2003 NISSAN 350Z Complaints

MY 2003 350Z DISPLAYS MOST OF THE COMMON COMPLAINTS OF OTHER OWNERS...TIRE FEATHERING, PULLING TO THE RIGHT, EXCESSIVE TIRE AND BRAKE NOISE, A/C BUZZ, BOSE SOUND SYSTEM THAT CAN'T BE HEARD ABOVE ROAD NOISE. SOME OF THE ABOVE ARE ANNOYANCES, OTHERS, SUCH AS TIRE WEAR AND HANDLING ARE DEFINATE SAFETY ISSUES. NISSAN HAS CHANGED THE FRONT SUSPENSION ON THE 2004 350Z FOR THE REASON THAT THE 2003 SUSPENSION IS FLAWED. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL!*AK

2003 NISSAN 350 Z - FRONT TIRES ARE FEATHERING ON THE INSIDE TREAD WITH 4000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE.*AK

IN MAY OF 2003 I PURCHASED A NEW NISSAN 350Z. AFTER AROUND 9000 MILES THE TIRES BEGAN TO MAKE AN INCREASED AMOUNT OF ROAD NOISE. UPON INSPECTION THE INTERIOR RADIUS OF BOTH FRONT TIRES WAS WORN IN A VERY UNEVEN PATTERN. THE REAR TIRES ARE FINE... MIND YOU THIS IS A REAR-WHEEL DRIVE CAR. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 3000 MILES THIS NOISE BECAME INCREASINGLY LOUDER AND AT 12000 MILES IS UNBEARABLE. IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M DRIVING AN EIGHTEEN-WHEELER AS OPPOSED TO A SPORT CAR. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT - PETER'S NISSAN IN NASHUA, NH - THEY SAID THAT MY TIRES WERE "CHOPPED" AND RECOMMENDED REPLACING THEM. OF COURSE THEY WANTED ME TO PAY FOR IT, CITING A TIRE DEFECT. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS ARGUMENT IS THAT MY REAR TIRES ARE FINE AND THEY RECOMMENDED REPLACING MY "CHOPPED" FRONTS WITH ANOTHER PAIR OF THE SAME TIRE. IN MY MIND THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A SUSPENSION GEOMETRY ISSUE WITH THIS CAR. AFTER BEING QUOTED $1008.64 FOR TWO TIRES, MOUNTED AND BALANCED, FROM THE NISSAN DEALER I PROCEEDED TO CALL NISSAN NORTH AMERICA'S CONSUMER AFFAIRS LINE. (1-800-NISSAN1) I SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE WHO TOLD ME THAT ENGINEERS ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A FIX AND HE BRUSHED ME OFF THE PHONE QUICKLY. I RECEIVED NO SATISFACTION AND AM STILL DRIVING AROUND MY "NEW", UNDER WARRANTY NISSAN PRODUCT WITH AN OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE SUSPENSION. EVIDENTLY NISSAN EXPECTS ME TO SHELL OUT (USING THEIR RIDICULOUS QUOTE) $1008.64 EVERY SIX MONTHS OR 10,000 MILES FOR TWO FRONT TIRES. ASSUMING THE LIFE OF THIS CAR AT A CONSERVATIVE 100,000 MILES, THAT'S $10,086.40 IN FRONT TIRES ALONE. MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE CARS VALUE NEW IN JUST FRONT TIRES! THERE IS A DEFECT HERE SOMEWHERE THAT NISSAN HAS YET TO ADDRESS. THE TIRES ARE A BRIDGESTONE POTENZA MODEL. WHILE I FIND THESE TIRES TO BE A LOW-QUALITY PRODUCT TO BEGIN WITH, THE SORT OF WEAR OCCURRING ON MY CAR IS NOT A TIRE ISSUE. AGAIN, MY REARS ARE JUST FINE.*JB

VEHICLE DRIFTS TO RIGHT AND IS EXPERIENCING VERY HIGH WEAR ON THE INSIDE OF THE FRONT TIRES. *JB

TIRE WEAR CAUSED BY FAULTY SUSPENSION. AFTER 3000 MILES TIRES STARTED TO "ROAR" WHEN COMING TO A STOP AND TIRE NOISE WHILE DRIVING BEGINS TO INCREASE. *JB

TIRE FEATHERING AND ACCELERATED WEAR ON INSIDE OF FRONT TIRES. THIS WEAR PATTERN FIRST WAS NOTICED AT AROUND 3K MILES, AND BY 5500 MILES THE PROBLEM WAS BAD. BY 7K MILES, THE TIRES ARE NEARLY UNUSABLE. FOUR ISSUES WITH THIS: 1. SOME VERY SLIGHT VIBRATION WHEN THE PROBLEM GETS BAD 2. TERRIBLE NOISE FROM THE TIRES 3. SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO EXTREME ABNORMAL WEAR PATTERN, COULD GET BAD ENOUGH TO CAUSE A BLOWOUT 4. RIDICULOUS OPERATING EXPENSE WILL BE INCURRED WHEN TIRES HAVE TO BE REPLACED EVERY 5K TO 7K MILES NISSAN DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A FIX FOR THIS, AND SIMPLY KEEPS REPLACING TIRES. CURRENTLY THE OEM TIRES ARE NOT AVAILABLE, AND DEALER SAYS THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING. *NLM

CUPPING AND FEATHERING OF TIRES- CAUSING ROAD NOISE, POOR TRACTION, & HANDLING. PER OWNER FORUMS, DUE TO SUSPENSION ISSUES WHICH EFFECT ALLIGNMENT. OTHERS HAVE HAD PROBLEMS RECOGNIZED AND FIXED. MY DEALER AND NISSAN SAY THERE IS NO PROBLEM.*AK

350Z TIRE FEATHERING AND CUPPING. SEVERE FEATHERING DUE TO IMPROPER FACTORY ALIGNMENT SPECS ON EARLY MODEL 350ZS. NOTICED AT 8,000 MILES AND GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THEY SAY THERE IS A TSB TO CROSS SWAP TIRES, BUT THIS LEAVES THE ORIGINAL TIRES WITH FEATHERING ON THE CAR. A SAFETY ISSUE TO ME WHETHER NISSAN WILL OWN UP TO IT OR NOT. AFTER THIS IS SOLVED CUPPING WILL OCCUR DUE TO THE CAMBER AND CASTER BEING UNADJUSTABLE. THE ONLY KNOW 100% FIX TO THIS IS A NISMO S-TUNE SUSPENSION OR POSSIBLE TO REPLACE FRONT SUSPENSION WITH LATER MODEL SUSPENSION SYSTEMS. WHY WOULD NISSAN NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM? THEY SAY IT ISN'T BIG ENOUGH OR ITS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. IS IT GOING TO TAKE DEATH TO FIX THIS PROBLEM LIKE ADDING STOP LIGHTS TO AN INTERSECTION. "WE WILL ONLY RECALL IF 3 PEOPLE DIE FIRST" IS WHAT NISSAN SHOULD BE SAYING! VERY UNHAPPY CONSUMER AND WILL NEVER BY A NISSAN AGAIN! -VIN *LA

THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SUSPENSION OF MY 2003 NISSAN 350Z, NISSAN IS NOT ADDRESSING OR ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM. *LA

350Z MANUAL TRANSMISSION HOWLS WHEN THE CAR IS FIRST STARTED. THE CAR DISPLAYS THE CONDITION WHEN IT HAS SAT OVERNIGHT AND WHEN IT IDLES OUT OF GEAR WITHOUT THE CLUTCH DEPRESSED. *LA