NHTSA Complaint #10047161 — 2003 NISSAN 350Z

NISSAN 350Z 2003 FRONT SUSPENSION ISSUE - TIRES ARE FEATHERING BECAUSE OF BAD SETUP IN FRONT SUSPENSION. THIS PROBLEM SURFACED AFTER ABOUT 5000 MILES ON THE CAR IN THE FORM OF A LOW RUMBLING NOISE WHEN SLOWING DOWN. THIS NOISE SLOWLY GOT WORSE UNTIL I TOOK THE CAR IN AND NIACIN SAID THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. I WAS GIVEN A NEW SET OF TIRES THAT WERE NOT FEATHERED AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY UNTIL I REACHED ANOTHER 5000 MILES, AT WHICH POINT, THE NOISE RESURFACED. I ONCE AGAIN, TOOK IT INTO NIACIN, WHO WAS VERY GOOD ABOUT RECOGNIZING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM, AND BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT THE ORIGINAL ISSUE WAS MOST LIKELY NOT DEFECTIVE TIRES BUT A POOR SETUP OF SOME KIND THAT WAS CAUSING THE FEATHERING. THEY AGREED AND SAID A BULLETIN HAD BEEN SENT OUT ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THE SOLUTION, THEY SAID, WAS TO SWITCH THE TIRES, RE-CALIBRATE SOMETHING WITH THE SUSPENSION, AND THE TIRES WOULD EVENTUALLY EVEN OUT. I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN 3000 MILES SINCE THIS FIX, BUT THE NOISE IS STILL APPARENT, AND I BELIEVE THERE IS STILL AN ISSUE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION. I FEEL THAT NIACIN HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME ABOUT ADDRESSING ISSUES AS THEY COME UP, BUT IF THIS IS A BIGGER PROBLEM, I REALLY FEEL THAT NIACIN SHOULD RECALL RHE FRONT SUSPENSION AND ADDRESS THE DEEPER PROBLEM. I CAN'T KEEP REPLACING MY TIRES EVERY 5000 MILES. *LA