The Lemon IndexNissan 350Z reliability.
Is it reliable? Not really. 3.3× the average car's complaints.
Avoid · 2003–2006
What owners say on YouTube
2003–2009 350Z · 194 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
- Infotainment, battery & electrical111K views
- Transmission & shifter84K views
- Gauges, lights & wiring50K views
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2007 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2007 best.
Fewest complaints
2006.
Only 4 Nissan 350Z years have enough complaints and sales to score, too few for best and worst lists. 2006 drew about one and a half times the average car's complaints.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 6 Nissan 350Z years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/nissan-350z/" title="Nissan 350Z reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="307" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/nissan-350z/">Lemon Index</a> (Nissan 350Z reliability by year)</p>Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.
YouTube rank: we read 198 YouTube videos about the Nissan 350Z, 2003 to 2009, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2007. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Nissan 350Z.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Nissan 350Z reliable?
Not really. It draws 3.3× the average car's complaints, but YouTube owners sound happier with it than with most cars its age. No year beat the average car. The year with the fewest complaints, 2006, still drew 1.5× the average.
Is the Nissan 350Z a good car?
Not overall: it draws more complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2003-2006: Lemon Index 330; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2006 drew the fewest complaints and 2003 the most.
What are the best Nissan 350Z years to buy?
Only 4 Nissan 350Z years have enough data to score, so we don't list best years. 2006 drew the fewest complaints (about one and a half times the average car's complaints).
What Nissan 350Z years should you stay away from?
Only 4 Nissan 350Z years have enough data to score, too few to single out years to avoid.
How many recalls does the Nissan 350Z have?
12 safety recalls across the 6 model years we track. Most: 2003 (4), 2004 (3), 2005 (2). Each year's page lists them.
What are the most common Nissan 350Z problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name suspension, tires and transmission & drivetrain most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 462 | about 5 times the average car's complaints | 188 | suspension (57%) | 4 | — | 19–20 |
| 2004 | 337 | about 3 times the average car's complaints | 88 | tires (34%) | 3 | — | 19–20 |
| 2005 | 180 | about twice the average car's complaints | 34 | engine (47%) | 2 | — | 19–20 |
| 2006 | 154 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 24 | engine (46%) | 1 | — | 19 |
| 2007 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 39 | transmission & drivetrain (103%) | 1 | — | 19–20 |
| 2008 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 12 | transmission & drivetrain (125%) | 1 | — | 19–20 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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