I'm interested in this thread because I have a 2005. Does the feathering occur to 2003 and early 2004 Z's or are all a problem. Also is the problem more apparent with 18" wheels than 17' wheels? I'm sure there are many more that look at this thread but the voting blocks do not apply.

 

I have an 03 ( Manufacture 03/03) and just started having the feathering problwm at 14,000 miles. Taking it in this week for tire replacement (already ordered) so I don't know if it's going to come back or not.

 

I recently traded my 2003 350Z Enthusiast ...17" stock Bridgestone 040 tires.....30,000 miles. Was told my 2nd set of replacement tires were on backorder till April 2005

 

I think it is obvious it is a widespread problem, or Nissan would not have sent a letter out to EVERY 2003 and many 2004 owners to have their tires checked. I just happen to be a loud mouth about it because I am very pissed off about it, and I wish other with the same problem would speak up too.

 

Yes and I'm very pissed also. I regret having bought my Z for $32,000, then have the tire/suspension problem (design flaw).....and trading for many $$$ less than the vehicle would have been worth, had it not had this problem. In fact, I'm extremely pissed!!
I am curious as to what Consumer Reports has to say about the used 2003 and 2004. If they have not addressed the tire/suspension......then they were bought off.

 

I've been dealing with the feathering on my 04 for 3+ months now and still have no resolution. The Nissan rep told me that they haven't heard about the problem from 04 customers so she is checking into it. I know this is bul**t but like MattVols said, if more people don't take action then the issue will never be resolved. Call 1800-nissan-1 and make a complaint. It takes 10 mins and could save you a lot of money.

 

My Nissan is 2004 roadster with 01/04 build date that has 17,800 miles and purchased 04/04 with 18 miles. Now read on….

1-800-NISSAN1 is a BIG waste of time in my experience but calling them needs to be done by all 350Z owners that have:

1) Premature wear, feathering, or cupping of the front tires. What is premature? Well I was told by the tire company that I should get at least 25,000 miles from my tires (the OEM Bridgestone Potenza).

Unfortunately I didn’t know about the tire problems 350Z’s have experienced until it was too late for me (14,800 miles). Looking back I could have detected the problem early on if only I had known the signs. So please everyone…

INSPECT YOUR TIRES OFTEN. The best way to inspect your tires (sight) look for uneven wear found on the inside edge of the tire (touch) rub your hands along the inside edge of the tire and it will feel smooth in one direction and very rough in the opposite direction (hearing) listen for a loud roar or growl that most people experience around 35MPH and lower especially when braking.

Also DON"T GIVE UP if 1-800-NISSAN1 doesn’t return your call. I called them on Nov 9th and was told I would receive a call back within 24-48 HRS. I just got my first call back today (43 days later) and it took five calls from me to make that happen.

My current situation: Took my car to the dealership for oil changes and 100 point inspection at 3780, 8747, 10879, and 14729 miles. Never was offered the free alignment that any 350Z can get BEFORE 12,500 miles or 12 months. At 14729 I was told that the tires were dangerously close to being worn to the belt on the inside edge of the front tires. I have since replaced them out of pocket and paid for an alignment. 1-800-NISSAN1 said they can’t pay to replace them after 12,500 miles so now they are going to call my dealership and try to get them to pay. I will let you know what happens next.

Good luck 350Z owners! I love my car but I’m not about to fork over almost $2200 a year JUST FOR TIRES!


You can write me at kirkmountain@yahoo.com I’m almost ready to begin legal action.

 

Well I haven't updated here in a while, so I'll let ya'll know what's new.
I heard back (again) from Khron and Moss, they basically said that I needed to have 3 valid repair attempts... Khron and Moss haven't given up on me, however the difficult part is that Nissan is not admitting that their is a problem with the car.

A few weeks ago I took my car to NTB and had them "check" the alignment. It was in spec when they did a normal alignment however when I had them check the alignment with the Jack Compensation method the back was out of alignment. (the 2003 TSB states that you must use the jack method). Armed with this new information I took the car to a new dealership today.

After much crap, they finally checked the alignment and yes the back was out of alignment and they also said that their were wrench marks on the tie rods under the car. (I know for a fact it wasn't the NTB guy because I sat out there with the guy and watched him do the work). So I must assume something happened at the first dealership I took the car to. ANYWAYS, they said that not alot of the 2004 are having feathering problems... (lucky me), however I did manipulate them to put into the documentation that they couldn't fix the feather. Here is what I had them write in the document...
"... Alignment on front was in specs. Rear was out, aligned rear to specs. all is in specs at this time,There is no TSB for this year model to fix vehicle, to fix cupping on vehicle, customer needs to flip tires to help with the tire noise".

I don't know if this will help my case, however Nissan just will not admit that cupping is not normal.
I'm 28 and I make more than the average person, Nissan has lost a customer for life (and infiniti too). I've already owned 8 cars since I started driving, I have plently of more cars to purchase in the future, of course they will not be Nissan's.

 

have there been any issues with the 04's?

 

Dude read the thread...

 

That is what we need to know. If you call 1-800-NISSAN1 they will tell you that they are not hearing any problems from other '04 owners. Of course, those of us who post and read these message boards know something more than the average Z owner who is not yet aware of any issues.

So PLEASE if you are an '04 owner and just here to read posts, consider adding your 2 cents good or bad.

 

They are giving you the run around for sure. I had more than 13,000 miles on my front tires. Went to the selling dealer (Mike Shad Nissan of Orange Park, Fl) and the service department refused to look at the car. I called NNA and the representative told be to take it to another local dealer. Drove to Coggin Nissan on Atlantic for an inspection. The dealership ordered the tires. When they arrived they were installed and a four wheel alignment was completed. It is a quiet as a mouse for now and I have nearly 3,000 miles on the new tires. I am watching the front tires closely and drive with the radio off so that if it starts to roar I know it is the tires. Don't give up? Nissan knows they have a problem and should take care of it at their expense.

 

Thank you for responding to our consumer information website regarding
the class action lawsuit filed against Nissan for the defective front
tires and alignment system that causes premature and irregular tire
wear, "tire feathering," and "tire roar" in the 2003 and 2004 Nissan
350Z. On October 1, 2004, in the California Superior Court for Los
Angeles County, we filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of all
2003 and 2004 Nissan 350Z owners and lessees nationwide (Paul Doty v.
Nissan North American, Inc., Case No. BC322435).

Nissan has made several attempts to remedy the front tire
problem in the 2003 and 2004 350Z car. Nissan issued several
advisories to its dealership service departments, called Technical
Service Bulletins, prescribing varying steps to address and correct
the front tire problem. We believe these attempts
did not fix the problem.
Nissan finally issued on April 12, 2004 its
Technical Service Bulletin called "2003 350Z Front Wheel Alignment
Warranty Extension (NTB04-043)." In conjunction with this bulletin,
Nissan sent all 2003 350Z owners a letter describing a warranty
extension and inviting 350Z owners with front tire problems to come to
the dealership service department for a free inspection. The purpose
of the inspection was to determine if the car was eligible for a
repair pursuant to the April 2004 "2003 350Z
Front Wheel Alignment Warranty Extension Program."

In our lawsuit, Plaintiff alleges that the repairs done according to
the April 2004 Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) are ineffectual and
lead to the rapid recurrence of front tire problems. We would like to
hear from as many 350Z owners and lessees as possible who have had the
April 2004 TSB repair procedure performed on their cars.
Did you receive information
from Nissan about this TSB?
-- Yes
-- No
-- Unsure

Did you have the April 2004 TSB procedure performed on your 350Z?
-- Yes
-- No
-- Unsure

The April 2004 TSB repair procedures typically resulted in the dealer
service department performing a front tire rotation or replacement
followed by a front-end alignment. Specifically, we would like hear
from you whether or not your "tire roar" or "tire feathering" has
recurred since having the April 2004 TSB repair performed on your
vehicle. Did the "tire roar" or "tire feathering" return on your 350Z
after the dealer performed the April 2004 TSB repair procedure?
-- Yes
-- No
-- Unsure
-- Inapplicable

If you answered yes to the preceding question, please indicate
approximately how many miles elapsed on your car after the April 2004
TSB procedure before the "tire roar" or "tire feathering" recurred?
-- 0-500 miles
-- 500-1,000 miles
-- 1,000-2,000 miles
-- 2,000-3,000 miles
-- 3,000-5,000 miles
-- more than 5,000 miles


You may complete the questionnaire above by replying to this email.
Please place an "x" next to each of your answers. You may also
complete the questionnaire by following this link:
http://www.sheller.com/Practice.asp?PracticeID=157 Thank you for the
information regarding your 350Z experience.

Sincerely,

Sheller, Ludwig & Badey, P.C.

Jonathan Shub
Attorney for Plaintiff in Doty v. Nissan North American, Inc.

 

so this class action is just about z's that have had the TSB work performed and had recurring problems? What about people like me who are waiting for new pos tires from Bridgestone to come in and haven't even had the opportunity to have the first repair yet.

BTW, I have talked with Nissan and they didn't act like they were surprised when they found out mine was an 04 with feathering/ cupping. In fact they didn't even question it.

 

its known to be with the 03/04s. my question is: how are the 05s doing? should be some around running near 10-15k miles by now. if the 05s arent doing it ( i kinda think they will ) then what changes were made? ect ect

 

Hey guys,

I bought my 03 Touring about 3 months ago with 8700 miles on it. The tires wre fine then, but now at 20,000 my front tires are worn to the metal. I tried to get them replaced at the dealer and after one and a half hours was told that the car was one month past the 24 month extended warranty that the TSB allowed since it was originally sold 11/02. So, I am looking at spending nearly $300 per tire and an alignment to fix a defective $35,000 car. That sucks. At this rate it will cost about $2400 a year to continue owning this car. I really liked the car until this fiasco.

I wonder what this class action lawsuit could do for us? Would Nissan have to buy them back? Or pay us back our $2400 a year? Or actually fix the problem?

Nissan sucks!

Disgusted,

Johntek

 

johntek, the exact same thing happened to me. I got mine in Sept of 03, currently has only 10,100 miles on it, and both the dealer and NNA told me that my warranty on it expired 2 months ago!
I wrote NNA a stern letter asking if my car does or does not have a 3-year, 36,000 mile BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY, DAMN IT!!!
I haven't heard back from them. I'm in the same boat, I now hate that piece of **** car!

 

call the better business bureau in your area

 

I have dealt with the BBB only one time and it was a joke. They are on the side of the business not the customer. You are better off putting signs all over your car telling others not to buy Nissan because they don't back their product. I rode around for nearly a month with a sign in my window telling people not to buy from Mike Shadd Nissan because of their practices of not servicing 350 Z's with the front tire problem. I will never go back to them and I tell every one I know how bad they are. They refused to look at or inspect my car when I told them I had front tire growl. I took it to Coggin Nissan on Atlantic, they inspected it, ordered the new tires and when they arrived installed them and did a 4 wheel alignment. I personnaly feel it is the dealer, not NNA that is refusing to repair the auto. The dealer can get away with just about anything if they want to. All they have to do is convince NNA that it is the cars problem!

 

I think you're correct about the Dealer. My freakin' dealer couldn't even install a set of brakes on my Z without my having to return it.
I just went to cars.com......anf inquired about a new 2005 350z. Sent it to my dealer and one other. Stipulated that I need a Guarantee that the 2005 350z's tire/alignment issue was resolved. I received an answer from the "other dealer"......not mine ( they already know the "stink I've thrown toward them and Nissan-1).