2003 Nissan 350Z

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

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

NISSAN 350Z 2003 FRONT SUSPENSION ISSUE - TIRES ARE FEATHERING BECAUSE OF BAD SETUP IN FRONT SUSPENSION. THIS PROBLEM SURFACED AFTER ABOUT 5000 MILES ON THE CAR IN THE FORM OF A LOW RUMBLING NOISE WHEN SLOWING DOWN. THIS NOISE SLOWLY GOT WORSE UNTIL I TOOK THE CAR IN AND NIACIN SAID THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. I WAS GIVEN A NEW SET OF TIRES THAT WERE NOT FEATHERED AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY UNTIL I REACHED ANOTHER 5000 MILES, AT WHICH POINT, THE NOISE RESURFACED. I ONCE AGAIN, TOOK IT INTO NIACIN, WHO WAS VERY GOOD ABOUT RECOGNIZING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM, AND BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT THE ORIGINAL ISSUE WAS MOST LIKELY NOT DEFECTIVE TIRES BUT A POOR SETUP OF SOME KIND THAT WAS CAUSING THE FEATHERING. THEY AGREED AND SAID A BULLETIN HAD BEEN SENT OUT ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THE SOLUTION, THEY SAID, WAS TO SWITCH THE TIRES, RE-CALIBRATE SOMETHING WITH THE SUSPENSION, AND THE TIRES WOULD EVENTUALLY EVEN OUT. I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN 3000 MILES SINCE THIS FIX, BUT THE NOISE IS STILL APPARENT, AND I BELIEVE THERE IS STILL AN ISSUE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION. I FEEL THAT NIACIN HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME ABOUT ADDRESSING ISSUES AS THEY COME UP, BUT IF THIS IS A BIGGER PROBLEM, I REALLY FEEL THAT NIACIN SHOULD RECALL RHE FRONT SUSPENSION AND ADDRESS THE DEEPER PROBLEM. I CAN'T KEEP REPLACING MY TIRES EVERY 5000 MILES. *LA