2006 Nissan 350Z Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2006 Nissan 350Z most often describe cracked or separating wheels, frequently chrome-finished or aftermarket, and excessive engine oil consumption that in some cases appears early in ownership. Air bag warning lights, air bags that did not deploy, and manual clutch or shifting problems also come up often in complaints. Reported mileage spans from 100 miles to 121,000 miles, so both early and later-life problems appear in the sample.

1. 1
   Wheels

   Cracked or separating wheels, often chrome-finished

   • 13 complaints (25%)
   • median 24,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2013

   Owners describe cracks in rims or spokes, air loss, and in some cases a wheel separating or breaking off while driving, including at highway speed and during a turn. Many complaints mention wheels that were chrome-plated, powder-coated, or otherwise refinished, and some say the dealer linked the cracking to the chrome process. According to complaints, the manufacturer or dealers declined to replace the wheels, quoted high replacement costs, or said the wheels were not factory parts, and the manufacturer offered only partial cost coverage in some cases. Reported mileage ranges from 3,877 to 101,000 miles, with a typical report near 24,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the wheels for cracks around the spokes and the rim lip, especially chrome-plated or refinished wheels, and ask whether they are factory parts. Ask the seller for any wheel repair or replacement records and whether the wheels have been re-chromed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On may 11,2010 I had my car towed to the local Nissan dealer on maui. The wheels on our car started to disintegrate and break up causing us to swerve and stop on the road. I was told by the dealer that because the car was out of warranty I would have to purchase new wheels for $5550. The factory rep john hookano, my wife and I met after two weeks of the car sitting at jim faulk Nissan with no follow up call. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10332444, filed 2010-05, 35,788 miles

   “I have a 2006 Nissan 350Z convertible. I had the 06 wheels aftermarket powercoated in may 2007. Roughly a month later, I found that one of the wheels had cracked. I bought a replacement wheel, had the wheel powercoated to match the other three. Roughly 4 months later, I discovered two more wheels had cracked. Researching the cause of the cracks LED me to the complaints filed earlier on the same wheel being affected by the chroming process. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10233389, filed 2008-07, 13,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Excessive engine oil consumption

   • 14 complaints (26%)
   • median 18,592 mi at 2.0 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2010

   Owners describe the engine using a quart or more of oil between changes, sometimes as early as a few thousand miles, and in some cases the dipstick shows little or no oil. Some complaints describe a ticking, lifter-type, or rattling noise, a check engine light, or an engine replacement that did not stop the oil use. According to complaints, dealers at times said the consumption was normal or offered an engine replacement, and some owners later found a service bulletin that the dealer had not mentioned. Where mileage is given, the reports range from 2,300 to 34,000 miles, and most fall under 25,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the low engine oil level bulletins listed for this model were checked, and whether the engine was inspected for oil use. Check the oil level on the dipstick before and after a drive, and ask for oil change records to see how much oil is added between changes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Oil consumption. I have a 2006 350Z with 22k miles on and at my last oil change I noticed about 1.5 quart oil consumption in less than 3000 miles. I tried regular and synthetic oil and seems to be the same issue. Engine is making a funny noise always. Noise is like lifter -type sound. It goes off after 4000 rpms and get worst when driving up hill.”

   NHTSA complaint #10265068, filed 2009-04, 22,500 miles

   “I own a 2006 Nissan 350Z coupe that consumes entirely too much oil. I regularly change the oil myself every 3000 miles, yet in between changes the vehicle consumes anywhere from 2 to 4 quarts. It appears that many consumers with this particular vehicle year and model have had the same problem. I wanted to bring this issue to your attention because I'm sure many other consumers have had this issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #10242808, filed 2008-09, 34,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light on, or air bags not deploying

   • 13 complaints (25%)
   • median 41,000 mi at 4.5 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2021

   Owners describe the air bag warning light staying on or blinking, in some cases after repairs that did not hold. Other complaints describe air bags that did not deploy in collisions, including a head-on crash where the passenger bag deployed but the driver's did not. Complaints mention air bag modules and a Takata inflator in repeated repairs, and a used-car buyer reported that a passenger air bag was missing at purchase. According to complaints, dealers charged the owner for an inflator replacement or said the parts were unavailable. Mileage is stated in only some of these complaints, from 100 to 45,532 miles, and some describe the warning light returning after a repair.

   What to check: Confirm that the air bag warning light is off when the car is started and that the passenger air bag is installed. Ask for repair records for any air bag module or inflator work, and whether any open air bag campaign work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 2006 Nissan 350Z roadster. The passenger airbag indicator light came on blinking none stop. The symptom is similar to the Nissan 2007 and 2008 model described in the NHTSA recall bulletin. I want to know if the recall can be expanded to include older models?”

   NHTSA complaint #10335333, filed 2010-06, 45,000 miles

   “Driving home only 1/8 mile from my house, I collided head on with a small pick-up truck. My Nissan 350 car spun several times and came to rest. Most of the damage was to the driver side and front end. Front bumper completely gone. Driver side headlight completely gone, passenger side intact. Driver side door can only open a few inches, passenger side-fine. Driver side windshield cracked due to hood being pushed back into car, passenger side-fine. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10182925, filed 2007-02, 1,800 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Clutch and manual gear shifting problems

   • 5 complaints (9%)
   • median 37,018 mi at 4.9 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2022

   Owners describe grinding or difficulty when shifting between certain gears, a manual shifter that would not move into another gear, and a clutch pedal that stuck to the floor with a burning smell. Some report the vehicle moving unintentionally at start-up, or a thumping noise with improper downshifting. According to complaints, a dealer found a floor mat stuck under the clutch pedal, clutch and hydraulic parts were replaced in another repair, and a campaign describing an oversized clutch disc is cited. A complaint says a dealer linked a transmission failure to coolant leaking into the transmission. Mileage is stated in most of these complaints, from 10,285 to 83,300 miles, so the problems are not limited to early ownership.

   What to check: On a test drive, check for grinding on shifts between the lower gears and for a clutch that engages abruptly or feels stuck. Ask whether any clutch campaign work or clutch replacement is documented for this vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The date is when I received my car from the body shop after 3-car wreck. Drove it to work and the car had no power to climb a hill. Called insurance company, took it back they did no repairs to the engine, so it went to the dealership. Shortly afterwards the car wasn't downshifting properly, then it started making a sound like it was stuck in a spin cycle and shoot out causing the car to go faster. Took it back to the dealership nothing. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10501005, filed 2013-03, 57,852 miles

   “On 10/6/2010 I took my vehicle in for an oil change and evaluation of problem in shifting manual transmission. The transmission had problem with 1-2 and 4-3 shifts with grinding and difficulty shifting. The car was found to have a faulty transmission. The vehicle was also found to have, as stated by the tech, no visible oil in the engine. This indicates a consumption of 5+ quarts within 6500 miles. A TSB by Nissan: ntb07-088 dates back to 2007 of high oil consumption. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10361141, filed 2010-10, 16,184 miles
5. 5
   Engine

   Sudden stalling, engine failure, or loss of power

   Mentioned in 5 of 48 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the engine stalling or shutting down while driving, sometimes at highway speed, and a loss of power when climbing a hill. Some complaints describe the accelerator and brake pedals becoming unresponsive until the vehicle was restarted, and a camshaft sensor fault that trips and kills the engine. A complaint describes an engine failure at a stop light with a fire under the car, and another describes smoke and a stall after the car became hot. According to complaints, dealers diagnosed a head gasket failure and the engine needed replacement. Reported mileage ranges from 8,000 to 121,000 miles, and some of these events happened at highway speed.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the car has stored fault codes and whether the engine was inspected for overheating or head gasket problems. On a test drive, including a hill, check that throttle and brake response are normal and that no warning lights come on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Oil consumption, 350Z engine blown, in less then a year. While going to work on a complete stop at a red light, engine blows and car gets on fire underneath, lucky there was a gas-station next to me to borrow an extinguisher... Police came to help a little later, and said I couldn't file a report. Called insurance, and said they would not cover it, called Nissan and they didn't even cover my rental while they inspected the car for over 3 months... …”

   NHTSA complaint #10298606, filed 2010-01, 8,000 miles

   “Issue with cam shaft sensor failure. Replaced bank 2 and now bank 1. This is a known issue according to all of the people complaining. This was part of a recall for 2003 models, but not for 2006 models. Car has 121,000 miles and runs smooth, except for the cam shaft sensor failures. It is becoming dangerous, because it is killing the engine when it trips and having that happen at 70mph on the interstate is a concern for injury.”

   NHTSA complaint #10905783, filed 2016-09, 121,000 miles

Buying note. Inspect the wheels closely for cracks, especially chrome-plated or refinished sets, and confirm the air bag warning light is off. Ask for oil change and repair records, since oil consumption is a recurring theme in these complaints.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 48 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.