Clutch Pedal/linkage Problems of Nissan 370Z - part 1

As I began to start my vehicle one day, the clutch pedal went straight to the ground because it had no pressure on it. I found that the clutch fluid was completely empty and refilled it. After it rebuilt pressure, it was operable again for several months until it completely lost pressure again while driving, so I had to pull over. The transmission fluid had completely emptied again. After lots of research online, I found that there is a plaguing problem with the clutch slave cylinder. (I am mechanically inclined and capable of auto repairs). I ordered the clutch slave cylinder online and replaced it myself for a permanent fix with an oem clutch slave cylinder. There's no telling how long this one will last because Nissan makes these parts out of a very cheap plastic that is subject to fail at any time. The clutch slave cylinder cost me $188 plus the costs of renting a garage bay, payment for a friend's assistance, and other miscellaneous items, as well as time off of work. The safety matter behind this greatly concerns me as I purchased my 370z brand new in October 2015 and take great care of it. The vehicle had 39k miles at the time of the clutch slave cylinder failure. How is it that Nissan can continue to make such a cheap, high-failure part that greatly endangers safety and not upgrade the part and fix the hundreds or thousands that have failed? the problems associated with the clutch slave cylinder can be found all over the internet and after-market companies have taken it into their own hands to produce their own clutch slave cylinder and master cylinder to alleviate the issues caused by Nissan. The vehicle was stationary when the first problem occurred, and in motion during the second failure. The average mechanic's quoted rate to fix this issue ranged from $1000 to $1375.

See all problems of the 2016 Nissan 370Z 🔎.

Summary: the vehicle concentric slave cylinder (csc), a component of the transmission and clutch, failed abruptly in heavy traffic, leaving the vehicle forced in-gear and unable to shift out of gears or to neutral without damaging the transmission. This is a significant safety risk since it happens abruptly and removes control of the vehicle from the driver; due to the nature of the failure, this can also create a panic-situation similar to brake, steering, or throttle failures since the clutch is an essential part of controlling a manual transmission vehicle in all scenarios. Event: while driving in traffic, shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear (at approximately 30 mph) the clutch pedal would not return once the vehicle was in 3rd gear. I had to stall the vehicle intentionally, thus at high speed (approximately 10+mph) and in traffic, the tires of the vehicle locked-up and the car skidded to a stop. This also imparted drivetrain and engine shock due to the large mechanical forces involved. Concerns: in almost all typical driving scenarios, this failure can be deadly. If this happens on a two-lane highway this can lead to head-on collisions. If it happens on a freeway that sees an abrupt stop, this can lead to a multi-car collision. If this happens on a road with bends or turns this can result in loss of control such that the vehicle may be off-road or over guardrails. Why nhsta involvement is critical: this is a significant safety concern and a common failure mode of cars with this same Nissan transmission, and it is caused by negligent design and manufacturing practices by Nissan. Failed class-action lawsuits put together by small teams of people have not resulted in removing this safety concern from those who haven't seen the failure yet. My vehicle is a well maintained 2014 Nissan 370z with less than 20,000 miles on it, for reference.

See all problems of the 2014 Nissan 370Z 🔎.

Was driving down the highway when I went to shift into another gear. The pedal felt "light", meaning it had less resistance in the first half of the stroke. In the remaining half of the stroke the clutch disengaged enough to shift gears. When releasing the clutch pedal, it remained stuck to the floor and I had to flip it to its released position with my foot. This behavior continued until I had the car towed to a service center.

See all problems of the 2013 Nissan 370Z 🔎.

After driving my 2014 Nissan 370z for 40,000 miles, the clutch stuck to the floor. I was at an intersection and finally able to pull the clutch pedal up with my foot. At the next intersection, again the clutch stayed down and again I was able to pull it up to shift gears. Upon the third shifting of gears, the clutch stayed on the floor and even lifting it with my foot, I was not able to get it into any gear. Had I been in the middle of a highway shifting gears I might not have been able to get to the side of the road therefore I would have definitely been in a hazardous situation for both myself and other drivers.

I was on my way to work on June 27th of 2017, driving from vancouver,wa to portland, or. As I got off the freeway into the exit to my work there was a stop light. I put my car into neutral and as soon as the light turns green I attempted to put my car into car and the clutch pedal stuck to the floor and wasn't able to put it into gear. I was stuck on the light and had no other choice but to call into work and call a tow truck to tow me home. I was very upset and angry.

See all problems of the 2012 Nissan 370Z 🔎.

Clutch pedal to the floorboard no pressure can't drive car csc failure inside transmission.

While driving, noticed clutch pedal not returning to normal position. Eventually the clutch would not disengage causing a situation where it was not easy to maneuver the vehicle from the roadway and traffic safely. This caused a hazard to other traffic and me. After inspection of the vehicle and online research its concluded that this was a csc failure leaking clutch fluid internally. My research has concluded that this is due to using an inferior product or materials. Hoping for a recall due to all the documented failures. Thank you.

Clutch pedal falls to the floor when shifting. Master cylinder replaced twice within 30 days, under 500 miles. Has now failed a 3rd time less than a week after 2nd replacement.

See all problems of the 2010 Nissan 370Z 🔎.

Clutch pedal went to floor. Clutch slave cylinder failed. Failed in motion, 75 miles from home. Tow was expensive. Car would not start. Steering lock unit failed. Failed in stationary , 95 miles from home. Tow was expensive.

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan 370z. The contact stated that the clutch pedal was stuck to the floor of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer and the gti fluid was replaced. The failure recurred two months later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again for diagnostic testing. The contact was unable to switch gears with the clutch. The manufacturer was notified. The manufacturer advised the contact to get a second opinion. The failure mileage was 32,000.

See all problems of the 2015 Nissan 370Z 🔎.

Car has 17,751 miles on it. Bought 30 days ago from Acura dealer in fort worth. Went to pull out of garage, and the clutch pedal is stuck to the floor. Getting it diagnosed at Nissan dealer, but it's believed to be a slave cylinder that is a known malfunction by Nissan, and they will not recall it or cover it under power-train warranty.

The clutch pedal randomly drops to the floor was told it is the clutch slave cylinder by a mechanic.

At only 10,000 mi. The clutch pedal suddenly would not return to rest. It caused a dangerous loss of control in freeway traffic while in motion. I was able to toe the pedal up, pump wildly to get some degree of actuation back, and then exit the freeway. Nissan USA would only authorize new fluid in the clutch lines as the fix. Within a couple of days of the inadequate "repair" and only 50 mi. The same problem occurred again resulting in another dangerous loss of control of the car, again in motion on the freeway. Nissan replaced the concentric slave cylinder (csc) but the part hasn't been improved so I am concerned it will likely happen again and potentially lead to injury, property damage, or death. Many others with the exact problem have also needed the clutch master cylinder replaced, and yet Nissan only allows dealers to drain the clutch fluid and replace it with fluid with a higher temp rating (from the Nissan gtr). This inadequate and unsafe "fix" nearly led to an accident in my case. This initial repair was done after I explicitly requested the csc be replaced, but the dealer said Nissanusa refused to allow the necessary repair. Nissan's failure to redesign/improve the csc will lead to more incidents of stranding or loss of vehicle control.

While driving down the highway in 6th gear for about 30 minutes to an hour, the clutch pedal begins feeling very soft and begins sticking to the floor to the point where it is necessary to pull it back up with my foot. On texas highways, this is extremely dangerous if I am unable to engage a gear while driving in heavy traffic, especially since a lot of highways are under construction with no shoulder to safely pull over to. The part at fault is a poorly constructed concentric slave cylinder. This is a piece of plastic that is extremely prone to failure. It should have never been constructed from plastic. Nissan also refuses to obey their 5 year, 60,000 mile powertrain warranty to fix this issue. (the only clutch part listed as "not covered" is the wearable clutch disc itself). They also refuse to acknowledge that this is a common issue. I'm attaching a screenshot of over 100 370z forum members who have reported this issue as well. This is clearly a problem that needs addressed, but Nissan refuses to acknowledge the safety of their loyal customers.

See all problems of the 2011 Nissan 370Z 🔎.

Csc (concentric slave cylinder) - failed, clutch pedal goes to the floor, can't shift gear.

While pulling out or at stop red light the clutch pedal sunk to the floor , sometimes it stays on the floor, the clutch slave cylinder csc failure is a hazard . . I have had the master cylinder replaced but did not fix the issue.

See all problems of the 2009 Nissan 370Z 🔎.

When I entered my car to leave in the morning my clutch pedal had next to no pressure when depressed. The clutch would only disengage with approximately half an inch before reaching the floor. I immediately shut my car off and called the Nissan service center. I was advised to bring my car in. After waiting for traffic to subside I nervously drove my car to the service center without incident. While driving, I noted that the pressure in my clutch pedal was getting worse. Had this started while driving I could have been severely injured, or worse. The Nissan service center determined that the faulty part was the clutch concentric slave cylinder. This part is somehow not covered in my vehicle's power train warranty, even through it is an internal part of the transmission. I am fortunate that this did not happen while I was driving my car, as things could have been much worse. Nissan has been reluctant to even acknowledge that this has been an issue with this vehicle, even though there are many complaints about this failure, which is easily discovered when doing investigation online.

I was driving to work one morning when my clutch pedal became limp. I was on the freeway getting ready to shift into 6th gear when I had no clutch resistance! I nearly crashed due to the lack of engagement. I took it to the dealership and they said I was out of warranty. This very same issue was fixed under warranty at 30,000 miles. The dealership either never replaced the parts they claimed to have replaced at 30k miles or they have failed again, just 35k miles later. These parts are the master cylinder and slave cylinder in the transmission. The issue has been going on with 2009-2015 models. Actually, it has been going on as far back as 2003 with the 350z, which was never addressed. I'm selling the car and hopefully the buyer doesn't crash and die from it. If he/she does, you should be held responsible for not addressing the issue. Many of the members on the370z. . Read more...

I went out to start my car for a drive on 06/21/15. As I was reaching for the clutch pedal with my foot to start the engine, I found the clutch pedal had already sunk half way to the floorboard before my foot came in contact with it. I had to reach in further almost completely extending my leg in order to make contact with the pedal. Upon checking the clutch fluid I was surprised to find some of my fluid level was half empty had and looked very dark. There were black debris sitting under the fluid reservoir. My fluid level was at the max when I last checked it two weeks prior, so between that time some fluid had leaked out. I filled up with some brake fluid and pumped the pedal several times, which helped regains some pressure in my clutch pedal but not completely, there is still some slack in the pedal travel. I immediately went online to research the problem. I ran across countless complaints from other z owners having the same issues with their factory clutch slave cylinder (csc) & master slave cylinder. Many reported their clutch pedal "diving" and would not return during driving. Unlike me, most of them were left stranded on the side of the roads due to not being able to operate the clutch after the pedal loss pressure and dives to the floor. Furthermore, people have reported their factory csc failures since the Nissan 350z were still in production (2002-2009). Nissan north America is fully aware of this defects in their clutch assembly. In 2008, Nissan issued a recall to 350z owners to replace their defective csc. I am appalled that they (Nissan) continued to rely on the same defective parts on their Nissan 370z. Currently, Nissan has not address this problem on their 370z model, nor are they honoring any warranty claims regarding this issue. This is a real concern as it posses a serious safety threats to all z's equipped with manual transmission.

The clutch pedal went all the way to the floor and not returning to its proper position. I was unable to put the car into gear. This has happened twice. The last time I was stuck on a major roadway where I had to get out of the car and call the police for assistance because I was scared I was going to have a collision with another car. Nissan attempted to fix this issue as per their internal service bulletin by changing the clutch fluid. This is a temporary fix that does not address the real issue of the faulty design of the clutch slave cylinder.

Loss of clutch pedal (csc) clutch slave cylinder and (cmc) clutch master cylinder.

Came to a stop at a busy intersection to make a legal right turn on red when the clutch pedal refused to come up more than in inch, causing the car to stall the in middle of the intersection repeatedly until I was able to stick it in to a gear and get it to a parking lot of a nearby hotel where the clutch pedal remained limp on the floor. Mechanic confirmed earlier this week that the clutch slave cylinder had given out. Upon further research I found multiple people with similar incidences in the same kind of car and also affecting 6 speed manual g37's and later 350z's. When my car continued to stall in the intersection I could of been t-boned and I believe to be one of the lucky ones. It could of happened on the highway.

I purchased the 2011 Nissan 370z nismo with 30,000 miles from a Nissan dealership and after 2500 miles of driving I had this issue with the clutch. I was driving and the clutch pedal went to the floor and would not come back up. After pulling over I checked and saw that the clutch fluid reservoir was completely empty. I know the fluid was full and clean when I got the car because we looked at all of the fluids at the time of purchase. I ran to a gas station to get some brake fluid to fill it up and drove home. I did not touch the car until I was able to drive it to the dealership that weekend. The dealership techs were unable to find any kind of leak in the clutch line, slave cylinder, or master cylinder and recommended I have them flush the fluid with new "gtr brake fluid". As of right now that has been done (not covered by my drive train warranty), but I'm not sure how new fluid will stop a leak. I don't drive the car as much and have been keeping a close eye on the fluids.

Hi, I've been having issues with my 2013 370z clutch, I am assuming it is the clutch slave cylinder. When the car is hot the clutch pedal will stick to the floor or not have any return pressure when pushing the clutch in. I feel this is going to become and issue and could be a safety concern on a road at speeds.

I went to start my car and the clutch pedal was low. Once I went around the corner from my house, the pedal almost fell to the bottom. Since I could not put it in the next gear, I put it in neutral and pushed it back into my garage. My mechanic said it was the clutch slave cylinder. He also said there was a lot of break fluid in the transmission coming from the csc. I went on 370z pages and this complaint is all over the place. There are numerous forums to this issue. Luckily I was not driving on the freeway or I could have caused a major accident. If this issue has been happening for a long time to hundreds if not thousands of cars for this make and model, why has this not been fixed? bill was around $1000. 00. Haven't had any issues since replacing the csc but only have put about 4 thousand miles on it since.

As soon as I picked this car up with only 56,000 miles on it and I was driving it back home on the highway my clutch pedal went straight to the floor, not once, not twice. Three times as I was down shifting on exit ramps! then the same thing happened to me last week! I was furious, I limped it to the dealership and they claimed that it was my clutch going out on me and wouldn't even look at my car! with 56k miles on the clock and my clutch was going out?! then that's another problem that Nissan needs to fix! I did some research and it seems like the 350z and the 370z have been having this concentric slave cylinder problem for years and Nissan is just ignoring it on their most popular sports car!.

I was waiting in neutral at a red light when I noticed that the clutch pedal had sunk all the way to the floor and would not return to the engaged position. Because of this, I couldn't get the car into gear and ended up having to push the car out of the intersection onto the sidewalk where I then received a ticket for illegally parking even though the vehicle was completely undriveable. Later that week, I removed the transmission to discover that the concentric slave cylinder (csc) had disintegrated and all that was left was a few bits of rubber and plastic covered in clutch fluid. I've since replaced the part with a metal replacement that has performed flawlessly since. Incidences of csc failure are noted extensively on enthusiast forums, and Nissan has in most cases refused to repair the defect under warranty. This could be a serious safety concern if this failed while the vehicle was moving. . Read more...

Driving vehicle in light traffic and clutch pedal begins showing little to no resistance, easily sinks to the floor. Soon thereafter clutch pedal has to be pressed nearly to the floor to shift gears. Car is taken to local Nissan dealer and clutch fluid flushed and replaced with dot 4 fluid. Driving car the very same day and exact same symptoms reoccur but this time no gear engagement is possible even with clutch pedal pressed all the way to the floor. Car is towed back to dealer and inspected. Inspection reveals failed concentric slave and clutch master cylinders. Cost to repair over $1000, according to powertrain warranty provided with vehicle the concentric slave should be covered under warranty but dealer claims otherwise, speaking with Nissan consumer affairs to try resolving the issue but no luck so far.

This is my husbands car so I do not drive it regularly and I do not drive it like a race car. The car was in our garage all day until I left so nothing was overheated. I had driven about 5 miles at less than 50 mph along an access road, stopping for 3 red lights. I thought it was clutching oddly, but since I hadn't driven it much, I thought it was me. At the 4th red light the clutch went soft when I pressed it and only came back up half way but I was able to get moving, the clutch pedal rising less with each shift. My destination was just after the light and as I turned left across the traffic I lost the clutch completely as I went into 2nd gear. This left me coasting in neutral across two lanes of oncoming traffic and a dip and curve entrance that required a more momentum than I had. 1st and 2nd would not engage and I was able to grind it into 3rd and clear the lanes. I coasted into a parking spot and the clutch was completely depressed to the floor and I could smell it burning. After my appointment, I used my foot to pull the clutch back up and it actually worked. I drove directly to the dealership, pulling the clutch back up each time and oddly enough, by the time I arrived the clutch was functioning again. They were unable to reproduce the problem, however they said there was a bulletin addressing the 'very rare' issue, something to do with the boiling point of the factory installed hydraulic fluid. They flushed the system and put in a different oil. I have only had the car back for a day but to me the clutch still feels a little soft. I am documenting this in case it happens again and because this dangerous situation could have been avoided if the manufacturer would have voluntarily replaced the fluid, if that is really what caused this issue .

This incident occurred at a busy intersection during heavy traffic. Manual transmission sunny, air temp approx 75 f. The vehicle had been driven appox 0. 25 miles & 2 minutes immediately prior to event and parked for the previous 4 hours. Driver partially engaged the clutch and shifted to 1st gear to initiate forward movement of the vehicle from a complete stop. At a speed of approx 10mph the driver fully depressed the clutch pedal (to disengage the clutch) to coast momentarily with traffic and shift to 2nd gear. The driver partially re-engaged the clutch with throttle to resume acceleration with traffic. The clutch pedal failed to return to the fully engaged, default, position during operation; the clutch pedal returned only approximately 1/3 of nominal travel distance. Concurrently, the clutch did not engage and slipped with regular throttle applied for the shifting condition. Pumping of the clutch pedal did not restore normal clutch pedal position nor normal clutch function. Failure of the clutch to properly engage and disengage prevented the driver from fully and safely controlling the vehicle. Driver forced transmission to neutral position, indicated to surrounding traffic and coasted to shoulder across multiple lanes. Driver noted that no apparent obstruction to the mechanical operation of the clutch pedal within the cabin. Driver noted an odor, presumably from overheated clutch or hydraulic fluids. Substantially normal clutch pedal and clutch function returned within several minutes. The vehicle was driven several miles and parked for an hour. Normal clutch pedal and clutch function were noted after this hour.

Driving the vehicle from louisville, ky to hazelwood, mo the last few miles of the trip the clutch pedal went to the floor. Trying to pump the pedal in order to get the car in gear and was able to limp the car to the house. This problem has happened 4-5 times in the last 2 years (about 38000 miles of driving). The concentric slave cylinder (csc) is a complete failure and should be tagged for a recall. There is an aftermarket solution which completely removes said part and replaces with a fork/actuator mechanism. Cost is approximately the same as any warranty work that would cover just replacing faulty part with another faulty part.

Clutch slave cylinder failure resulting in clutch pedal sticking to floor and clutch disengaged. Happened intermittently with engine hot in warm weather. Clutch would resume working normally after engine cooled off. This is a common problem on these vehicles as described on various 370z user forums. Repair: replaced clutch slave cylinder with improved after market part. Part cost: $325. Labor: $800 total: $1125 plus tax.

Constant problems with the clutch, car records shows clutch and csc has been replaced but is having problems yet again. Always feel ticking in the clutch pedal when disengaged, and clutch sticks when taking off from stop (not talking about launches or dropping gears). Also a lot of problems with electrical, like fuel gauge. Last but not least, lots of wind noise when on the freeway, and window gets stuck when closed on freeway. Have gone to dealership and of course they say theres nothing they can do even though forums show theres recalls.

I was on the freeway and all of a sudden my clutch pedal loses all pressure and drops to the floor while I was trying to downshift to slow down. My car would not let me out of gear and I had to stop while in gear causing the engine to cut off. This caused me to lose all power assisted brakes. I was exiting and trying to slow down. I almost caused an accident and had to swerve to avoid hitting cars ahead of me while still traveling around 50 mph. This is very dangerous and there have been numerous complaints about this part.

Clutch lost all pressure and I was unable to shift coming off the interstate. Left me stranded for hours on my way to north carolina from FL. Appears to be a common issue with the 370z and longer trips. I was just traveling with cruise control on at about 70mph and the clutch pedal fell to the floor when I attempted to slow down while exiting the interstate I-75n. This needs to be recalled! I should not have to pay for a defective product. I will not buy or recommend another Nissan until this gets replaced for free.