2003 Nissan 350Z

I OWN A NEW NISSAN 350Z, PURCHASED IN APRIL/MAY 2003. THE CAR CAME IN MISALIGNED AND WAS ALIGNED AT 1700 MILES. NOW AT 9400 MILES, THE ALIGNMENT IS OUT AGAIN AND THE TIRES ARE FEATHERING. DEALERSHIP WILL REPLACE TIRES UNDER WARRANTY, BUT ADMITS THE PROBLEM IS WIDE SPREAD WITH THE 350 AND THERE IS NO FIX. SOMETHING WITHIN THE SUSPENSION/FRONT END IS FAULTY. THE DEALER HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL. *LA

EXTREME IRREGULAR FRONT TIRE WEAR (CUPPING) CAUSING LOUD NOISE AND VIBRATION ESPECIALLY DURING BRAKING. VEHICLE HAD APPROXIMATELY 4000 MILES ON IT WHEN FIRST NOTICED. TIRES WERE REPLACED AT 5000 MILES AND FRONT END ALIGNMENT CHECKED (ALIGNMENT WAS GOOD). VEHICLE NOW HAS 9000 MILES AND THE FRONT TIRES ARE SHOWING IRREGULAR WEAR AGAIN. MANUFACTURER HAS NO FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. *LA

2003 NISSAN 350Z HAS A DEFECTIVE SUSPENSION THAT CAUSES THE TIRES TO WEAR UNEVENLY (TIRE FEATHERING) AND ALSO CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE RIGHT WHICH ALSO CAUSES THE TIRES TO WEAR UNEVENLY. NISSAN DEALERSHIP HAS HAD THE VEHICLE IN 6 TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS. HUNDREDS OF OTHER 350Z OWNERS HAVE THIS SAME TROUBLE, BUT MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH IT. *LA

I PURCHASED A NEW NISSAN 350Z IN MAY OF 2003. AT APPROXIMATELY 7000 MILES I NOTICED SOME STRANGE NOISES COMING FROM THE TIRES. AFTER INSPECTION I REALIZED THERE WAS VERY UNEVEN TIRE WEAR ON THE FRONT TIRES. I THEN BEGAN DOING RESEARCH AS TO WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT NEARLY EVERY NEW 350Z IS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. NISSAN'S "FIX" IS TO ROTATE THE TIRES BUT ANYONE WITH A BRAIN CAN FIGURE OUT THIS DOES NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, ONLY GETS RID OF THE NOISE FOR A FEW THOUSAND MILES. THE WEAR ON MY TIRES WAS SO BAD THEY COULD NOT ROTATE THEM AND WERE FORCED TO REPLACE THE TIRES. AFTER TIRE REPLACEMENT, I NOTICED AN IMMEDIATE CHANGE IN HANDLING. I BELIEVE THE STRANGE TIRE WEAR IS CAUSING LESS THAN ADEQUATE PERFORMANCE/HANDLING/TRACTION AND COULD EVENTUALLY BECOME DANGEROUS IF LEFT UNFIXED. THERE ARE MANY SPECULATIONS AS TO WHY THIS IS OCCURRING BUT ALL 350Z OWNERS TEND TO AGREE THAT THE FRONT SUSPENSION ON THE VEHICLE IS CAUSING THE PROBLEMS. NISSAN IS TRYING TO HIDE THIS ISSUE FROM THE BROAD PUBLIC BUT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE BECOMING AWARE OF THIS. *LA

I TOOK MY CAR (2003 NISSAN 350Z) TO MY NISSAN DEALERSHIP ON OR AROUND SEPTEMBER 25 TO HAVE THE NISSAN TIRE FEATHERING/CUPPING/ROAD NOISE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN PERFORMED DUE TO EXCESSIVE ROAD NOISE WHEN BRAKING, AND VISIBLY UNEVEN WEAR ON THE INSIDE TREAD ON ALL FOUR (4) TIRES. NISSAN'S "FIX" FOR THIS ISSUES IS TO DISMOUNT THE TIRES FROM THE WHEELS AND SWITCH THE TIRES LEFT TO RIGHT (BECAUSE THEY ARE DIRECTIONAL TIRES AND CANNOT BE "TRADITIONALLY" ROTATED). FEATHERING/CUPPING CAME BACK LESS THAN 2000 MILES LATER. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED FOR 10/16/2003 TO HAVE THE ISSUE LOOKED AT AGAIN, AND ALSO FILED A REPORT WITH NISSAN NORTH AMERICA. TONS OF OTHER NISSAN 350Z OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS NOT A FIX FOR THE HUGE PROBLEM NISSAN HAS WITH THIS CAR, AND WE NEED A FINAL RESOLUTION! REPLACING THE TIRES WITH NEW OEM OR OTHER BRANDED TIRES DOES NOT SEEM TO RECTIFY THE ISSUE EITHER. I FEEL AS THOUGH MY SAFETY, AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS IS JEOPARDIZED. THE SUSPENSION OR SOME OTHER MECHANICAL ASPECT IS CLEARLY NOT ENGINEERED CORRECTLY. *LA

TREAD ON FRONT TIRES WAS FORMING A FEATHERED WEAR PATTERN AT 6000 MILES. DEALER REALIGNED BUT DIDN'T PRODUCE A PRINTOUT OF RESULTS BECAUSE "THE PRINTER WAS BROKEN". THEY REFUSED TO REPLACE THE WORN TIRES. AT 16,000 MILES ALL TREAD ON THE INSIDE OF THE FRONT TIRES WAS GONE WHILE THE TREAD ON THE OUTER EDGE WAS NORMAL. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE FACTORY REP WOULD NOT REPAIR CAR. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW BECAUSE THEY DID NOT ALLOW FOR CASTER ADJUSTMENT. I NOW HATE NISSAN MORE THAN I LOVE MY CAR AND WILL PURSUE A REFUND PER LEMON LAW.

I PURCHASED A NISSAN 350Z ON 12/30/2002. I STARTED COMPLAINING TO THE DEALER ABOUT LOUD GROWLING NOISE FROM THE FRONT END AT ABOUT 5000 MILES. THE DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF IMPROPER FRONT END ALIGNMENT. AT 6000 MILES THE DEALER PERFORMED A TSB WHICH STATED THAT THE FRONT END NEEDED ALIGNMENT AN THE FRONT TIRES ROTATED (SWAPPED FROM SIDE TO SIDE). AT THAT TIME THEY PROVIDED ME WITH PRINT OUTS OF THE VEHICLE ALIGNMENT REPORTS WHICH SHOWS THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND REMAINS OUT OF THE NISSAN SPECIFICATIONS IN REGARD TO THE FRONT CASTER WHICH IS CAUSING THE DANGEROUS, ABNORMAL AND PREMATURE WEAR OF THE FRONT TIRES. THE DEALER STATES THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO CORRECT THIS OUT-OF-SPEC CONDITION. THE FRONT TIRES ARE NOW WEARING UNEVENLY ON THE INSIDE AGAIN SO THE RE-ALIGNMENT HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM AND THE DEALER SAYS THEY CAN NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.