What breaks most · 2003 to 2009 model years
Nissan 350Z problems by year
Owners have filed 633 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan 350Z across model years 2003 to 2009. Two years stand out: 2003 for suspension complaints and 2004 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 2006, 2007 and 2005.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2004
- Fewest complaints: 2006, 2007, 2005
- Complaints on file
- 6332003 to 2009, all trims
- Worst year
- 2003271 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 276 fires · 19 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 19kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 12Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 271 | 6 | 4 | Suspension (109) | |
| 137 | 5 | 3 | Suspension (32) | |
| 81 | 9 | 2 | Air bags (31) | |
| 48 | 6 | 1 | Wheels (14) | |
| 67 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (47) | |
| 24 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (21) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) |
What fails on the 2003 Nissan 350Z
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 40% |
109 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2003 Nissan 350Z |
| Tires | 26% |
71 | 1 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 13% |
34 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 13% |
34 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2003 Nissan 350Z |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
25 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2003 Nissan 350Z |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
10 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2003 Nissan 350Z |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 3% |
9 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 2003 Nissan 350Z |
| Air bags | 3% |
7 | 4 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
1> tires on new car wore out after 6000 miles 2> alignment of new car off so bad at purchase, that tires were unsafe after driven a few thousand miles. 3> dealer replaced front tires and realigned at 13,687 miles
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Uneven tire wear in front, leading to repeated unsafe driving conditions unnoticed by driver because it is inside front tires. Nissan admitted problem, performed an alignment that did not remedy the problem and now will no longer return my calls. *jb
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Nissan 350Z years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2004 carry the most filings on the Nissan 350Z. The 2003 alone has 271 complaints, led by suspension.
What is the most common Nissan 350Z problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is suspension with 109 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Nissan 350Z problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Nissan 350Z complaints that include mileage is about 19,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.