I just rec'd this email from an attorney about our tire problems. Lets get on board with this guy and make Nissan pay for our tire problems!

Dear Nissan 350Z owner:

As I am sure you recall, you visited the web site for the Nissan 350z
class action at www.nissantireproblems.com and filled out a
questionnaire regarding the tire problems you have had with your 350Z.
We very much appreciate the information that we have received from
hundreds of 350Z owners like you all across the country regarding
their unfortunate experiences with their front tires.

As you may know, our investigation indicates that each 2003 and 2004
Nissan 350Z contains a suspension and alignment system defect that
results in premature wear, feathering, and cupping of the front tires.
As a result of this excessive front tire wear, the 350Z exhibits an
extremely loud tire roar or tire growl, especially when the vehicle is
braking, traveling on smooth road surfaces, or cruising at speeds of
30 mph or less. In addition, this defect requires 350Z purchasers and
lessees to replace their front tires and to have their vehicle
front-ends re-aligned much more frequently than is normal or
reasonably expected. Over the past year, Nissan has issued three
Technical Service Bulletins to its dealerships regarding the defective
suspension and alignment system for the 350Z. Each bulletin
recommends a combination of front tire rotation or replacement usually
coupled with a precise front-end realignment. In spite of Nissan's
attempt repair the defective system using the TSB procedures, the
problems reappear soon after the 350Z vehicles leave the shop. In
fact, in many 350Zs, the problem reappears only 3,000 miles after the
front tire swap and realignment.

I am e-mailing you today because my law firm, along with other firms
from around the country, is investigating the possibility of filing a
class action lawsuit against Nissan to provide an effective and
permanent remedy to the front tire-feathering problem. A class action
is a lawsuit where masses of individuals join together in one case
against a company because all of the individuals are in a similar
position, i.e. all bought a 350Z and are or have experienced front
tire cupping or feathering problems. With the class action, we intend
to obtain some type of compensation for every person who purchased a
350Z.

In connection with this potential lawsuit, we are seeking to learn
whether consumers such as you would be interested in joining the
lawsuit as a "representative plaintiff." We are seeking to learn now
many 350z owners would be interested in serving as a representative
plaintiff in a possible class action.

I expect that your first question may be, "What does it mean to be a
representative 'plaintiff'?" It means simply that you would be one of
the select persons seeking to represent, as a result of your
experience with the 305Z, all of the people in the United States that
bought the 350Z. As a plaintiff, there is ABSOLUTELY NO financial
commitment for you whatsoever, including fees and all costs,
regardless of the outcome of the litigation. Your only commitment is
to answer some written questions, provide documents that may be
requested by Nissan (such as your purchase or lease documents, if you
have it, and any repair documents concerning tire and alignment work
your 350Z) and sit for a short question and answer session with a
lawyer (a deposition) in which you will be asked about your experience
with the 350Z. Of course, if the matter should have to come to trial,
you would probably be one of our witnesses about the defective aspects
of the 350Z. Finally, you would also have a responsibility to
communicate with me periodically about this case.

You should also know that in these kinds of cases, assuming there is a
settlement or victory at trial, we as your attorneys may ask the
court, if appropriate, to award the representative plaintiffs a
stipend over and above what the rest of the class of 350Z owners
receive. The award is in recognition of the representative
plaintiff's time and efforts required in connection with the case.

If you would be interested in learning more about what it means to be a
representative plaintiff, I would like very much for you to speak with
someone at my firm. I will be certain that someone calls you if you
respond to this e-mail stating you are interested.

Thank you for your time. Your efforts on behalf of Nissan 350Z owners
across this nation would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Shub, Esq.

 

I got the same email today, but mine was much much shorter and they wanted me to be a representative for the state of Florida.
Lips

 

"You should also know that in these kinds of cases, assuming there is a
settlement or victory at trial, we as your attorneys may ask the
court, if appropriate, to award the representative plaintiffs a
stipend over and above what the rest of the class of 350Z owners
receive. The award is in recognition of the representative
plaintiff's time and efforts required in connection with the case."

You people need to read. They are USING you to make money. This is why the US is so messed up right now. We are such a litigious society.

 

I see. So we should all just bend over and let Nissan shove our tire problems up our azzes? Bullzhit. Short of violence, we need to organize and legally force Nissan to fix this substantial problem. While I hate attys as much as the next guy, in this case they are a necessary evil, and this is the only viable option we have left to fight the big multinational corporation that is Nissan. Do you have a better idea?
ps: I don't care how much the attys make, so long as my baby gets her feet fixed.

 

You probably do not have a tire feathering problem, or you are exaggerating the problem. I own a 2003 Enthusiast and I have YET to experience tire feathering (I have 14,000 miles).

Yes, I do get low speed growl, but those tires on the car ARE loud. I have not experienced any right side drifting either.

The vocal minority is what is being heard. I truly doubt that all the 2003s and 2004s manufactured have this problem.

They have already extended the full tire coverage to 21,000 miles, and have prorated the coverage for miles beyond that.

The attorneys started this class action suit for one purpose only: to make money. They could give a rats *** about the tire feathering problem.

 

Ignorance is truly bliss. You, friend, obviously have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER what tire roar is. I was lucky enough not to have it happen until around 22k, but when it happens, which is with deceleration below 35mph, the sound is undeniable and just plain grating, as though the front tires were rubbing the fenders of a 4x4 below ~35mph. Not if, but when your roaring begins, we'll just see what you have to say. Its just a matter of time, and its not a vocal minority. Its a manufacturing defect these cars have which forces buyers to buy new, very expensive tires at a rate far higher than normal, even for sports cars. You will change your tune when your tire roar begins, trust me.
ps: do you work for the automobile industry by chance?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ktm
[B]You probably do not have a tire feathering problem, or you are exaggerating the problem. I own a 2003 Enthusiast and I have YET to experience tire feathering (I have 14,000 miles).

Yes, I do get low speed growl, but those tires on the car ARE loud. I have not experienced any right side drifting either.

The vocal minority is what is being heard. I truly doubt that all the 2003s and 2004s manufactured have this problem.

I am on my 3rd set.Im not trying to be an ahole to you, but do you even know what tire feathering is?Its not a very noticeable thing when you look at your tire, you sure can feel the difference when you rub your hand over it .Maybe you do have it and dont know it.I didnt know about my first set until 12k .miles

 

Nope, but I am an engineer and sworn enemy of lawyers. I am very logical and think all the way through things before acting.

If you got tired roar at 22k miles, then something else was wrong. Tire feathering appears from 5000 to 8000 miles, it is not a latent defect.

See, you think its a majority and I think its a minority. People read about others problems on the internet and begin to think that their car has the same problems. So any little twitch, any little noise, rattle, shake, squeak, blah, blah, blah becomes a sign of a problem. They then take the car into the dealership once a month in search of a problem. They become automobile hypochrondriacs.

I am quilty of this as well. When I first heard of the tranny grind and tire feathering, I was super-sensitized to every little noise my car made. After taking it into the dealership 4 times in 6 months, I finally managed to snap out of "victim" mode.

 

You have gone from one unhealthy extreme to the other, head in the sand extreme. Like I said, WHEN your tire roar begins, the lightbulb will go on, and you will understand. The sound is distinct, very specific, and very different from mere loud road noise.
Luckily, because of the extended alignment warranty (Nissan's non-denial denial), I was able to get two new front tires for only $40 because the Nissan mechanic's measurements showed that i did, indeed, have the dreaded tire feathering problem, but that warranty will end at two years of ownership, which for me will be this december. After that, I'll be buying two new front tires every 22k miles, and I'm one of the lucky ones. Others are replacing their front tires every several thousand miles and then become fed-up and get their money back via the lemon law. The problem is real. Wake up.

 

Most owners will jump on the wagon just to make a few bucks, attorneys will make the vast majority. I dispise class action law suits.

 

I heard that they were suing for like $75k per owner...

Only in America!

 

Everyone hates lawyers......until they need one.

 

Instead of feeding lawyers, buy some real tires!

I had two sets of the stock RE040's feather & roar, the factory set and the replacement set that Nissan bought me. When the second set got bad, I replaced them with a set of Kumho Ecsta KU19's. I decided to go with 245/40/18 on front to eliminate understeer.

The day the new tires were installed, I took it to a performance shop and had it aligned to spec. Those tires are near the wear-bar now, with no feathering and no roar. Nissan reimbursed me 100% for the cost of the Kumhos without saying one thing about pro-rating. What more can I ask?

The stock tires are crap. Get over it, drive on.

 

I have an 04 roadster and had the tires replaced ( on Nissan). My build date was 12/03. I am pissed off that they sold me a car with a known problem. The alignment could have been set to the new specs prior to delivery. I agree that part of the problem could be the tires as evidenced by the new tread pattern on the new tires. I think it fair that Nissan pays for the replacement front tires, and it would be fair to compensate me for the diminished value of the car. A $75k/car lawsuit is excessive but an attention getter. As a physician I am no fan of lawyers!
rich

 

My roar appeared at ~5K miles and it gives me a headache at 10000 miles right now. I took my Z to a tire dealer just for a free diagnosis, and they told me I had tire feathering and to bring it to the dealer. My local dealership already did an alignment last year when I complainedat ~5K miles. It really became apparent around 8K, and like I said, it's unbearable at low speeds at 10K now. Something needs to be done. Lawyers wouldn't be necessary if Nissan just owned up to the problem and implemented a REAL fix. Purchasing new tires isn't a fix if the money has to come out of my pocket. I have heard a few people say that the feathering even occurrs on new tires.

 

Actually, the tires are not the source of the problem. Its the alignment; certain angles aren't adjustable, so realignments won't hold. Your feathering will return. The new tread pattern is just a bandaid. They are putting more rubber on the inside of the tire to slow the onset of tire roar.

 

You have two new, free front tires coming! Just take your car into the dealer, and they'll order the new ones. If they are idiots, tell them to reference the 03 tsb on 350z tire roar/feathering. I've heard a tsb for the 04s exists but haven't seen it. Most dealers are replacing the 04 tires as per the 03 tsb, from what i've read.

 

Wow, that is interesting. What is different about Kumbo tires? How is the ride, handling, thread count, etc? How many miles do you have on them? Did you thrash them before they had a chance to produce tire roar? Are they 18s or 19s? How do they compare cost-wise?
ps: What is everyone else's experience with the Kumhos?

 

Ride and handling is excellent. They're 245/40/18 which is the same diameter but wider than the stock 225/45/18. I have about 9000 miles on them including one track event. They're near the wear-bar and wearing evenly. They were around $150 from Tirerack.com.

 

So what'st he alternative? Buyer beware? If companies aren't held accountable for their negligence then you'll see more problems than tire feathering erupt as manufacturers realize they aren't accountable for defects in their products.

Think the press will balance things out? Think again. Sure, some stories hit the press but most don't. I just read a JD Powers review of '04 models and the Z is listed under premium sports cars (with the S2000 and some other model) as tops in quality. People who read that mass circulated mag will be in for a shock if they get a Z. Because JD Powers appears to be a bean counter of problems so a big problem like tire feathering counts the same as misdirected headlights requiring adjustment.