RoadVitals

2009 Nissan 370Z Engine Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Engine reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
12
Latest Jun 24, 2015
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
8%
of 153 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 Nissan 370Z submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming engine

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 24, 2015

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.COM FORUM HAVE THIS ISSUE CITED HERE: HTTP://WWW.THE370Z.COM/NISSAN-370Z-GENERAL-DISCUSSIONS/25007-STICKY-OFFICIAL-370Z-CLUTCH-PRESSURE-CSC-FAILURES.HTML

NHTSA ID
10730152
Incident
Jun 24, 2015
Mileage
65,000 mi
Engine
Filed May 3, 2014

ENGINE USED APPROXIMATELY 3/4 QUART OF OIL IN FIRST 700 MILES. CONTINUES TO CONSUME IN EXCESS OF 1 QUART OF OIL PER 1,000 MILES. NISSAN HAS DONE NUMEROUS (4) CONSUMPTION TESTS. VEHICLE FAILED ALL TESTS. VEHICLE NOW HAS 8,700 MILES AFTER 5 YEARS AND I AM IN A PROTRACTED BATTLE WITH NISSAN. THEY HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2008 AND ISSUED TSBS IN 2010 BUT CONTINUED TO TRY AND HIDE BEHIND THE PROBLEM. THERE ARE NUMEROUS POSTING ON THE WEB FOR LIKE PROBLEMS WITH THE 370 ENGINE, INCLUDING THE NISSAN 370Z AND THE INFINITI G37. *TR

NHTSA ID
10586288
Incident
Jun 15, 2009
Mileage
700 mi
ElectricalEngine
Filed Mar 4, 2014

ENGINE POWER CUTS OUT RANDOMLY. ERROR CODE P0011 GIVEN. ALL MECHANICAL COMPONENTS ASSOCIATED WITH CODE P0011 PER NISSAN HAVE BEEN REPLACED. PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. APPARENTLY, THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM WITH THE EARLY 2009 370Z. TO DATE, NISSAN HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID
10567337
Incident
May 24, 2013
Mileage
60,000 mi
EngineFuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Mar 26, 2013

CAR REVS UP TO 2500-3000 RPMS BETWEEN SHIFTS! CANNOT GET THE IDLE TO DROP LOWER; ANY ATTEMPT TO PUNCH THE GAS PEDAL AND LOWER THE IDLE JUST MAKES IT IDLE FASTER!! PROBLEM HAS EXISTED 3.5 YEARS NOW, AND EVERY TIME I REQUEST THE DEALER INVESTIGATE THEY HAVE LAME EXCUSE OF "IF IT ISN'T DOING IT WHEN YOU BRING IT IN, WE CAN'T TROUBLESHOOT IT"! WTF? THE MOST RECENT TIME (MARCH 2013) THE CAR HAD A "SERVICE ENGINE" LIGHT AT THE SAME TIME AND IDLE WOULDN'T DROP BELOW 2000 RPMS FOR 3 DAYS. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND DEALER FOUND "NOTHING WRONG" AND "NO CODES SAVED IN ECM MEMORY". AGAIN, WTF? ISN'T THIS THE SAME TOYOTA RUNAWAY THROTTLE ISSUE - SAME YEAR, SAME JAPANESE CAR, SAME FUEL THROTTLE COMPONENT PURCHASED FROM THE SAME INFERIOR SUPPLIER? DEALER IS NOT DOCUMENTING MY REQUESTS!! ARE YOU WAITING FOR ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT AND DIE BEFORE YOU FIX IT? *TR

NHTSA ID
10504578
Incident
Oct 1, 2009
Mileage
2,500 mi
ElectricalEngineSteering
Filed Jan 30, 2013

CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON. TOWED TO LOCAL NISSAN DEALER & THEY SAID THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY FAILED. VEHICLE LOCKED UP. COSTING ME $1400 TO REPAIR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10495294
Incident
Jan 29, 2013
Mileage
83,000 mi
ElectricalEngine
Filed Jan 21, 2013

MY CAR WILL NOT START DUE TO THE WELL-KNOWN YELLOW KEY LIGHT PROBLEM. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE SHOP AND I AM AFRAID THAT THE REPAIR BILL WILL BE VERY EXPENSIVE. PLEASE MAKE A RECALL FOR THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT. IT IS VERY COLD RIGHT NOW AND COULD HAVE BEEN A REAL DANGER DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10493704
Incident
Jan 21, 2013
Mileage
78,000 mi
ElectricalEngineSteering
Filed Jan 2, 2013

I DROVE MY CAR TO WORK AND EVERYTHING WAS RUNNING FINE, AS I STOPPED AT A STORE TO GRAB SOMETHING AND CAME BACK OUT MY CAR NO LONGER WORKED. THE SYSTEM WOULD NO LONGER RECOGNIZE THE INTELLIGENT KEY, AND THE PUSH START BUTTON WAS IN THE "LOCK" MODE. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS I FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE IN THE 2009-2010 Z MODELS. THE SAME ISSUE FOUND IN NISSAN GT-R MODELS, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK MALFUNCTIONS AND IS THEREFORE ENABLE TO RECOGNIZE THE INTELLIGENT KEY DUE TO THE STEERING COLUMN BEING LOCKED. NISSAN SHOULD DEFINITELY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAULTY EQUIPMENT AS THIS LEAVES CARS AND OWNERS STRANDED. FOR A RELATIVELY NEW CAR THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING ESP. UNDER 36,000 MILES. THE MAJORITY OF THE COMPLAINTS HAVE NOT EVEN SURPASSED THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SHOW CONCERN FOR CONSUMERS AS WELL AS NISSAN! *TR

NHTSA ID
10490691
Incident
Dec 30, 2012
Mileage
33,381 mi
ElectricalEngineSteering
Filed Nov 25, 2012

CAR WAS PARKED AT A LOCAL COFFEE SHOP. SUDDENLY THE STEERING LOCK, PART OF THE STARTING SYSTEM WENT HAYWIRE AND DISABLED THE CAR COMPLETELY. NOW THE CAR CAN'T BE TURNED ON EVEN THOUGH THE KEY IS IN THE CAR AND THE BATTERY IS FULL. I BELIEVE NHTSA NEEDS TO BE MADE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AS IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN SINCE EVERY 370Z IS AT RISK OF THIS PROBLEM, LEAVING ALL POTENTIAL OWNERS STRANDED. I BELIEVE NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AS THE NISSAN GT-R HAD A CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE VERY SAME PART. IT IS CALLED A STEERING LOCK. *TR

NHTSA ID
10485978
Incident
Nov 25, 2012
Mileage
21,500 mi
ElectricalEngine
Filed Nov 17, 2012

CAR WON'T START, INTELLIGENT "KEY" LIGHT IS ON IN THE DASH. IGNITION BUTTON HAS THE "LOCK" LIT UP. HEADLIGHTS, DOME LIGHTS, AND DOORS UNLOCK WITHOUT PROBLEM. CAR JUST WON'T START. TRIED SPARE FOB KEY, AND PLACED INTO FOB PART, STILL WON'T START. READ ON FORUMS, COMMON PROBLEM AMONGST EARLY 370Z, IPDM OR STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY FAULTY. BEING REPLACED UNDER RECALL FOR GTR BUT NOT THE 370Z. MODULE HAS BEEN REPLACE ON NEWER 370ZS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10485025
Incident
Nov 17, 2012
Mileage
57,000 mi
BrakesEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jan 26, 2012

REAR DIFF SEIZED TWICE, AT 12K AND 15K. DEALER IDENTIFIED ISSUE AS OVERHEATING DUE TO IMPROPER BACKLASH SETTING FROM FACTORY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10445498
Incident
Jan 5, 2010
Mileage
12,000 mi
ElectricalEngineSteering
Filed Jan 24, 2012

I WAS ROUTINELY DRIVING TO WORK ON A FRIDAY. I STOPPED TO GET GAS. THE CAR WOULDN'T START ONCE I WAS DONE AND A YELLOW/AMBER INTELLIGENT KEY LIGHT WAS ON. I GET A TOW TO THE NEARBY NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME IT'S A STEERING WHEEL LOCK. THEY SAID IT'S HAPPENING ON QUITE A FEW CARS AND THAT AN ALTIMA AND ANOTHER 370Z HAVE BEEN HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND ARE WAITING FOR THE SAME PART. I'M STILL WAITING ON THE PART AND IT HAPPENED OVER A MONTH AGO. THIS FAULTY PART FROM THE FACTORY HAS BEEN GOING OUT ROUTINELY FOR EVERYONE WHO OWNS A 09-10 370Z, ALTIMAS AND OTHER NISSAN VEHICLES THAT USE THE SAME STEERING WHEEL LOCK TECHNOLOGY. IT'S ABSOLUTELY ENRAGING THAT NISSAN IS RELEASING THESE PARTS (KNOWING THEY'RE BAD AS THEY'VE MADE REVISIONS ON THE NEWER 370Z) AND FORCING CUSTOMERS TO PAY FOR THIS OUT OF POCKET AND WAIT A MONTH TO GET THE PART. CHECK THIS FORUM FOR FURTHER CONFIRMATION: HTTP://WWW.THE370Z.COM/NISSAN-370Z-WARRANTY-SCHEDULED-MAINTENANCE-SERVICING-REPAIRS/12294-INTELLIGENT-KEY-SYSTEM-WARNING-LIGHT.HTML. *TR

NHTSA ID
10445047
Incident
Dec 16, 2011
Mileage
38,000 mi
Engine
Filed Apr 22, 2010

1. CAR NISSAN 370Z, 2009 (11,000 MILES)WAS STALLING AND KNOCKING 2. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE NISSAN DEALER AND THEIR ASSESSMENT WAS THAT THE OIL WAS BEING BURNED UP, FOR NO APPARENT AND DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED TO THE SHORT BLOCK. 3. DEALER IS GOING TO REPLACE THE SHORT BLOCK AT NO COST UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10327087
Incident
Apr 17, 2010
Mileage
11,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .