2003 Nissan 350Z

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR IN A RAINY STORMY NIGHT NORTH BOUND HWY 101 ON JANUARY 10TH 2004 WHEN MY 2003 NISSAN 350Z STOPPED WITH A HUGE CLUNK IN THE MOTOR COMPARTMENT AND CAME TO A ROLLING STOP TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THERE WAS NOT MUCH SHOULDER SPACE AND POOR VISIBILTY THAT NIGHT!APPARENTLY THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN BURNING OIL 1QT PR THOUSAND MILES! I DIDNT KNOW THIS FROM GETTING REGULAR OIL CHANGES AT AROUNG THE 3K MARKER! KEPT GETTING OIL CONSUMPTION TEST BUT NO CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BY MANUFACTURER UNTIL I WENT TO THE BBB! THEN NISSAN WAS FORCED TO REPLACE MOTOR, CLUTCH , TIRES WHICH IVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES LONG BEFORE THIS EVER OCCURED ALONG WITH THE WINDOW MOTORS IN WHICH THE WINDOWS KEPT GIVING OUT ALSO! MY VEHICLE BROKE DOWN AGAIN SOME 1000 MILES AFTER THE NEW MOTOR! MY CAR KEPT STALLING AT A STOP LIGHT! I HAD THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO THE NISSAN DEALER WHERE I ALMOST HAD TO FIGHT WITH THE SEVICE REP TO GET IT TAKEN CARE OF UNDER WARRANTY! ABOUT 3K MILES AFTER THE NEW MOTOR WAS REPLACED AND INSTALLED I HAD THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO GET AN OIL CHANGE AND THE CAR WAS ALMOST 3QTS LOW AGAIN! YES THE CAR STILL KEEPS BURNING OIL!NISSAN DID NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! I KEPT CALLING CONSUMER AFFAIRS WHOM KEPT PASSING MY FILE AROUND TO ONE REP AND ANOTHER. I FINALLY BROKE DOWN 3-4 THOUSAND MILES LATER AND HAVE BEEN FOR OVER A MONTH WITH A VEHICLE THAT DOES NOT RUN AND NO ASSURANCE FROM THE DEALER WHO FIXED MY MOTOR LESS THAN 7K MILES AGO. THIS CAR HAS BEEN GIVING ME PROBLEMS SINCE THE FIRST FEW MONTHS IVE HAD IT. *NM

MY 2003 NISSAN 350 Z CONTINUES TO "EAT" FRONT TIRES. I HAVE REPLACED THE FRONT TIRES 4 TIMES AND ALIGNED ONCE IN UNDER 12 MONTHS. MY LAST SET LASTED A WHOPPING 2 MONTHS AND TWO DAYS! I NOTIFIED NISSAN OF THE PROBLEM IN FEBRUARY-05, JULY-05 AND TWICE IN SEPTEMBER-05 AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RETURN CALL AS PROMISED. NISSAN SAID THEY HAD "NO" RECALLS OR COMPLAINTS OF FRONT TIRE ISSUES DURING THE FIRST TWO CALLS. IN AUGUST-05, I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM NISSAN STATING THEY WERE GOING TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR FRONT END ALIGNMENT AND POSSIBLE REPLACING THE TIRES FOR 03 & 04 350'S. BUT AS I WAS TOLD IN TWO EARLIER PHONE CONVERSATION, THEY KNEW OF NO PROBLEMS. APPARENTLY DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST THEY DECIDED TO CHECK INTO THE COMPLAINTS SINCE THEY KNEW OF NONE EARLIER...RIGHT! THE LETTER STATES "NISSAN IS TRULY DEDICATED TO YOUR SATISFACTION"! NISSAN HAS NOT SHOWN ANY SIGNS OF DEDICATED TO 350 Z OWNERS. I FOR ONE! LOOKING IN THIS SITE, I HAVE FOUND OVER 70 COMPLAINTS ON THIS PROBLEM. IT'S TIME TO DO SOMETHING.*JB

NISSAN 2003 350Z - TIRE CUPPING, ROARING AND VIBRATION. NISSAN ISSUED A BULLITAN TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL BRIDGESTONE FRONT TIRES AND COMPLETE AN ALIGNMENT WITH 7000M DUE TO A FACTORY SUSPENSION/ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. THE BRIDGESTONE REPLACEMENT TIRES HAVE 9000M AND THE PROBLEM IS REOCCURING - TIRE CUPPING, ROARING AND VIBRATION. THE CAR IS UNSTABLE ON CURVES AND BRAKING. NISSAN WILL NOT REPLACE THE FRONT TIRES A SECOND TIME AND REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A FACTORY DEFECT WITH THE SUSPENSION. THIS DEFECT IS NOTED TO HAVE BEEN CORRECTED ON THE 2004 350Z. NISSAN DEALERSHIP IS RECOMMENDING A FULL TIRE REPLACEMENT WITHOUT ANY COMPENSATION ON THEIR PART OR CORRECTION TO THE SUSPENSION PROBLEM TO SEE IF THE FOUR TIRE REPLACEMENT WILL CORRECT THE PROBLEM. (WHY WOULD THIS CORRECT THE PROBLEM WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURED AT 7000 TIRE MILEAGE AND AGAIN AT 9000 TIRE MILEAGE) I AM PURSUING EVERY AVENUE TO AN EQUITABLE RESOLUTION TO THIS NISSAN FACTORY DEFECT. PREFERRING A PERMANENT FIX..

EXCESSIVE TIRE NOISE WAS NOTICED, TOOK TO DEALER AND FOUND INSIDE OF FRONT TIRES HAD WORN AWAY. DEALER RE-ALIGNED SUSPENSION AND REPLACED FRONT TIRES. LATER, TIRE NOISE WAS NOTICED AGAIN ALONG WITH PULLING TO RIGHT. TOOK TO DEALER AND INSIDE EDGE OF FRONT TIRES HAD WORN AWAY AGAIN, TIRES WERE REPLACED AGAIN AND SUSPENSION RE-ALIGNED AGAIN. RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION "COMPRESSION ROD" REPLACED DUE TO PULL. TIRES CONTINUE TO WEAR EXCESSIVELY ALONG BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE EDGES. TIRES WEAR OUT IN LESS THAN 10,000 MILES. ONCE TIRE NOISE BECOMES SEVERE, STRAIGHT-LINE STABILITY IS AFFECTED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TIRES COULD FAIL DUE TO PREMATURE WEAR IF VEHICLE OWNER DOES NOT INSPECT TIRES FOR INSIDE EDGE WEAR AT ABNORMALLY FREQUENT INTERVALS.

DT: THE FRONT END AND TIRE DEFECTS. AT 7438 MILES, CAR WAS RUMBLING AT STOP SPEED. DEALER PUT NEW FRONT TIRES AND ALIGNED FRONT END. AT APPROXIMATELY 10,000 MILES DEALER INSTALLED NEW FRONT BRAKES. AT 12, 493 MILES THE CAR WAS RUMBLING AT STOP SPEED. DEALER PUT NEW FRONT BRAKES AND ALIGNED FRONT END AGAIN. BOTH TIMES TIRES HAD CUPPED, AND THREAD SEPARATED. IF IT DID NOT GET FIXED IT COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. ( A BLOW OUT ). *AK

ONGOING ALIGNMENT / TIRE FEATHERING ISSUES WITH NISSAN 350Z I HAVE HAD MY TIRES SWAPPED SIDE TO SIDE SEVERAL TIME + REPLACEMENT TIRES AND MANY ALIGNMENTS. THE 350Z WILL NOT STAY IN ALIGNMENT AND EATS FRONT TIRES EVERY 7000-12000 MILES. IT WEARS THE INSIDES OF THE TIRES TO THE POINT OF REPLACEMENT WITH OVER 80% TREAD ON THE REST OF THE TIRE. THEY ARE NOW NOT PERFORMING ALIGNMENTS ON MY CAR EVEN THOUGH THEIR TSBS STATE THAT THEY WILL AND WILL REPLACE TIRES UP TO 30,000 MILES. THEY STOPPED DOING ALIGNMENTS AND TIRE ROTATIONS/REPLACEMENT BEFORE 20K MILES IN MY SITUATION. THE STOCK TIRES ARE UP TO $400 A PIECE, SO THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. THE DEALERS WANT $80 FOR AN ALIGNMENT EVERY 4-6 MONTHS + TIRE PURCHASE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND NISSAN REFUSES TO ISSUE A REAL RECALL, EVEN THOUGH EVERY 03 350Z HAS THIS ISSUE. IT WAS BLAMED ORIGINALLY ON THE SUSPENSION BEING STRESSED DURING SHIPMENT FROM JAPAN. I HAVE ALSO HAD DUAL REAR AXLE REPLACEMENT, TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT, CLUTCH ASSMBLY REPLACEMENT, JUST TO NAME A FEW. THE VEHICLE BECOME VERY UNSTABLE WITH THE FRONT ALIGNMENT ISSUE. THERE ARE ALSO ISSUES WITH THE REAR ALIGNMENT. IT IS OUT OF SPEC EVERYTIME IT WAS CHECKED.*AK

MY 2003 NISSAN 350Z SPORTS CAR HAS A FRONT SUSPENSION PROBLEM THAT CAUSES EXTREME INNER TREAD TIRE WEAR IN VERY SHORT PERIODS OF TIME, IE, LESS THAN 5000 MILES. THE PROBLEM IS PERVASIVE IN ALL 03 MODELS AS INDICATED ON THE VARIOUS INTERNET CHAT ROOMS. NISSAN IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS PROVIDED A FRONT END ALIGNMENT AND LEFT TO RIGHT/RIGHT TO LEFT TIRE ROTATION AND/OR TIRE REPLACEMENT - NEITHER OF WHICH CURE THE PROBLEM (INDICATIVE OF AN ENGINEERING DESIGN PROBLEM). THE EXTREME TIRE WEAR IS EVIDENT AT APPROXIMATELY 4-5000 MILES. NISSAN APPEARS TO NOT HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. REPLACING THE FRONT TIRES AT UNREASONABLE 5000 MILE INTERVALS IS REQUIRED TO PREVENT AN EXTREME ROAD HAZARD. *AK

I LEASED MY 350Z IN AUG 2003 AND ON 7/22/2004 WITH 9128 MILES ON THE VEHICLE I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE DUE TO LOUD ROARING WHEN BRAKING IN THE FRONT END.THE DEALER REPLACED THE FRONT TIRES AND ALIGNED THE FRONT AT NO COST TO ME.ON 2/15/2005 WITH 13782 MILES I HAVE NOW BROUGHT THE CAR IN ONCE AGAIN WITH THE SAME GROWING NOISE AND THE DEALER ONCE AGAIN HAS STATED I NEED NEW FRONT TIRES AND ANOTHER FRONT END ALIGNMENT.HE STATED THAT THEY WOULD INSTALL AT NO COST TO ME BUT THE WARRANTY ON THIS WOULD BE UP AFTER 8/23/2005.IT APPEARS THAT NISSAN HAS ONLY A TEMPORARY FIX ON FOR THIS PROBLEM AND I GUESS I WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TIRES AND ALIGNMENT AFTER THE 2 YEARS.*AK

MY 2003 NISSAN 350Z HAS A PROBLEM KEEPING ALIGNMENT. THIS CAUSES PREMATURE WEAR ON THE TIRES AND THE ADDITIONAL COST OF ALIGNMENT. THIS BEGAN IMMEDIATELY (2003 AT 6,000 MILES). BOTH TIRES AND THE ALIGNMENT WERE REPLACED AND REPAIRED. HOWEVER THE CAR CONTINUES TO LOSE ALIGNMENT. A BIGGER ISSUE IS CAUSED IN THE WINTER ON SLICK ROADS. THE CAR WILL SWERVE UNEXPECTEDLY - TOTALLY LOSE CONTROL AND CROSS OVER INTO ON COMING LANES. I FEEL THESE CARS REPRESENT A HAZARD NOT ONLY TO THE DRIVER BUT OTHER INNOCENT PEOPLE ON THE ROAD. THE ONLY SAFE REMEDIAL ACTION WOULD BE A RECALL AND PERMANENT REPAIR OF THIS DEFECT. *JB