2009 Nissan 370Z: Stuck in Gear

Well the Silverado was an automatic... I guess if they really are hooning with the vehicles on a daily basis something like this could be partially their fault, but this does not bode well. Although I seem to remember one post written by someone who blew up two engines on his cars...hmm

dont forget GTR. its normal for Nissan's to have problems when new.

Would they fly out a technician from Japan to fix it like they did with the GT-R?

I feel that Nissan gets away with poor reliability without paying for it as much as other brands. I'm not sure how they maintain their good reputation really. I was looking at G35s a few years ago, but after talking to some owners I found none of them liked their car anymore. They were only a couple years old at that point too. More than a few had major engine problems. Another acquaintance of mine got royally screwed on a Sentra SpecV. It's very similar to the way burned VW owners come out of the woodwork to stop you whenever anyone muses about buying a VW or Audi product.

I'm aware of the anecdotal nature of my judgment, but I can't say I'm surprised to hear the long term 370 is having major issues.

Cool car but I can't help but snicker about this. Sad.

i think its because they have character, so people are willing to look past it. same thing with Subaru... but people are willing to die to defend their honor.

This is really disappointing on such an important vehicle for Nissan. On the other hand, my brother has an '08 Altima that has been utterly problem free in every area. Maybe Nissan should just stick with CVT's, it sounds like all their manuals suck.

Anyone want "AK47"-level reliability can buy a corvette instead.

These damn German cars.... Ohhhh wait..

There's a good chance the dealer is going to try to blame this on the user and deny warranty coverage. That is, assuming they don't know this is a press fleet vehicle. I hope you have a good dealer who doesn't try to pull anything.

It would have been interesting to send the vehicle in with one of the young male staffers to see how he is treated.

LOL. Dont worry, this wont count against it when the wrap up is done on this vehicle. CTS got hammered for failed turn signal and a nav system that acted a little crazy at times but I doubt the Z will take a major hit for needing a tow truck.

Never a good sign. I'll be interested to see what the problem is. That seems like an unusual way to tow...or maybe I've just never seen it before?

I'm with compliance. Nissan manages to get away with reliability issues and I don't understand why. Everyone I've never known with a Nissan or Infiniti has had serious problems within a year or two. Many have traded them in for other brands. I know Infiniti technicians that won't drive an Nissan product because they don't trust them.

Even the beloved Toyota couldn't get away with this.

brn--I'd like to counter your comment with my experiences with Nissans.

I have owned two Nissans, a 2000 and a 2005 Altima. After eight years of ownership, the 2000 was traded in with no problems related to the car. It was approaching 200K on it. The 2005 I own now was bought used from a family that had a baby seat in the back. I've had it for about a year now, and it has 60k on it. Besides and intermittent squeak from the dash, there has been zero problems with it.

I haven't even caught my shoes on the door sills and destroyed them, nor has the engine burst into flames.

I don't know why people think Nissan's reliability is bad. Everyone I know with one has actually had a great experience, and I can't say the same for even Honda or Toyota, let alone Subaru.

And Nissan's Truedelta scores are actually higher in most cases, aside from the Versa and Sentra Hecho en Mexico twins.

Still, bummer about the transmission!

I too have had a negative experience with regard to Nissan reliability, and I have long heard grumblings from the gallery about issues with Nissans. Maybe Nissan "gets away with it" because their dealers are a lot more accommodating than, say, Volkswagen? Plus, the cars themselves are pretty engaging.

Besides, the anecdotal evidence in this discussion doesn't really jibe with the ratings from CR, JD Power, etc.

I know folks who bought a used Maxima and faced a few thousand in repairs after less than 18 months of ownership. Nissans appear to be hit or miss with reliability.

CR doesnt rank Nissans as high as Toyotas or Hondas. Besides, CR ratings dont prove any car is unreliable since they are just rating relative to the average.

When will people realize that any car has the potential to have a mechnanical failure at anytime. With hundreds of thousands of cars being produced (many using parts from a handful of suppliers) parts will fail, period. Parts will fail in a Toyota, Honda, BMW, MB, Audi, GM model or Ford. Get over it. If you let one failure keep you from buying a car, you really didn't want it in the first place. That's why they have something called a warranty. If it's broke, get it fixed. If it keeps breaking, sell it. That's what I did. Guess what, I got the same car that's two years newer and haven't had a single problem even though EVERYTHING broke on the first one.

misterfusion: I know that VW has a reputation for bad service, but their cars are just as "engaging" as Nissan.

I'll wait to we hear what's wrong before being to harsh on Nissan. It could easily be a minor shift linkage issue.

We all want cars to be flawless but as chavis10 mentioned any mechanical part can fail.

Sure we all know someone who had a *insert favourite brand here* that never ever broke down. However no matter what brand you choose, I'll bet someone here knows someone who had a different experience.

And no, I not defending Nissan because I own one. I have never owned a Nissan and (at the moment) they don't make any cars that I would be interested in.

Well it's probably just a weird one-off problem, but I hope it isn't a repeat of the 350Z's transmission issues. I forget the exact nature of that, but the general knowledge seems to be to avoid the 2003 350Zs for transmission problems.

Gee if this would have been the Focus you guys would have run it off of a cliff.

Gee if this would have been the Focus you guys would have run it off of a cliff.

+1 to Chavis10. All car brands are more reliable now than they were decades ago, and for all our anecdotal evidence of people having a problem with such and such a brand, I think the quality and reliability gaps are really shrinking. I think we've just gotten to the point where cars are so reliable problems are more noteworthy than they were before.

bodyblue

True but that's because nobody likes the Focus.

Much easier to put up with a problem or two in a car you like then one you don't.

firstwagon

Good point

you know, in this post I have basically heard every wild speculation one way or the other including, driver/owner incompetence, defective hardware, etc. I especially love where people accuse the editors of bias - since you are showing bias upon the editors. I know that on the internet, everyone is good looking, rich, holds doctorates in whatever we're posting, are experts in 15 martial arts, and like the Tecate commercials, is The Most Interesting Person in the World, but people, think about what you're writing. If we met the editors face to face, how many of you would have the balls to say what you accuse them of to their face (don't answer - I know - you were a psych-ops green beret)?

"Silverado, Fit, and now 370Z. I'm thinking it is safer to blame the LT editors than assume all of these new cars have defective transmissions."

2008 Chevy Silverado: Technician stated that he saw a rash of transmission issues with Silverado's.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2008/07/2007-chevy-silverado-lt-transmission-failure-part-ii-transmission-repair.html

2007 Honda Fit: Pretty much proved to be an isolated incident.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2008/01/2007-honda-fit-sport-transmisison-trouble-trumped.html

In regards to the 370, I'm not sure who to blame.

"I know that on the internet, everyone is good looking, rich, holds doctorates in whatever we're posting, are experts in 15 martial arts"

Sucks to be you. I know 16 martial arts.

" If we met the editors face to face..."

If I met them face to face all I would say is "Are you hiring?".

"I know that VW has a reputation for bad service, but their cars are just as "engaging" as Nissan."

Carguy: That was the comparison I was making (perhaps poorly). When it comes to fun cars and at least adequate dealer service, VW gets 1 out of 2 right, compared to Nissan's 2 out of 2.

Funny how 1487 specifically mentioned Maximas, because it was my '89 Maxima 4DSC that gave me so many problems back in the day. Obviously not an indicator of Nissan's overall reliability as a marque.

Nissan does have a good bit of first year problems. Mazda does too.

this car has brand new manual transmission technology, synchro-rev-match. Is it any surprise that it has some problems? I still think thumbs up to nissan for innovating a standard stick shift and giving a nod to those who like rowing their own gears, as opposed to going the way of the paddle shifters. So they have some growing pains, that's what warranty and recalls are for.

"If we met the editors face to face, how many of you would have the balls to say what you accuse them of to their face (don't answer - I know - you were a psych-ops green beret)?"

I would but I don't have to be a green beret to do it. I just like to call BS when I see it. For this particular incident however, I can't blame the IL crew. You are supposed to abuse the gearbox and engine in a sportscar. Thats what makes it different from ordinary cars.

On a more relative note, Josh Sadlier did comment on the Z's uneven gear changes. Perhaps that was the sign of the gearbox trouble. Maybe you guys should have had it checked then.

Wonder if the problem lies with the synchro-revving feature.

On a more relative note, Josh Sadlier did comment on the Z's uneven gear changes. Perhaps that was the sign of the gearbox trouble. Maybe you guys should have had it checked then.

Wonder if the problem lies with the synchro-revving feature.

"Much easier to put up with a problem or two in a car you like then one you don't."

That makes no sense whatsoever. If you OWN a car you probably like it somewhat. I would say the more expensive the car the more disappointing it is to have quality issues. The Z is about $37k vs $16k for the Focus. Sorry, I would say a transmission failure in the Z is a little more disappointing. The Focus is a generic small car just like the Corolla or Civic- just because "enthusiasts" hate the Focus doesn't mean its a bad car. YOU dont like it, that doesn't mean no one likes is.

HondaAcura:

if your car breaks down the fact that its an uncommon issue (like the Fit- supposedly) is irrelevant. if the Silverado's tranny issue was widespread you likely would've seen a massive recall by now.

That said a transmission is supposed to work each and every day. I dont get how people can blame the editors- especially with the Silverado.

Wow, this is huge. Nissan seems to even be getting a break from commenters. The posts are relatively mild compared to what would happen to say an American vehicle with the same issue.

My wife's '04 Xterra has had very few problems, but it's only got 54K miles on it. Still, I'm amazed. It just went out of extended warranty, so I'm sure everything will break now. I've had a couple friends with first or 2nd year G35s (coupes & sedans) with quite a few issues, so I can corroborate the other Infiniti comments.

1487

You never seem to miss an opportunity to defend a domestic over an import.

I didn't say an expensive car over a cheap car, I said a car you like over one you don't and it makes a lot of sense.

You buy a car like a Focus (same as the Corolla, not the Civic) as an appliance so you expect it to work like one. Start having a few problems and you'll trade it.

If you really love your car (like a lot of people do with sports cars) and you'll grumple but keep fixing it. Audi, Jag, MB, and BMW for example would have gone out of business years ago if people weren't willing to spend a little more to fix cars they really like. Not just sports cars and European cars, I know people with old pick ups and Jeeps that forever need fixing but the owners love them... and keep them.

BTW...Lots of people loved the 1st gen Focus when it came out, I never heard anyone say they love (or even like) the 2nd gen. I would say it's really not a bad car, just a disappointment.

Most small cars do the same things, Focus is no different. Its not that great looking- but neither is the Corolla. If you are really enthusiastic about your car you are going to be extremely disappointed if it breaks down and you cant drive it for a few days. Your "logic" escapes me when you say an owner will be OK with a breakdown on a desirable car because the car is just so damn good. The Z is hardly the only sports coupe around- if you dont like it you can easily trade it in just like the Focus. You act like we are talking about some rare exotic here.

Nissan quality = bad! Hopefully this doesn't reflect the quality of the new electric vehicles that they are planning on bringing out.

I agree with firstwagon.
For one, I'm more willing to spend money on the car I love, also more tolerant dealing with problems. I also believe more expensive cars cost more to maintain due to higher performance and greater complexity. Basic transportation should be built less complicated and more reliable.

I concur...I suspect the real problem here is Edmunds' personnel; not any unreliability of the vehicles.