How can't it be a safety issue if it just failed safety inspection? Ever drive a car with bald tires in the rain...Not to safe....
My lemon law attorney has already delt with several 350Z cases, which had accidents as a result of the tire feathering. Nissan has settled all the cases and is trying to keep it quiet....

I am sure if you catch it soon enough it is not an issue. Also I am sure some cars are much worse than others. My tires are not just feathered they are bald on the inside two inches. And what is even worse that is all that is touching the pavement is the inside two inches. It's kind of like driving an 85 buick with bald tires and bad ball joints....

 

did your tires turn bald all of a sudden while you were driving? probably not. if you're saying the fact that tires wear down and eventually become bald is a safety issue then that applies to every single car on the road. it's not a safety issue.

 

Welcome to the unhappy brotherhood of tire roar and feathering due to the cars' alignment not holding. Call Nissan and get your extended alignment warranty. Its not much, but at least you're on record as having the problem. Mine got it at 20k miles. Paid $45 (pro-rated) for two new reo40s and an alignment "fix". Will the fix hold? Doubtful. It appears to be a suspension problem. Just educate yourself about the problem, and keep inspecting your tires after the "fix".
And yes, they were totally deceiving you! Go to the Nissan website, print out their admission/TSB, go back to your dealer and make him eat the printout!

 

ml2316 - you must work for Nissan.

Not sure what cars you have owned, but I never have had one get bald tires in 6K miles. Although I bought my 85 buick used with 120,000 miles on it. The tires had about 40K on them so they only lasted about another 10K....Course that car was 500 bucks not 35K....And the tires lasted longer on that even being used & having bad ball joints....

But I know I should of expected the tires to wear that quick on my new Nissan, it was my fault....

I should just buy two new tires & have the rejection sticker fixed....

 

i didn't say it was your fault. and i don't believe anything i said supports or defends nissan in any way, with regard to the tire wear problem.

nissan is not going to treat it as a safety issue, but that doesn't mean i don't think the problem needs to be fixed. but most likely a fix will come in the form of a tsb. i completely agree that the alignment problems are a defect. which is why there are so many reports of successful lemon law cases on this forum. if nissan doesn't fix the problem soon, 350Z sales could irreversibly begin to plummet.

 

This is the bottom line. Even if Nisssan fixed the alignment problem and the car was perfect you still arent going to get but 20000 miles at the very most out of bridestone reo40 tires even if you drive slow. If you are a hard dri0ver and go fast a00round corners all the time it could be as low as 12000 to 15000. I have 16000 miles on my car. the rear tires are original and are down to the wear bar already with omly moderate driving. Wake up and smell the coffee. The tires are as big a part of the problem as Nissans alignment. Both contribute to the problem. the tires are soft and grip like sin but look, you can see the rubber trail you are laying down. I love this car and i for one am willing to spend a couple of bucks out of my pocket to make it bettor. thanks for letting me blow off some steam.

 

I replaced the front ones at 18k. the rear ones are dtill going and i expect to amke 30k easily on first set. Front would have made over 30k if not for feathering.

 

My rear tires showed the wear bars at around 22k mi, almost at the exact same time i began hearing the tire roar at 30mph and below during deceleration, and i had only recently discovered how much more aggro I can be with the vdc button off;-).
Anyway, at least one of the reason the car is so sticky around corners is those soft tires. I LOVE the way my car handles around corners, so i'm willing to accept the high wear rate, BUT NOT THE FEATHERING AND TIRE ROAR!!!

 

Yes.

 

I would agree with you 100% if the tires were worn evenly from wear. 6000k miles is not normal for any tire. My 1970 challenger has M/T street slicks which are almost as soft as motor cycle tires. The freakin rocks stick to the tire. I beat the snot out of that car on the street & take it to new england dragway 3 or 4 times a year and race it down the track 5-10 runs at a wack. Guess what, each run involves a burn out. 10K on my challenger since I put those slicks on and they are about ready to be replaced but they are evenly worn & out lasted my z front tires. Why is it that my fronts are worn but my backs look brand new???? I don't beat on my Z I feel stupid when I do because it feels like a 4 cylinder compared to my challenger that runs 12's.....
If I wanted a car to drive fast and whip around I would of spent the 35K on a new cobra or an STI subaru. By the way, my friend has an EVO lancer with 20K on his car and the tires still have 30-40% tread left, and those tires are softer than the 350Z tires....

And for anyone that doesn't think this is a safety issue, next time its raining come drive my car. I bet you won't dare do more than 50 in the rain on the highway with it.....Just ask Nissan technician that drove my car.....Again, some Z's didn't wear as bad as others. Mine is pretty bad and I have heard of others with tires as bad as mine with low miles.

There are even people that didn't have the problem at all...A guy I work with has over 20K on his 2003 Z, tires are worn evenly he loves the car...No tire roar..I took him for a ride in my car and he could not believe it.....

All I am saying is Nissan new there was a potential problem long ago and sat on their hands until people started bitchin...And even after lots of bitchin they still aren't doing much. They should of and still should take responsibility and send out a recall to the cars that have the problem and fix them right. If it means changing suspension parts then they should do it. They should be thankful no one has been killed yet due to this issue....Or who knows, maybe there already has but I am sure their lawyers would of kept it under wraps and paid out enough money to keep it quiet.....

 

Steve Z - You went from the Z to the G35??? Which do you like better?

 

talk about a loaded question - IMHO -
Z - lower seating position, just right, center tach, tighter and somewhat harsher stock handling, love the car. Did not love the tire issues, TSB's for window streaks, replaced front suspension part, alignments, grinding synchros, etc. Instant comfort driving hard.
G35 - dyno'd out just as strong as my Z motor on a Dynojet, don't feel like I gave up much for 200 lbs and 2 more seats. Rear end seems softer springs (it is) while front is about the same. Needs beefier real sway, maybe stiffer springs, has a slight tendency to wallow through sustained load in long sweepers stock. Tires *much* better. Only factory Bose system (8+sub) I have ever liked remotely. Brakes are great, tranny still smooth, both could use more clutch. Do not like VDC which my base Z did not have. Brakes on the base Z wore very quickly (but so did the '03 G35 SC's non-brembo). 040's are very soft but I still think <10k for a daily driver is too few miles for tires. G is much quieter partly due to soundproofing, partly due to tires. Has a better stock CAI design, IMHO, too (except the tube).

In my case it was a no-brainer, given hassles and most important need to transport 2 small passengers every morning. G has best 2+2 seating I've had for car in its size class. I still stand by either car and just won't say one is better - they are different but more the same than not. I didn't go out and get another Nissan despite all the issues I ran into w/o faith in the product. I've tested a lot of so-called same class cars in the price range and I'll take the G or the Z for the $$$ over pumped up 2 or 4 door sedans built on Econobox sleds.

I'm happy with what I have. I wouldn't trade the 14 months I drove the Z for very many other cars, and I'd still own another one if Nissan gets some of these issues completely resolved. It's hard to beat for the money. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes along in 2005-2007 model years. I'm a little bummed to see the prices on "long-nose" Z's and NISMO push the car price back to 300XZ TT plus level w/o the hp...

You can check out both at:
http://homepage.mac.com/stracy01/G35...toAlbum32.html
http://homepage.mac.com/stracy01/Auto/PhotoAlbum3.html

 

That's a safety issue. I don't blame the MA inspectors for not passing a car like that. I've lost tires at high speed and it's not pretty. On my Z first time I brought it in was because I thought the brakes were screwed up - they weren't, the tires were screwing the ABS under hard braking and making the front end "skip" - not cool.

 

bald tires is a safety issue, but tire feathering isn't. tire feathering does not suddenly and unexpectedly cause tires to become bald.

 

Nissan began issuing recall letters this month to thousands of 2004 Quest owners, informing them that dealerships will fix the defects free of charge.

The repairs include:

>>> Fixing a noisy sliding door.

>>> Replacing the driver's power window switch, which has a high failure rate.

>>> Repairing faulty interior reading lights.

>>> Replacing second-row seat levers that are prone to failure.

Those quality problems aren't helping Nissan get Quest sales off the ground. A year after its launch, Nissan is still struggling with the redesigned minivan.

____________________________________________________

Sound's like Nissan has all sorts of problems (Armada, Quest, 350z).....

 

I think armada and quest are manufactured in the US.

I thought recalls were only for safety issues. Do you mean tsbs?

 

has anyone ever determined how nissan decides which z owners to send the extended warranty letter to? seems like some owners receive it and some don't (i am aware 04 owners do not receive this letter).

 

From different Auto Mags it sounds as if it's a "Recall" or it just could be one of those letter's (IE: Tires for 350z).

Either way - this is bad bad bad.

 

I bought my Z in 2003 (model year as well) and have been listening to the posts and watching my tires. I have about 5000 miles on her now and don't see any wear...yet. My post here is just for information. I am wondering if all the postings here are from 2003 Z's or a mix of 2003' and 4's. Just wondering if Nissan has addressed this problem on the 2004 models.
Mike

 

http://www.aliceechonews.com/ALICEEC...P=1016376&md=v
Type "Nissan" in search field.

See attached - a Class Action was filed in TX.


I wonder if those who have settled though the LL process can recoup the "off-set" out of this suit. Doubt it - but nice to know though.