2003 Nissan 350Z Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year report front tire feathering and cupping more than anything else — uneven inner-edge wear that produces a loud roar or growl below about 30 mph and repeated tire replacement, mostly within the first several thousand miles. The next most common themes are stalling with camshaft or crankshaft position sensor faults at higher mileage, and a third-gear grind in the manual transmission.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Front tire feathering / cupping and road noise

   • 135 complaints (49%)
   • median 7,420 mi at 1.0 yrs old (94 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $600 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2009

   Owners describe uneven wear — feathering or cupping — on the inner edge of the front tires, producing a loud roar or growl when slowing or braking at low speed. Complaints commonly say alignments, side-to-side tire swaps and replacement tires only postponed the problem, and some describe the wear returning within a few thousand miles. According to complaints, dealers variously replaced front tires and realigned the front end, rotated tires, or told owners nothing was wrong; several owners report being told the alignment was already at the limit of adjustment. Mostly reported in the first 3,000 to 15,000 miles, often noticed as noise when braking below roughly 30-40 mph.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the inner edge of both front tires for scalloped or feathered wear, and ask for alignment printouts and tire replacement history. A service bulletin covers excessive front tire roar or growl when braking at low speed, so ask whether that procedure was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Bought 2003 Nissan 350Z used in 2/06. Keyes woodland hills Nissan of ca sold me the car with both front tires worn down to the wire on the inside rim. They still have not disclosed or acknowledge the alignment/tire feathering problem. Its been 12000 miles & I need new tires. This is very costly & I would never have bought this car knowing about this.”

   NHTSA complaint #10171565, filed 2006-10, 70,342 miles

   “My 2003 Nissan 350 z continues to eat front tires. I have replaced the front tires 4 times and aligned once in under 12 months. My last set lasted a whopping 2 months and two days! I notified Nissan of the problem in february-05, july-05 and twice in september-05 and have not received a return call as promised. Nissan said they had no recalls or complaints of front tire issues during the first two calls. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10136371, filed 2005-09, 24,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalls, cam/crank position sensor faults

   • 51 complaints (19%)
   • median 84,186 mi at 9.7 yrs old (46 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $681 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2025

   Complaints describe the engine cutting out without warning while driving, sometimes restarting on its own after a few seconds, with the check engine, slip and VDC lights coming on and rough running afterward. Diagnostics typically point to the camshaft or crankshaft position sensors, which owners say were replaced. Several owners note the vehicle was outside the VIN range of a related campaign for the sensor circuit board and that no assistance was offered. Mostly reported between roughly 29,000 and 140,000 miles, often during steady driving at 30-75 mph.

   Recall 03V4550003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the camshaft and crankshaft position sensors have been replaced and whether the vehicle's VIN falls within the sensor circuit board campaign. Scan for stored codes such as P0340 and check for a check engine light on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My car for the last year will drive 5-7 miles and stall in regular traffic. We replaced the fuel pump. I finally have enough $ to take to Nissan. They came back with it needs all 2 cam shaft sensors and crank shaft sensor replaced. When I go on line and search my 2003 350Z touring edition recall, there was a recall for this problem as it appears the wires can break inside due to temp on solder joints. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11399483, filed 2021-03, 139,000 miles

   “I own a 2003 Nissan 350Z, while driving at approximately 30mph, there was a sudden loss of power, and the check engine, vdc ,and slip lights all came on. Engine now runs sluggishly. The error code is p0340, which is crank sensor failure. I feel this is related to the ntsa recall campaign 03v455000, but that campaign only allows for a very small VIN range of 2003 350zs. I have read many instances of this failure and situation online. The recall should be expanded to all 2003 350zs.”

   NHTSA complaint #10361092, filed 2010-10, 105,000 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Third-gear grind and transmission noise

   • 32 complaints (12%)
   • median 36,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (27 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2018

   Owners of manual cars describe a grind going into third gear, sometimes a howl from the transmission when cold or at idle in neutral. Complaints say dealers replaced transmissions or synchros in some cases, and in others declined warranty work; one owner reports a clutch pivot bolt breaking and taking out the clutch and flywheel. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 105,000 miles, most often between roughly 36,000 and 60,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: On a manual car, shift deliberately through second to third, warm and cold, and listen for a grind or whine; ask whether the transmission or clutch has been replaced and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Nissan 350Z clutch failure, 2nd time in first year of ownership. After much haggling, Nissan replaced the clutch at 6000 miles and it has just failed again at 13,000 miles. This is my third Nissan, loyal customer. I have driven a manual transmission for 14 years and never replaced a clutch or transmission. This is a product defect that Nissan is reluctant to acknowledge. There are hundreds of similar complaints on the internet.”

   NHTSA complaint #10058164, filed 2004-02, 6,500 miles

   “While driving I heard a loud pop and felt a slight tremor on the clutch pedal which became very soft then stopped working making my car immobile after getting it home I pulled out the transmission and noticed that the pivot bolt for the clutch had broken off at the threads destroying the clutch and flywheel and after some online research I found out that it's happened to many other people and may be the reason I need to get my transmission repaired”

   NHTSA complaint #11065421, filed 2018-01, 99,943 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Oil consumption and low oil level

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   A few owners report the oil light coming on with little or no oil showing on the dipstick, oily tailpipes, and smoke. Complaints describe dealers running oil consumption tests and telling owners the usage was within normal range. Reported early, mostly between about 3,000 and 14,000 miles.

   What to check: Check the oil level and condition on a cold engine, look at the tailpipe tips for oily deposits, and ask whether any oil consumption test has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2003 Nissan 350Z brought in to showcase Nissan in bourne, ma with oil light on and no oil pressure. Technician put car on lift and drained less than a pint of oil from vehical. Inside of tail pipes were oily and black. Milage at the time was 14,100. Nissan's solution was to do consumption tests at 500 mile intervals which resulted in oil usage of 1/4 to 1/2 quart per 500 miles which Nissan claims is normal .”

   NHTSA complaint #10074580, filed 2004-06, 12,000 miles

   “I purchased a Nissan 350Z on 2-25-2003 and have taken it into the dealership, three consecutive times for the same problem. The battery is being drained by some type of electrical short and they cannot find it or fix it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10080767, filed 2004-07, 1,020 miles
5. 5
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Power window motor failure

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe a front window that becomes intermittent and then stops moving entirely, attributed to a failed window motor and replaced at the owner's expense. One owner reports repeated window motor replacements over the years. Reported from about 36,000 to 47,000 miles in the sample, on cars several years old.

   What to check: Cycle each window fully up and down several times, listen for slow or strained movement, and ask whether any window motors or regulators have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a track model 2003 Nissan 350Z. In august 2008, the front driver side window began to intermittently fail to go up or down properly. By september 2008, it completely failed to go up or down. The dealer stated that the driver side window motor had internal failure and needed to be replaced. Motor replaced with a new factory motor by a ct Nissan dealership at my expense 9/17/2008 at the cost of $581.35.”

   NHTSA complaint #10253537, filed 2009-01, 47,000 miles

   “I own a 350Z bought brand new in 2003. I was one of the 1st in baltimore for I did not see another z for six months. I have had a new transmission put in at 36k due to a failing 3rd gear synco and now at 80k the 5th. I am about to put in my 5th window motor in. Nissan does not care about us so don't even waste your time with 1800nissan1. They should feel privileged that we allow japanese to sell cars here in the us and should be penalized when they fail. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10371319, filed 2010-12, 36,000 miles

Buying note. Check front tire wear patterns and alignment records first, since that is what most owners of this model year write about, and budget for tires if the inner edges are worn. Also confirm camshaft/crankshaft sensor service history and, on a manual car, listen for a third-gear grind on a test drive.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.