# 350z Clutch Problems



## howardforster (May 19, 2006)

i have a 350z roadster and after only 10.500 miles the clutch has gone.

I hear it is a generic fault to which i am going to take Nissan to court for supplying defective goods, has anyone else had a cars clutch go this quickly as the more information i have the easier it will be to get a result

Let me know 

Regards


howard


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## WATSON1 (Jul 9, 2005)

Out of curiosity, what year is your Z? I only have 3k on my 06.


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## howardforster (May 19, 2006)

*05 Plate*

My car is an 05 plate, the clutch went in only 10,500 miles, so if you drive it and i dont mean hard be careful, current cost of clutch, flywheel and labour is over 2K which is why i am so pissed off.


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## WATSON1 (Jul 9, 2005)

There has been extensive discussion on other forums about the Z clutch issue. You are not the only one who has had the problem. I think 10.5k is the most premature I've heard about though. Some people have been running factory clutch for 80k+ miles with no roblems, driving the hell out of it, and some people have been easy on it, and had to replace at 20k. IMO, I think it is a manufacture defect, but there really is nothing that can be done about it, since the clutch is a normal "wear and tear" part. I plan on going JWT clutch and flywheel soon as I get the money. When you have yours replaced, don't go OEM, go ahead and upgrade.


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

I've got 50k on my stock clutch, with 7k on boost and nearly 400whp. You're doing something wrong. You're either riding the clutch or something.

Upgrading, for you, isn't necessary. Ask for a clutch for the 03 model. It has 880kg holding vs 800kg for the latest models....except for the 06s which have a totally different part number all together.

but again, clutches just don't fail at 10k for no reason......if it was defective it would've gone long before now. I think you need to deeply analyze the way you drive.


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## pfcyates45 (Jan 17, 2006)

In my 2005 Frontier i had a clutch go at about 11,000. I have been drive stick for quite some time and never had a problem. After a little research i have found there are many people who are having these problems with 05-06 models. On this website someone reported losing a clutch at 5400 miles. No amount of bad driving should kill a clutch in 11000 miles or 5400 miles. I also found the service manager at my dealership dose not know how to drive a manual transmission car (he made the determination that it was driving habbits and not a malfunction), When he attempted to move my car he couldnt get it into reverse (he didnt know you had to puch the stick down and over) and when he figured it out he stalled it out 3 times in front of me. Do the research because Nissan is having problems. 2Gs into a brand new car is bull shit


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## rps180 (Aug 20, 2005)

What the??? Are you guys serious that you have to pay 2Gs for a clutch job while the vehicle is still under warranty????? That's not right. I have seen about 4 350Z's come in for clutch replacement, and only one of those was a customer pay since he already had 75K miles. Only saw 2 2005 Frontiers come in for clutch replacement. For both, it was obvious driver habits since there was major blue spots on the flywheels. However, we did replace both under warranty. 
I don't blame the clutch as defective. I think its the way the clutch feels. It is just so soft. No feedback. The first time I drove a manual 350Z, I had a hard time with the clutch feel. They need to make the clutch feel stiffer!
Also, the if the clutch was defective, then there should be alot more vehicles out there, from other manufacturers, with defective clutches. Nissan is supplied by Daikin Clutch, which is also the manufacturer and parent company of Exedy, who supplies manufacturers like Toyota and Honda as well.


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## fredholl (Jun 6, 2006)

I had a "03" 350Z one of the first uk versions, I sold the car back to the Nissan dealer after the 3rd clutch was fitted at 22k, first clutch 9k second 16k third 22k, lots of complaints to Nissan with NO joy at all I even wrote to Top Gear expressing how poor this car was. still enjoying my manual BMW with no clutch problems at all, I have bee driving for over 20 years never had a automatic and this is the first car I had to have the clutch replaced, don't tell me its driver problems, I was well informed that the ? Nissan dealers mechanic was not trained on working on any Nissan ? this cost me for clutch 2 and 3 not a happy experience at all and I rate this cat a top number zero pice of junk


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## fredholl (Jun 6, 2006)

O sorry I am happy to post you copies of all letters sent to Nissan


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## aknod (Jul 23, 2006)

*just fried clutch and flywheel at 450 miles*

STRANGE, I was at the dealer today explaining how I drive it like a baby and smell a burnt mustardy odor. He told me it should be fine, then revs without clutch kicking in, then the shifter seized to shift. totally bummed out, pushed a 2006 350z for a 1/2 mile with only 450 miles on it as a professional driver and it is nothing but a 30k piece of sheetmetal.

what a waste? how do I handle this??? thanks.


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## skyydiver (Aug 2, 2006)

sounds like you got a defective clutch from the factory. it happens every once in awhile. I will assume you know how to drive a standard and don't let your foot rest on the clutch pedal with the clutch engaged (ie...driving). I will also assume that you do not rev the motor too high when leaving from a stand still and that you slowly release the clutch pedal. I will also assume that you do not sit at a stop light with the clutch pedal pressed in, holding it there while waiting for the light to change. With that said, there is no reason your clutch should have failed so early on. Nissan needs to step up to the plate, and take care of you. If not for customer service for gods sake. "Once, shame on us (Nissan), twice, shame on you". Did that make sense? Nissan should go ahead and replace the clutch giving you the benefit of the doubt. If it happens again, than they can blame your driving habits...but it is too premature to blame you at this point. Ask for the division manager and see if he can help you.

Good Luck,
Joe


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## oscarmayer (Jul 26, 2005)

has anyone thought about making sure hte clutch sas adjusted properly? Under the dash at the top of the pedal there is a nut you loosen and then tuen the shaft till it's jsut slightly loose. it looks to me more like mis-adjustment from the factory (meaning the dealers are not proerply doing the make ready as they should. checking clutch adjustment is part of the make ready) and the dealers are not wanting to eat the $ it takes to warranty them out seeing that the fctory will not cover their work for improper delivery to the customer.

i al willing to bet msot of these cases are from mis-aligned clutches from the factory and the dealers are not doing their make ready's properly.

dealers suck....


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2006)

I have an '05 with 11k miles on mine and something feels wrong on mine too. been driving stick all my life and never had a problem with clutches on any cars except this. it has been adjusted once to place the engagement point closer to the floor and after a month it has steadily been moving farther and farther back in the pedal throw. It takes a fair amount of hard driving before you destroy a clutch and i am unwilling to believe it is poor driver habits. i'm taking it in this week to bitch about it...


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

engagement moving back is merely an adjustment issue, not an actual clutch issue.


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## oscarmayer (Jul 26, 2005)

there are a number of things that couldl cause this. 
bad clutch
bad to bearing
bad thrust washer in the motor
improper adjustment. the adjsutment under the dash is NOT to move the engagement pooint of the pedal but to ensure "proper" seating. if the shaft is not properly adjsuted and is too tight, then it will cause constant pressure ot he clutch via letting the to bearing remain engauged even when not pushing it it, this woudl cause the disc to wear due to not proper pressure being applied from the plate to the disc due to partial engaugement of the to bearing from a mis-adjusted pedal pin.

hope this helps and give you an idea as to what I was refering too.

good luck with it guys,


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## 350z4life (Dec 13, 2007)

*help*

I have an 06 model 350z touring. I need help with 2 questions. I had my clutch replaced at 22k and i think it was because i was doing burnouts but heres the prob. I had an 03 and did burnouts which was also a touring and never had a problem. anywayz below are my questions:

1) When I engage first gear and slam my accelerator(traction off) when my car hits 4500rpm it locks up and the clutch pedal does NOT come back up all the way and even if I change gears the RPM stays and my car goes nowhere. what is happening. I need to know whats going on, I was thinkng that its the clutch calbe that cant handle the load or that the factory one is faulty but I dont know what to do.

2) When I turn my steering wheel I hear a loud clicking sound(thought it was my ball bearings in steering wheel) but it also happens when I apply the brakes.


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## monster350z (Dec 24, 2007)

*07 350z cluth problems*

no its not your driving my friend i have a 07 350z and at 2k the clutch started to get stuck at the bottom so i kept taking it to the dealer and they kept saying its fine nothing wrong so i blew it on purposae and they replaced it, with the fly wheel and slave cylinder and it drove good untill now its starting to get stuck at the bottom again when i punch it first gear and just tears through the gears as if im in nuetrul.. so what im going to do is take it to them and convince them to change it but replace it with an aftermarket with the same value i dont know if ur dealer will do it like that but mine they are really cool and kinda like friends.,.. yea but its a weak clutch on these cars and should make a recall on them


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## Matic250Z (Feb 10, 2008)

*Clutch is driving me INSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!*

I have had my Z for a year and never been happy with the clutch. I companined that it would not slide into 2nd and 3rd smoothly... "sorry", they said, "dont think it's that bad". Whaaaaa! Anyway, it gets progressively worse until they admist it may be the thrust bearing... so a new clutch is dropped in at 6500 miles. 

2 months later I get a service and say I am still not happy with the transmission and... why does the clutch pedal click half way through pushing it down... "Ahh sir that is characteristic of these cars, try this used vehicle, see its the same... " and they were right! But I tried the showroom vehicle and it didn't do it!

The clicking noise if really getting on my t**s, I think I may need locked up shortly. Please tell me others experience this problem and if it normal? I may have to burn this vehicle as I have it as a company car and hate it!


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## monster350z (Dec 24, 2007)

*clutch*

listen do this,,,, go to the dealer and check their recalls on it because mine just got placed again because i did some digging and found a recall on the slave cylinder assembly kit and now its like a champ.lol but dont let down cause thats their defense and i used to sit outside the dealersship all day and complain because its not a small investment to put behind your back and forget about it, what year is yours???? good luck dude.......


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## dalanamorse (Dec 29, 2010)

*No Help From Infiniti/Nissan with Sticking Clutch Pedal - WHAT YOU SHOULD DO*

My clutch pedal had been sticking at random times for over a year. The problem was so sporadic and the dealership was 30 minutes away so the sticking pedal problem would stop sticking by the time I could take it in and show them the problem.

About a month or two ago, I took it to Grubbs Infiniti in Euless, Texas, for the airbag recall and mentioned the sticking clutch pedal to them. Of course, they were unable to replicate the problem so they were not able to fix it and sent me on my way.

On December 9, 2010, I took it in again because I could smell that awful burning clutch smell. The dealer wanted me to pay $1,450.00 for the repairs. I have an extended warranty on the vehicle but normal wear and tear is not covered. That is understandable but it still was not good enough for me. I knew that the sticking clutch pedal was causing wear and tear that was BEYOND normal on my car – especially since it had been doing it for over a year.

By accident, I stumbled across this forum and MULTIPLE other forums of people have the EXACT same issue with their G35’s. I also found MULTIPLE forums of Nissan 350 owners with the EXACT same problem – after all it is essentially the same car. I was shocked and appalled that this has not become a recall issue when it is a matter of consumer safety. I think that this issue is bigger than any of us or Infiniti/Nissan realizes. This is a widespread problem they are avoiding.

Even more shocking and appalling is the lack of concern for my safety that I received from both Grubbs Infiniti and Infiniti Consumer Affairs. Their complete unwillingness to make the needed repairs and cover all or part of the costs and STOP putting my life in jeopardy every time I drive the vehicle is asinine. 

Infiniti/Nissan’s defective sticking clutch pedal IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN and does cause premature wear on other clutch parts. Therefore, Infiniti/Nissan should:

•	Issue a recall on this sticking pedal IMMEDIATELY. People’s lives are at risk! This is no different than the sticking accelerator problem that Toyota had but they want to sweep it under the rug. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THEY WILL WAKE UP?
•	If they aren’t going to recall the sticking clutch pedal, then they need to cover the repairs to fix the sticking clutch pedal and any repairs from the unnecessary wear that the sticking clutch pedal caused.

If you have tried to work with the dealership or Infiniti/Nissan to get them to do just those very things and your attempts failed, here is what I suggest you do, as suggested to me by a consumer attorney:

•	File a complaint, in writing, over the phone or online with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by going to https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
•	File a complaint with the Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division in your area. You can find a list by state by going here: http://www.naag.org/current-attorneys-general.php
•	Write your congressman or congress-woman. You can find yours by going to https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml. The last thing Infiniti/Nissan wants is a criminal investigation (much like Toyota’s) into the company's safety problems and lack of concern for their customers.
•	Contact a public defender at your local news station. Almost all of us have them now. You may not get a call back or response from this but I am willing to bet that if we all do this, one of them will step up the plate and broadcast this problem. And if you know how the news works, when one reports it, they ALL report it. News broadcasts will bring more people forward with the same problem and will provide us Infiniti/Nissan owners with some strength in numbers.

Having lived this, I hope that my tips and pointers help. 

In addition, if any of you are in Texas and would like to become part of a group lawsuit against Infiniti/Nissan to offset some of the attorney fees, please email me at [email protected]

United we stand… Let’s come together and MAKE Infiniti/Nissan do the right thing since they obviously aren’t going to do it on their own.


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## PbLead (Aug 8, 2009)

Even if we couldn't duplicate the problem, we still tried to sell a clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder just to be on the safe side. Customer may have not liked it but it was the safe thing to do. This coming from former Urban Nissan.


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## Mr Disappointed (Feb 18, 2011)

*What a Con!*








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2007 350Z
Had clutch slave cylinder replaced 2 years ago with the recall and only got 28k miles out of it before it failed again. dealer want $700 to replace it again. Would this part not be covered? I have another 14-year-old vehicle that's never had anything go wrong with it. This is not how you want to see your mere 3-year-old vehicle.


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## justlabdrum (May 4, 2015)

Thanks dalanamorse, I'm going to take your advice.


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## Pacific Slug (Sep 17, 2015)

I have a 2005 350z GTR and my clutch wore out at about 40k. To the person that snarkily said that we need to review our driving habits, please take your sarcastic comments elsewhere. 

I know how to drive a manual transmission car and I did not do anything that I haven't done in other cars that had their clutch last much much longer. After speaking to several people I had a JWT heavy duty clutch installed and have gone 110k miles on it without any issues. My guess is that Nissan has quality control issues at their factories and like other issues with their cars, they will not admit to anything because recalls cost a lot more than fighting off a few lawsuits or losing a couple customers to better quality brands.

Upgrade your clutch and flywheel, you will enjoy the better performance.


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## timberdoodle (Aug 2, 2016)

*Timberdoodle*

The problem is two-fold. We have a 2004 350Z manual trans, and had the clutch first repl at 7000 miles. It now has 55000 and has had 5 clutches. I discovered the fix by accident, after the fifth clutch started exhibiting the same issues as the first two. The problem is that the cylinders bypass due to fluid degradation from exhaust heat, causing low and soft pedal. Also the line from the master to the slave balloons, due to being rubber, and being routed too close to the exhaust, which causes the clutch to remain partially engaged (disengaged). We now have a few miles on the replacement clutch cylinders with no problems. It is nec to replace the line from the master to the slave with a braided covered line to prevent ballooning and overheating. Nissan was no help either financially, or technically with this issue. Hope this fixes your issues, as it has ours. By the way, Nissan's first response was poor driving habits.....


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