2003 NISSAN 350Z Complaints

MY 2003 NISSAN 350Z HAS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PATTERN OF TIRE WEAR. THE INSIDE OF THE FRONT TIRES WEARS RAPIDLY - BY 6000 MILES IT IS NEARLY SMOOTH. VEHICLE LOST CONTROL SEVERAL TIMES DUE TO THIS PROBLEM, RESULTING IN MANY NEAR-ACCIDENTS. VISITED DEALER WHO SWAPPED TIRES FROM SIDE TO SIDE BUT ISSUE RECURRED. FIRST NOTICED AT 4000 MILES AND RECURRED AT 6000 MILES. VERY UNSAFE IN MY OPINION. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS VEHICLE AND AM FRUSTRATED BY NISSAN'S DILLY-DALLYING TACTICS EXTENDED TOWARDS THE 80% OF Z DRIVERS THAT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *JB

COMPLAINT RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL."I HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR. THE TIRES WORE OUT WITHIN 7 MONTHS. I TOOK TO THE DEALER TO GET IT FIXED. I ENDED UP REPLACING TWO TIRES. THAT WAS IN JUNE. SEPTEMBER I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. LESS THAN A YEAR, MY CAR HAS HAD 5 ALIGNMENTS AND TWO SETS OF TIRES. I CONTACTED THE NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIR SPECIALIST, NO ONE WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEMS. THE CAR IS BELIEVED TO HAVE A MANUFACTURED DEFECT. THE DEALERSHIP HAS INFORMED ME THAT LOTS OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL CAR HAS BEEN REPORTED. I CAN NOT DRIVE MY CAR ANYMORE BECAUSE I AM SCARED THE TIRES MIGHT BLOW UP. *JB

PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS.*MR THE CONSUMER OBSERVED ABNORMAL SEAT WEAR ON THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES. A TSB WAS ISSUED REGARDING THIS PROBLEM BUT THE MANUFACTURER HAS MADE TO ATTEMPTS AT FIXING THE PROBLEM. *NM

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A DEFECTIVE MATERIAL REACTION TO AN ALTERED ROAD SURFACE IN FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE RIM. A SET OF RAISED SUBWAY TRACKS RAN PARALLEL WITH THE ROAD I WAS TRAVELING ON. AS THE ROAD FORKED, I WAS FORCED TO TRAVERSE THE TRACKS IN ORDER TO FOLLOW THE APPROPRIATE ROAD. AS SOON AS THE INSIDE EDGE OF FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE RIM CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE SUBWAY RAIL, THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY "BOTTOMED OUT". AFTER BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD I INVESTIGATED THE TIRE AND RIM AND FOUND NO APPARENT DAMAGE. AFTER COMPLETELY REMOVING THE RIM FROM THE VEHICLE IT WAS IMMEDIATELY APPARENT THAT THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE RIM HAD CAVED IN. THE OUTER EDGE OF THE RIM WAS UNDAMAGED, AS WAS THE TIRE ITSELF, BUT THE OUTER EDGE OF THE RIM SEEMED TO HAVE COLLAPSED IN ON ITSELF. THE IMPACT OF THE VEHICLE BOTTOMING OUT MUST HAVE DAMAGED THE ROTOR AND WHEEL STUDS BECAUSE WITHIN 500 FEET OF INSTALLING THE SPARE TIRE THE STUDS THEMSELVES BROKE FORCING ME TO HAVE THE VEHICLE FLATBEDDED TO THE DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPAIR VEHICLE AS UNDER WARRANTEE CLAIMING DRIVER ERROR. THE LACK OF TIRE DAMAGE AND SIGNS OF DIRECT IMPACT DAMAGE TO OUTER RIM, SEEMS TO INDICATE A WEAKENED INNER EDGE TO THE RIM STEMMING FROM MATERIAL DEFECT FAILURE/

EXPERIENCING AN UNRESOLVED TIRE WEAR PROBLEM WITH 2003 350Z THAT I PURCHASE NEW IN FEBRUARY 2003. THE FRONT TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND ALIGNMENT PERFORMED TWICE ON THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE TIRES ARE EXAMINED, THEY HAVE AN IRREGULAR WEAR PATTERN ON THE OUTSIDE EDGES OF THE TREAD. ALTHOUGH NISSAN HAS ISSUED TSB NTB04-043 ON 4/12/2004 AND EXTENDED THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY TO TWO YEAR / 30K MILES, I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE IS A LONG TERM SOLUTION THAT WILL RESULT IN FRONT TIRES LASTING SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER THAN THE CURRENT UNACCEPTABLE 10K TO 12K MILES. I VIEW THIS ISSUE AS REDUCING THE SERVICEABILITY / RELIABILITY OF MY 350Z AND IT MAY ALSO POSE A SAFETY CONCERN IF THE PROBLEM REMAINS UNRESOLVED. *JB *SC

WHILE DRIVING 20-30 MPH A RUMBLING NOISE CAME FROM THE FRONT. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. DEALER REPLACED TWO SETS OF FRONT TIRES ,AND THE FRONT CONTROL ARM. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

I OWN A 2003 NISSAN 350Z WHICH I PURCHASED NEW. THE CARS TIRES BEGAN TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE, WHICH I NOTICED AROUND 2500-3000 MILES. THE NOISE WAS GRADUALLY INCREASING IN VOLUME AS I ADDED MILES TO THE CAR. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AT APPROXIMATELY 6500 MILES WHEN THE NOISE BECAME UNBEARABLE. THE DEALER RE-ALIGNED THE FRONT WHEELS AND REPLACED THE TIRES TO ADDRESS A "KNOWN PROBLEM" WITH ALIGNMENT FOR WHICH NISSAN HAD ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN. I NOW HAVE JUST UNDER 14,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND HAVE JUST DELIVERED THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM ONCE AGAIN AS THE ISSUE WAS NOT RESOLVED BY THE ALIGNMENT AND TIRE REPLACEMENT. THE DEALER WAS UNWILLING TO ALIGN OR REPLACE THE TIRES AND CLAIMED THE WARRANTY FIX WAS A ONE TIME FIX. I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS, AND NOW I WILL BE PROVIDED WITH AN ALIGNMENT AND NEW SET OF FRONT TIRES UNDER AN EXTENDED COVERAGE NISSAN IS CALLING "2003 350Z FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT WARRANTY EXTENSION". THIS WARRANTY EXTENSION IS ADDRESSING THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I ALREADY ASKED THEM TO FIX UNDER WARRANTEE LAST YEAR. THE PROBLEM SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY BECAUSE IT FIRST APPEARED DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND WAS NOT FIXED BY THE ACTION TAKEN BY THE DEALER. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH MANY OF THE 2003 350ZS. NISSAN IS ADDRESSING THE SYMPTOMS RATHER THAN FIXING THE PROBLEM IN ORDER TO BUY TIME. THE PROBLEM IS MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN A SIMPLE ALIGNMENT AND TIRE REPLACEMENT. THEY ARE USING DECEPTIVE PRACTICES TO SKIRT AROUND THE PROBLEM IN ORDER TO AVOID DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A TRUE FIX FOR THE ISSUE. UNDER THE "2003 350Z FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT WARRANTY EXTENSION" MY EXTENDED WARRANTY EXPIRES TWO YEARS FROM THE IN-SERVICE DATE OF MY VEHICLE. THAT IS OCTOBER 2004 FOR ME. AT THAT POINT I WILL BE STUCK WITH A DEFECTIVE CAR THAT WEARS OUT VERY EXPENSIVE TIRES IN A FRACTION OF THE NORMAL TIRE LIFE WITH NO MEANS OF RECOURSE. *AK

I HAVE A 2003 NISSAN 350Z WITH TIRE FEATHERING AND FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT PROBLEMS. AT 22K MILES, NISSAN REPLACED MY FRONT TIRES AND EXTENDED THE ALIGNMENT WARRANTY TO TWO YEARS, BUT THAT WARRANTY WILL EXPIRE 12/04.*AK

INTERMITTENTLY ENGINE INTERRUPTS PREVENTING A COLD START. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC REPLACED BATTERY, TWICE, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

I PURCHASED A NISSAN 350Z ON 2-25-2003 AND HAVE TAKEN IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP, THREE CONSECUTIVE TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE BATTERY IS BEING DRAINED BY SOME TYPE OF ELECTRICAL SHORT AND THEY CANNOT FIND IT OR FIX IT.*AK