

Ok, I was discussing this issue with a friend, who is a Nissan Dealership owner. His good friend, is head of Parts and Service for the US division of Nissan, "Yes, the US Division." As of right now, there is a repair order in the works for the '04 Z's, although, no approvals as of yet. And the other problem is, since 99% of the Nissan dealerships are privately owned, then it's up to that dealership on how to handle the issue. Although, from what I know and have been told if there not willing to fix the issue, then they are probably not a good dealership to work with. The dealerships can eat up the cost without any penalty, because they can write it off to the corporation, but hey, it still comes to the question. Does your dealership suck or not? The problem is, many of them are looking at it as a money loss issue, instead of a customer retain issue.

qbrozen · March 2005

Nice to hear that maybe they will send out something official.

And you are 100% correct about dealerships responses. That's why I always tell people if they are not happy with their service departments response to ANYTHING, to try a different one.

On another note ... well, related, at least. I just stopped by my local service department this morning to check on the history of the '04 I bought last month. They show NO warranty work on the car. So I'm pretty happy about that. The tires still look brand new at 9500 miles. [knocking on wood]

jrsimpleman · March 2005

That's good for you, my '04 Roadster just hit 2600 last weekend, when I had it out for an all day wash, clay, and wax job. I mean, I'm at only 2600, but thus far there seems to be no signs of off alignment

moriseiki · March 2005

The dealer told me that the 04 models had all been fixed. That is very far from the truth. I have a 2004 350Z Touring model that started having problems after the first 2000 miles. The dealer gave me the runaround and told me that they couldn't help me because I had driven it over 12000 miles before calling them even though they know there is a problem with the front end on the 04 models too. I had my car fixed by NTB but they told me that I would need tobring it in every 3 months to be realigned because it will not hold its alignment.

moriseiki · March 2005

Don't do it! Unless you want to be replacing your tires at about $1000 for four. I have a 04 model (Touring) that I have been having problem with the front end since 2000 miles. Just replaced tires because the noise got so annoying that I did not want to drive my car anymore at 13000 miles. And the dealer will not do anything to help you. I have had my Z for 8 months and if I could do it over I would buy a Vette or a German made car.

qbrozen · March 2005

well, why did you wait so long?
What started happening at 2K miles?
I just can't imagine having a problem at 2K and waiting another 10K before doing anything about it.

fish8 · March 2005

The problem is NOT the Owner....it's the car itself.

qbrozen · March 2005

Obviously, fish, I'm not saying the car is trouble free. I've read too many reports to say that.

But, is it your contention that owners should be exempt from liability for the life of the vehicle?

I'm not giving Nissan a pass on this problem, but I try to at least be fair. I've read reports from owners who have a problem at 20K and complain that Nissan isn't taking care of the problem. That's just ridiculous. And, yes, it is part of the responsibility of an owner that if you have a problem with ANY car, you report it as soon as possible. Is the dealer just supposed to believe everybody who says "oh, yeah, i had the problem 50K miles ago, but just kept it to myself till now"? Heck, if ANY company followed that rule, they'd be out of business within a year.

by the way, if you check out my350z.com, you'll find plenty of folks who have had their tires replaced and alignment done for free on '04 models (i haven't looked, but i wouldn't be surprised if there are reports of fixes on '05 models, too).

fish8 · March 2005

Understood and I agree!!!!

qbrozen · March 2005

So, for those of you who have had the tire feathering/alignment problem, could you possibly describe, with a bit more detail, how you determined there was a problem. Of course, there is the physical feathering, but I've heard many folks describe the harsh "tire roar" that occurs, as well. How would I (or any other Z owner) know what this sounds like? In other words, since I bought one with 9K miles, the road noise has always been the same for me over these past 1200 miles, and it is rather loud, but this may be normal and the roar described by owners with the problem is much louder than the noise I am experiencing.

I figured the noise was normal, but reading descriptions from those with problems, I may indeed experience a problem myself (although my tires seem to be in great shape so far). For those who have had the problem fixed, is the ride actually "quiet"? Or, at least, is the road noise consistent? (not changing noise level depending on a certain speed - since i've heard many say the noise in a problematic car is more pronounced when slowing down past 40 mph)

350zkid · March 2005

hey man, i just got a 2005 enthusiast 350z, and i was wondering about the cloth seats. i heard that they frey fast. do your seats do that? have they changed it for 2005?

thanks man,

evan

dh21187 · March 2005

You should take them to small claims court and get your money back. Just search the web and you'll find hundreds of complaints from people just like you.

dh21187 · March 2005

I have 9800 miles on my 04 ZR now and the tire noise is unbearable. I scheduled an appointment Jan. 12th to have it addressed but I missed it due to snow. I have rescheduled it for tomorrow, the 21st, and I will have to see what their response is to this problem.
I also have a number of other issues they must deal with:
1-GPS unit door does not open all the time
2-Tach just stops working sometimes
3-Right power door lock does not always open
4-Loud clutch chatter at idle
5-Can't shift into 5th gear without difficulty

As soon as these are fixed the car is going up for sale. I only drive the car on weekends and off days from work and I regret purchasing this car. It has been nothing but a headache.

liongirl · March 2005

Since no one has answered your question yet, I will try. The sound my front tires made was a "whom, whom, whom", like the sound a flat bike tire might make. You will definitely notice it, expecially around 25 mph, the faster you drive the less you hear the sound. It gets progressive louder as the tire feathers more. You'll notice it, trust me. I was not able to see any tire ware visually, but the tech said there was definite tire wear. I have put on 3000 miles since my last tire change and have not heard anything yet.

qbrozen · March 2005

thanks, liongirl. That kind of makes me feel better since the noise I hear is a very steady tire roar when slowing down. Since its not pulsating, I'll keep hope alive that I don't have the alignment problem (yet ... and, yes, i'm knocking on wood).

liongirl · March 2005

Good luck, but don't hold your breath. I talk to every Z owner I see and so far everyone has had a least one tire change. Someone has a 2005 in the parking lot, but I have not seen the owner yet. I wonder if the 2005 will have the same problem? I intend to keep my Z because other than that I love the car. I'll work with my dealer, I'm hoping the roar does not come back. If it does I want free tires and alignments for the life of the car not just the extended 2 year warranty they issued on the 2003's.

dexterkatt · March 2005

Some dealers will do an alignment and replace tires on '04, some will not. My nephew took his
'04 to a dealer where he did not buy the car and they held to '03 TSB but the dealer where he bought the car replace the tires and did the alignment. The consensis from Z car forums is that the '05 are having problems also. The problem appears to be an engineering problem and nothing short of re-engineering will fix the problem either from the factory or aftermarket. I advise anyone not to buy a 350Z until this problem if fixed for good. I am extremely disappointed with Nissan for stonewalling on this issue. I am a owner or previous owner of 4 Z's, 4 Maximas, 2 200SX and a '03 G35 coupe. If they don't get this right it will be the last Nissan I purchase.

qbrozen · March 2005

i totally agree with you on keeping my Z. I knew about the tire issues before I purchase and figured, at worst, it will cost me a couple of front tires each year. To me, that's just not a big deal for having a car like this.

jfd47 · April 2005

I am having the exact same problem with the tires on my 2004 350Z roadster. I contacted Nissan Corporate and was told they didn't care if the car had 200 or 2,000 miles on it, it is not their problem. They said that there are no tire issues with the 2004 350Z's. Did you replace your tires with the same make as the ones that it came with? I was told to replace all 4 and get rid of the Bridgestones that are on it.

qbrozen · April 2005

yup, the bridgestones are horrible.

When I replace them, I'll probably be getting the Avon all-seasons off tirerack.

How many miles do you have on yours, by the way?

jfd47 · April 2005

10,000 when I started having problems.

qbrozen · April 2005

Did you actually notice the wear on the tires at that point? Or was it more of a sound and feel kinda thing?

thanks for your info. Its helpful to me since we both have '04s and I am now at about 11K miles.

jfd47 · April 2005

I first started feeling the handling change at low speeds, then shortly after the sound started. The tires don't show a lot of wear, but the mechanic at the dealership said it was definitely the front tires.

kevink · April 2005

I did all my research before buying my 2004 350Z last August. At 12500 miles I started getting all the descriptions of the 2003 tire feathering problem. Sure enough I took my car to the dealer that said it was a tire feathering problem but couldn't do anything because Nissan did not have a Service Bulletin for the 2004 Models. I called Nissan and now they are telling me the same thing that I'll have to drop about 700 bucks to get new tires and an alignment. NOT TOO HAPPY. I Should have bought a new corvette and spent the money elsewhere. I love(d) the Z but I don't know about this big problem. My service guy told me they are starting to see more and more of these problems showing up on the 2004's because the tires are finally seeing some miles put on them.

I'll keep you posted because I'm not giving up on this just yet.

fish8 · April 2005

Seriously, start the Lemon Law process before you get too many miles on your car. If you fight Nissan hard enough they will relent and buy back you car. I just hope you are still in the time and mile threshold to qualify for the :lemon:

Good luck!!

liongirl · April 2005

Yes, my Nissan dealer replaced them with the same tires (Polenza). I'm going in for my 30,000 mile maintenance here soon and I'm going to have them check the wear on the second set of tires they put on in January (5,000 miles ago). I have yet to hear the roaring. Read some of the back messages, many people have tried different tires with pretty much the same result. I'm going to sit down with the dealer and see if they will just replace the tires and alignments free for the life of the car. I have been told they can work something out and Nissan can easily absorb the cost.

Nissan 350Z Problems and Solutions

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