jleighZ

Only problems is with the clunky tranny and bouncy suspension

RAW22

Just bitter about the Bose "premium" stereo.

Other than that, love it.

Richard

eric_c

Its funny,

I used to think my 2k2 Maxima 6-spd was such a kick-*** car, then I got the Z. Now when I drive the Max it feels floaty, with lots of body roll, super-light steering, and it can't corner worth a damn.

Every time we take the Max, the wife inevitably says "Honey, we're not in the Z", usually halfway through an on-ramp, tires squealing like a pig being sodomized by jackhammer.

DamianZ

The only minor problem I had was a burned out motor in the drivers window. It wouldn't go up or down. I had it taken to my local Nissan service dealer and was told it was a defective electrical motor. It was fixed in about three days.

Damian
2003 350z Enthusiast SS

Chase_Houston

First of all I love the 350Z as a car in general. I absolutely hate my 350Z. Call it a love and hate relationship. I've had problems with my Z from the first day of ownership. I was so excited when I ordered my 350Z. I could hardly wait to receive my 350Z. I was going to be one of the first people in the Houston area to receive a 350Z and I was very excited.

The day finally arrived and I got the phone call from my dealer telling me that my Z had finally arrived. Long story short, I went and picked up my Z, it only had like 4 miles on it. On the way home as I was sitting in traffic I noticed the transmission making a funny noise, the car only had 16 miles on it at the time. After many visits back to the dealer and them telling me that nothing was wrong with it I finally took my Z to another dealer. A tech from the 2nd dealer asked me to take him for a ride in my Z so I could show him or let him hear the noise I was talking about. As soon as I turned the car on he immediately stated that he could hear the noise and that it sounded bad.

Problems to date:

1- Transmission Replaced - Having Transmission Problems Again.

2- Axle Problem - Dealer Fixed.

3- Clutch Sticks - Problem Unresolved.

4- Brakes Squeal and Make Horrible Grinding Noise - Problem Unresolved.

5- Tires Feathering - Dealer Replacing All Four - On Order.

6- Engine Rattles - Problem Unresolved

7- Window Have Grease Problem On Both - Parts On Order To Fix.

8- Drivers Window Will Not Roll Down At All - Parts On Order To Fix.

9- Passenger Window Rolls Down Halfway, After Rolling It Up - Parts On Order To Fix.

10- Drivers Seat Fabric Coming Undone - Seat Cover On Order.

11- Scuff Plates Warped - Both Replaced Twice.

12- Remote Control Will Not Unlock Passenger Door - Remotes On Order.

13- Paint Chips To Easily - Problem Unresolved.

14- Stereo Is Terrible - Problem Unresolved.

15- Speakers Are Terrible - Problem Unresolved.

16- Water Leaks From Rear Wiper Washer - Problem Unresolved.

Needless to say that I am not happy with my 350Z. I followed the break-in instructions very carefully. I baby the crap out of my car and it seems like everytime I drive my Z there is a new problem or an old problem resurfacing. I have contacted Nissan about the problems with my 350Z and they could care less. Nissan's answer to is: "That's what your warranty is for". I sincerely regret all the problems I am having with my 350Z. It's sad, because I really like the 350Z. The Z is a beautiful car, it hauls azz, and it handles like it's on freakin rails. And the price you can't beat the price. There's nothing like it on the road that looks as good in the price range and in some cases double the price of the Z. It's unfortunate that Nissan is treating me so badly. There whole take on the situation is, hey we've got your money now and we could care less about you and your stupid Z, that lemon is your problem. That's sad that they have such an attitude like this.

Chase

Oh yeah, my 350Z is a Performance Model

zland

Chase:

Sometimes a bad one rolls off the assembly line and it looks like you got it. I really feel for you. My brother lemon lawed his Ford truck and got a full refund + next truck at cost. All he did wwas hire an attorney that specializes in it and it was a done deal. They even let him drive it until his new ordered truck came in. In his situation, his tranny went out 1st time in 800 miles and dropped 3 trannies within warranty period. I think the magic number is to have 3 repairs with one item of the car but I am not 100% sure.

I suggest you call an attorney, it will not cost you anything. Again, get one that does this all the time. Tyhe problem I see is you have too many different little things going wrong and not one thing 3 times yet. Maybe your tranny will go 3 times then you got them. BTW, Nissan will sing a different tune when an attorney is involved. Ford would not give my brother the time of day until the attorney stepped in, then they could do enough for him. Maybe you can get a new Z at no extra cost, try it, good luck...

UofK350Z

iTrader: (1)

Got mine a few days ago, only thing I've noticed so far is the AC vent near the door release just flaps around and doesn't stay set. I'm heading up to the dealer to get them to fix it.

Also, there are some threads coming loose in the passenger seat which is irritating (not even 300 miles on it yet).

SunsetZ

Read below.

oicw

It makes me sick when I read about the long list of problems. I know there are mostly satisfied owners but there are also an unusually high number of problem plagued cars reported on different Z forums.

AmyCroft

iTrader: (3)

Yes it is disturbing.. But like with any new product, and This Z is all new.. Many items will surface....

Most are limited to to identified TSB's

Like Grease on the windows- one day in the shop - fixed the problem for me.... They wound do that in the future....

With the advent of Sites like this, the communication between owners/buyers/purchasers of this new car - this can really help the feedback channel to the manufacturer.

We see that the feedback channel from the dealers service department and the factory is the pit's
The feedback channel from the Part's department to the manufacturer is some what better.
The Customer to NNA channel is "Not good- as ladies who know nothing about cars take messages from Owners/Buyers/Purchasers - Go "This is not inportant, by our guidelines" then - that nothing is acted upon"


Yes NNA is stupid and must get rid of the stupid operators..

And put People in that actully know the cars...

Flame/ ON

Cheers Amy -
P.S. Example Chase - who's case is claimed to be in litigation..



In the "norm" this car is great... It is the best ride you may imagine..... Drive it - run it hard - it will hook you...

Cheers Amy -

Disclaimer: If you drive this car, it will spoil you from getting pleasure from lesser cars. No ****.

t350z

Love my Z. Only a couple of minor problems. The driver seat moves about a 1/4 inch while cornering-the dealer has a new seat rail on order. The other was a bit strange- I had pitting in the driver door glass and paint. A visit to the dealer said that it was not covered under warranty but they buffed the glass and the door (at no charge) and all now looks good!! This car has fewer problems than my last new car and performance to dollar-NOTHING COMPARES!!! Just pin it and enjoy the rush!!

dazee

Very happy with mine. If any complaint it would be the restricted room for baggage. But hey that's not why I bought it. I wanted a nice 2 seater sports car, and I knew I had found it after just a single test drive in it. It just seemed to fit straight away,

dazee

For people having problems, I do feel sorry for you, you are the one that went out and bought a first year production model. You should expect a few problems, factory tests will only go so far. In 1999 I bought a first year production Hayabusa, within a couple of months the cam chain tensioner broke and wrecked the engine. Subsequestly there was a recall on all bikes to replace the tensioner. As luck would have it within 6 months onf the new tensioner being in, that broke again. Another recall and the bike now has a 3rd generation tensioner, something that is now standard on all subsequent production bikes. I also had the rear subframe snap, another item that is replaced with an improved version on the newer bikes.

Point is first year production bikes identified problems, those problems were recorded and fixed for subsequent releases of the bike. Factory testing only shows so much, there is nothing like the real world to show up problems. I'm sure next years car will have many of the problems resolved.

You take your chances. Personally now buying the bike, I would go out and look for a good used 1999 version that has had all recall work done. It remains the fastest, most aggressive bike of all time. Later versions had the problems fixed, but they were also tamed down versions of the original. Check the Guiness book of records for fastest productions motorcycle and it specifically says "1999 Suzuki Hayabusa". Who knows what changes as well as fixes they will make to next years model of the 350Z?

zland

I am not trying to minimize anyone's problems (most of us are having a relatively trouble free car that is great) but look at all makes. There are toyota V-6's and tons of american cars with major motor problems. We got a solid drive train with VQ and trans (withholding some peoples tranny problems). Yes it could improve but it could have been much worse. Thank God it is not a Taurus.

junglist350Z

iTrader: (1)

my cupholder will not come out of its place anymore. i push it in and it just stays where it is...kinda annoying, i cant even pry it out either. I have to go get it fixed this week. Other than that Ive had nothing but good experiences with my Z