Nissan 300ZX Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 281 consumer complaints across the 9 model years of the Nissan 300ZX (1984–1993) that have at least 5 complaints. 1985 has the most, with 75. Across all years, the part named most often is fuel system (169 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All 300ZX model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 12 | 112,128 | 0 | 21 | — | Not enough data |
| 1991 | 12 | 124,000 | 0 | 22 | — | Not enough data |
| 1990 | 19 | 80,500 | 0 | 3 | — | Stable |
| 1989 | 9 | 181,000 | 0 | 17 | — | Not enough data |
| 1988 | 25 | 151,296 | 0 | 17 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1987 | 28 | 150,000 | 1 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1986 | 59 | 163,000 | 1 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1985 | 75 | 144,000 | 1 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1984 | 42 | 169,501 | 4 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Fuel system169 57%
- Engine cooling38 13%
- Electrical system25 8.4%
- Transmission and drivetrain24 8.0%
- Vehicle speed control21 7.0%
- Brakes11 3.7%
- Steering6 2.0%
- Equipment5 1.7%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1993: “This is a statement pertaining to a medical degree that never settled, a day before I purchased a car. The event started with individuals that purposely removed the correct medical state through themselves to conjoin and interrupt my own mental state to others publically. The type of characteristics it is showing to me, is that people where stalking me in real life, and using the effort with others and do understand the manifestation of using my entire town and beyond to incorporate the wrong mental restitution separation from myself. …”
NHTSA complaint #11360417, filed 2020-09, 144,257 miles1986: “Call Nissan number listed on the recall and was informed that there was no recall for leaking fuel injector replacement for my VIN. The recall listed on your web site refers to all z cars 84-89. Is the recall not longer valid. It appears they are no longer concerned about the fire risk to my car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10067560, filed 2004-04, 153,000 miles1990: “At 63000 miles veh developed unexplained oil leaks resulting in replacement of engine. Less than 15000 miles later while driving on a straight road, transmission failed to change from second to third gear on automatic transmission.”
NHTSA complaint #10118767, filed 2005-05, 63,000 milesOther Nissan models
15,507 complaintsNissan Rogue
7,416 complaintsNissan Pathfinder
7,382 complaintsNissan Maxima
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5,965 complaintsNissan Sentra
5,957 complaintsNissan Frontier
3,363 complaintsNissan Versa
3,327 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology