Front Suspension Problems of Nissan 350Z - part 2

Nissan 350z. Lost control of car just changing lanes at 45 mph. Car spun sideway and when I tried to recover, steering was almost impossible as tires seemed to be just gliding wherever they wanted to go. I am just now connecting this incident to the just became aware of tire and front end problem that Nissan seems to be having with this vehicle. I only wish somebody had told me my front end was not aligned and tracking correctly and that my tires were worn away on the inner edges. The failure to notify me placed me in a circumstance that allowed me to think the vehicle I was driving was safe and would respond when I needed it to. My initial thinking of a slick road, which really wasn't present, is now apparent to me to be a front end which can wander and cause abrupt alterations in tracking due to tire wear and improper alignment. Fortunately, the only bruised item was the car. I hope it doesn't lead to a human. The consumers vehicle failed the massachusetts safety inspection because of bad tires.

See all problems of the 2003 Nissan 350Z 🔎.

Ongoing alignment / tire feathering issues with Nissan 350z I have had my tires swapped side to side several time + replacement tires and many alignments. The 350z will not stay in alignment and eats front tires every 7000-12000 miles. It wears the insides of the tires to the point of replacement with over 80% tread on the rest of the tire. They are now not performing alignments on my car even though their tsbs state that they will and will replace tires up to 30,000 miles. They stopped doing alignments and tire rotations/replacement before 20k miles in my situation. The stock tires are up to $400 a piece, so this is unacceptable. The dealers want $80 for an alignment every 4-6 months + tire purchase. This is a known issue and Nissan refuses to issue a real recall, even though every 03 350z has this issue. It was blamed originally on the suspension being stressed during shipment from japan. I have also had dual rear axle replacement, transmission replacement, clutch assmbly replacement, just to name a few. The vehicle become very unstable with the front alignment issue. There are also issues with the rear alignment. It is out of spec everytime it was checked.

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".

Vehicle drifts to right and is experiencing very high wear on the inside of the front tires.

A know problem with the front alignment of the 2003 350z causes front tire feathering.

Front pair of tires cupping/feathering on the inside of tires, causing a loud growl when braking.

Purchased 2003 Nissan 350z in Aug 02 and it had a suspension problem from day one, it would pull hard to the right. At 2500 miles Nissan realigned the front end to get it to run straight, but now at 11,000 miles the edges of the front tires are cupping. My Nissan dealer has noted the tire wear issue, but did not or could not do any thing to correct or suggest new tires or a suspension fix. I am very concerned.

My 2003 Nissan 350z has a suspension problem. I had tire feathering on the front two tires and they were replaced by Nissan and the alignment was redone. Now the tires are feathering again. This seems to be a widespread problem with many of the first production cars. I would like Nissan to address the problem and issue a recall of the cars so that the suspension can be fixed. I do want to have to replace tires at 6-10k miles because of this problem.

Suspension problem causing improper tire wear.

Excess abnormal wear to the inside edge of front tire tread causing alignment, handling, and excess road noise problems. First sign of wear appeared at around 3,500 miles on the new vehicle. Four-wheel alignment was performed at 4,000 miles. Abnormal wear continued after alignment. A "side-to-side" front tire swap was performed at 6,000. With less than 9,000 miles on the car, abnormal wear has again appeared on the inside tread along with excessive road noise and erractic handling on crowned roads.

Tires are wearing out incredibly fast. Handling is compromised.

Suspension problem on my 2003 Nissan 350z purchased 5/15/03. Causing tire feathering on front tires, which causes loud tire roar from 22 mph down to 0.

Nissan 350 z owners have a severe problem with the suspension of there new car. Nissan is not repairing this problem. They have addressed the issue with a TSB. This repair is just enough to get the owners passed there 12,500 mile warranty. The problem is that there is no adjustment for caster or camber on the 350z. The cars left the factory with an alignment problem, and there is really no repair available. This has left all 350z owners, replacing tires almost every 6 months.

Excessive road noise, growl with car.

Suspension design flaw creates uneven tire wear in the front tires. Tires will 'cup' or 'feather' within the first 10,000 miles of driving. My car in particlar ran out of tread on the inside patch at 13000 miles. Changing tires is not a cure for this issue as it reoccurs due to the suspension. This is a potentially dangerous flaw as it might cause vehicles to lose traction in wet/slippery conditions.

Tires cupping on the inner edges. Loud roar when you brake from about 30 mph to a complete stop. I think is a suspension problem because the 2004 cars don't have the problem.

Horrible road noise, tire wear uneven "feathering" or scalloping on the insides of the front tires. Car has been placed in shop for warranty repair five times and problem is still occurring. Car is going back next week for a sixth attempt.

A defect exist in the 2003 Nissan 350z which causes excessive 'cupping' or 'feathering' to occur to the tires of the vehicle.

Nissan's 350z's suspension causes front tires cupping on the inner edges of the tires. This is the source of that loud roar you hear when you brake from about 30 mph to a complete stop. Nissan only offer to realign the suspension and replace the cupped tires but not addressing the suspension issue. The problem is caused by a desgin flaw in the suspension of the z. It is not a problem with the tires as any tire you put on the z will eventually start to cup again.

Nissan 2003 z front end misalignment or production flaw causing extreme wear on front 2 tires. Causes tires to wear in 4k-5k miles. Dealer will only rotate tires and realign which is known not to fix the problem.

Front tires on my vehicle are feathering due to suspension problems. Manufacturer will not fix the mechanical problem. It is a Nissan 350z 2003 under warranty with 7800 miles. I have had numerous tire inspections by different tire manufacturer's, all point toward suspension defect. Traction is less then 100%. Nissan is willing to replace tires but will not fix the actual problem caused by a suspension defect with this vehicle. Tires need to be replaced every 6000-8000 miles due to extensive wear. Car pulls to right excessively. Car is loud when driving and braking. Car is not safe to drive.

Tread on front tires was forming a feathered wear pattern at 6000 miles. Dealer realigned but didn't produce a printout of results because "the printer was broken". They refused to replace the worn tires. At 16,000 miles all tread on the inside of the front tires was gone while the tread on the outer edge was normal. The dealer said that the factory rep would not repair car. This is an obvious design flaw because they did not allow for caster adjustment. I now hate Nissan more than I love my car and will pursue a refund per lemon law.

My 350z had a terrible growl noise and vibrations coming from the front when braking. Tires were very feathered on the inside of the front two tires. Filed a complaint with nna and they had the dealer take the tires off the rims and swap the front tires. I don't think they fixed the issue just delayed the inevitable.

Experiencing an unresolved tire wear problem with 2003 350z that I purchase new in February 2003. The front tires have been replaced and alignment performed twice on the vehicle. When the tires are examined, they have an irregular wear pattern on the outside edges of the tread. Although Nissan has issued TSB ntb04-043 on 4/12/2004 and extended the original warranty to two year / 30k miles, I do not believe there is a long term solution that will result in front tires lasting significantly longer than the current unacceptable 10k to 12k miles. I view this issue as reducing the serviceability / reliability of my 350z and it may also pose a safety concern if the problem remains unresolved.

Vehicle was taken to dealer for the first 3000 miles regular inspection. Technician stated that fronts tires needed to be replaced and front alignment done.

I purchased a Nissan 350z on 12/30/2002. I started complaining to the dealer about loud growling noise from the front end at about 5000 miles. The dealer stated that it was because of improper front end alignment. At 6000 miles the dealer performed a TSB which stated that the front end needed alignment an the front tires rotated (swapped from side to side). At that time they provided me with print outs of the vehicle alignment reports which shows that the vehicle was out of alignment and remains out of the Nissan specifications in regard to the front caster which is causing the dangerous, abnormal and premature wear of the front tires. The dealer states that there is no way to correct this out-of-spec condition. The front tires are now wearing unevenly on the inside again so the re-alignment has not corrected the problem and the dealer says they can not do anything about it.

Nissan 350z tire feathering problem believe to be related to a problem with the suspension.

Noiced growl and rumbling noise around front end of 2003 Nissan 350z. Dealer performed no diagnostics, nor checked service bulletins. Claimed could not duplicate the problem. Third trip in, dealer admitted to hearing the now loud noise. Millage at 7500 - 10,200. Diagnosed feathering (cupping) front tires.

Tire cupping and feathering due to faulty suspension on 2003 Nissan 350z causing car to veer to the right.

Front tires feathering. Return to dealer. Dealer rotated tires and redid alignment. Was told to go to a frame shop. They say it is so far out of alingment they cant fix. Caused by pot hole? other z owners have the same problem of feathering.

Extreme irregular front tire wear (cupping) causing loud noise and vibration especially during braking. Vehicle had approximately 4000 miles on it when first noticed. Tires were replaced at 5000 miles and front end alignment checked (alignment was good). Vehicle now has 9000 miles and the front tires are showing irregular wear again. Manufacturer has no fix for the problem.

Excessive tire wear and feathering on front tires resulting in excessive noise, reduced traction, and requiring premature replacement.

Suspension design flaw on my Nissan 350z track is causing premature wear and a possibly dangerous condition.

Front suspension problem causing front inner edge of tires to wear unevenly. Possible blow out of front tires, due to accelerated wear on inside edge of front tires.

I own a new Nissan 350z, purchased in April/may 2003. The car came in misaligned and was aligned at 1700 miles. Now at 9400 miles, the alignment is out again and the tires are feathering. Dealership will replace tires under warranty, but admits the problem is wide spread with the 350 and there is no fix. Something within the suspension/front end is faulty. The dealer has been very helpful.