NHTSA Complaint #10811921 — 2012 NISSAN 370Z

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.