2005 Nissan 350Z

No clear pattern

16.8% of complaints about the 2005 Nissan 350Z arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2005 vehicle, but with only 101 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is air bags (32 complaints), typically at 8.3 yr or about 49,000 miles.

Complaints: 101
Median age at failure: 5.8 yr
Median mileage: 36,000 n=77
Crash / fire / tow: 14.9% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

11E024000 2011-06-24

Power train:clutch assembly

ZF SERVICE IS RECALL CERTAIN CLUTCH KIT ASSEMBLIES, PART NUMBER SX: K70358-01, SHIPPED TO WHOLESALERS AS SERVICE PARTS BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2010, AND MARCH 8, 2011. THESE SERVICE PARTS ARE INTENDED FOR USE ON MODEL YEAR 2003-2006 NISSAN 350Z AND INFINITI G35 VEHICLES. THE SX: K70358-01 CLUTCH KIT CONTAINS AN OVERSIZED CLUTCH DISC.

AN OVERSIZED CLUTCH DISC COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO MOVE UNINTENTIONALLY ON THE INITIAL START-UP, IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT FOLLOW THE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS AND FAILS TO USE THE SERVICE BRAKES WHILE THE HAND BRAKE IS NOT APPLIED. UNINTENTIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE COULD RESULT IN A CRASH OR POSSIBLE INJURY TO PERSONS OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE.

06E049000 2006-05-24

Exterior lighting

CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling 350 mi 9 mo in service

DT: 2005 NISSAN ,XTERRA, CONSUMER DROVE THE CAR LESS THAN 150 MILES, AND THE FIRST TIME IT HAD BEEN DRIVEN ABOVE 65 MPH. HEARD A PINGING NOISE, PULLED OFF THE ROAD, NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF ENGINE AND EXHAUST. HOWEVER, DID NOT SEE ANY FIRE, BUT CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE CAR WAS AT DEALERSHIP, AND THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE BLOCK AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER. *AK

Engine cooling 350 mi 9 mo in service

DT: 2005 NISSAN ,XTERRA, CONSUMER DROVE THE CAR LESS THAN 150 MILES, AND THE FIRST TIME IT HAD BEEN DRIVEN ABOVE 65 MPH. HEARD A PINGING NOISE, PULLED OFF THE ROAD, NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF ENGINE AND EXHAUST. HOWEVER, DID NOT SEE ANY FIRE, BUT CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE CAR WAS AT DEALERSHIP, AND THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE BLOCK AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER. *AK

Engine cooling 3,500 mi 6 mo in service

DT: CALLER STATED 4 DIFFERENT TIMES THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH. TWICE HE HAD CLOSE CALLS. CARS AROUND CONTACT'S VEHICLE HAD TO SLAM THE BRAKES. THIS HAPPENED ON MARCH 17. TWICE ON JULY 28, AND ON JULY 30, DEALER HAD VEHICLE THREE DIFFERENT TIMES FOR SAME PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED 3 TIMES, AND THEY HAVE NOT CALLED CONTACT BACK. THIS IS WAS A LEASED CAR.*AK

Air bags 6,893 mi 1.3 yr in service crash / fire / tow

I HAD A CAR ACCIDENT ON 1-1-2006. I HAD A FRONTAL COLLISION IN A 2005 NISSAN 350Z. THE PASSENGERS AIRBAG DEPLOYED, BUT THE DRIVERS DID NOT. WHICH RESULTED IN A FRACTURED STERNUM. *JB

Other 350Z model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2005 Nissan 350Z

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other 350Z model years

How to read this