| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2003 Nissan Z repairs by problem area
Engine (32%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (8%)
Brakes and Traction Control (6%)
Suspension and Steering (10%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (29%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (8%)
Other (8%)
Chart based on 198 repairs.
2003 Nissan Z engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (2%)
$1000 - $2499 (12%)
$500 - $999 (12%)
$100 - $499 (42%)
< $100 (32%)
Chart based on 59 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2003 Nissan Z 2dr Hatch
287-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed manual RWD
| 130000 mi US $180 |
Engine would not idle after start. Would die immediately. TSB. Dealer wanted to charge more than $500 for a new throttle body. Took the car to Z Car Garage, he solved the problem by cleaning the existing throttle body. |
| 125500 mi US $647 |
Engine would not spin up beyond idle. Replaced throttle body, replaced belts, clean air filter. |
| 146000 mi US $600 |
Engine stutter when first starting to accelerate. Replaced mass air flow sensor. |
| 156000 mi US $950 |
cam and crank sensors replacement. |
| 94300 mi US $95 |
Replaced Camshaft Position Sensor Bank 1. Sensor failed after autocross event with very bumpy surface. Suspension is heavily modified. Replaced DIY, 15 mins. Replaced Camshaft Position Sensor Bank 1. Sensor failed after autocross event with very bumpy surface. Suspension is heavily modified. Replaced DIY, 15 mins. |
| 100700 mi US $60 |
Noticed predetonation noise 1st gear from stops. Iridium plugs electrode worn, heavy ash deposits. Replaced. Random misfire hours later. Random miss persists for a day, checked plugs, fuel pressure, ok. Problem gone, no conclusions. |
| 105000 mi | Oil consumption appears to have damaged the converters. No MIL. WOT produces noticeable odors. Excessive cabin temps noted after 20 min drive. Performed cat efficiency test with emissions analyzer, recommend replacement and HO2s eff test. |
| 109000 mi | Earlier oil consumption might have damaged catalytic converters. The converters still smell like fire and brimstone under WOT, this may be due to the stripped interior. Being converted into a track-only car. |
| 48500 mi US $230 |
Thermostat was not closing keeping the revs up and the check engine light on. |
| 82200 mi US $110 |
Overheating caused several CELs. No obvious problems, so the dealer checked it out. Found a defective radiator cap and i replaced it. |
| 94300 mi US $125 |
CEL indicated a problem and running a scan revealed the cam position sensor (bank 1) was going out. Purchased a replacement and completed the repair myself. |
| 98000 mi US $250 |
Leaky valve cover- cannot replace gasket. New valve cover required for left bank. NGK spark plugs replaced for 100K service Fuel injectors replaced with new units. No problems at all with the old ones. These injectors were balanced and blueprinted for the VQ35DE and racing. Swapped engines for racing and wasn't going to use these, so I elected to swap them out. BTW- no appreciable changes or increases in MPG, throttle response or output. Those Nissan injectors work pretty well and are very durable. |
| 86900 mi US $900 |
The oils seals on all the spark plugs were leaking. The oil seals are non-replaceable, therefore 2 new valve covers were replaced. The oils seals on all the spark plugs were leaking. The oil seals are non-replaceable, therefore 2 new valve covers were replaced. |
| 200000 mi | Timing chain tensioner begun the classic VQ35 rattle. Didn't feel like spending the money or time on it, and needed a bigger car anyway, so I sold it as is. |
| 115000 mi US $65 |
Discovered a very small oil leak under the car, further investigation showed it was coming from near the oil filter. Online searches showed trends of an OIL COOLER gasket leaking. Repair was barely more than a standard oil change. |
| 140000 mi US $100 |
Exhaust muffler broke, Installed a new system. |
| 222000 mi US $340 |
Oil pressure gauge shows maximum oil pressure. No fluctuation except when car is off or on. Also had Oil Change. |
| 226000 mi US $1500 |
Gaskets on Valve Covers Leaked down into Spark Plugs, Spark plugs 1st change, Oil pressure sending unit replaced. |
| 237000 mi US $880 |
Cam and Crank Sensors replaced when errors showed up on Cam sensor. Crank sensor previously replaced per recall. |
| 90000 mi US $55 |
Camshaft Position Sensor (phase 2) failed. I diagnosed with my OBDII scanned (had a check engine light). Replaced myself, cost for parts and general supplies was 55 for the sensor. |
| 63000 mi US $300 |
Leaking antifreeze. Radiator had split at the bottom. Had to be replaced. |
| 91000 mi US $400 |
Replaced the cam position sensors. This SHOULD have been covered under a recall as my car displayed the described symptoms where the motor will die in traffic, thereby causing loss of any/all power functions and no power. Nissan refused to pay. |
| 96000 mi | Error codes for difference of key, camshaft position sensor, and knock sensor. |
| 143500 mi US $45 |
The engine started misfiring and gave a CEL code. Did not get the code checked, but figured the spark plugs need replacing. Replace spark plugs with NGK Laser Platinum Spark Plug (PLFR5A-11). After installation, worked just fine. |
| 160000 mi US $75 |
Bad Cam sensor(s) was causing a check engine light. Also noted a bad knock sensor which caused rough idle and bad starts. Replaced both cam sensors and it fixed the issue with the engine light on both the cam and knock sensors. |
| 92000 mi US $60 |
replace bank 2 oxygen sensor |
| 96000 mi US $60 |
Replace bank 1 sensor 1 o2 sensor |
| 79000 mi US $600 |
Faulty Cam shaft position sensors |
| 92000 mi US $325 |
Replace one oxygen sensor. |
| 96900 mi US $250 |
Replaced gasket on oil pump. Oil was leaking through the worn gasket. |
| 106000 mi US $285 |
Misfiring on cylinder #3.Problem repaired by replacing coil pack |
| 120000 mi US $250 |
Heat shield cracked. |
| 48485 mi US $100 |
New fan/drive belts. |
| 155300 mi US $130 |
The sending unit for the oil pressure gauge went out. Replaced it during an oil change. Simple proceedure. |
| 161000 mi US $200 |
Car started feeling like it was running on 5 cyl so I replaced the spark plugs, broke a coil pack extracting it and had to replace that too |
| 65000 mi US $800 |
Cold air intake incorrectly installed by dealer, crushed O2 sensor caused cylinders 1,3,5 to misfire repeatedly, consume oil, and foul the intake manifold. |
| 71000 mi US $60 |
Oil pressure sensor replaced |
| 64000 mi US $100 |
Under normal driving, noticed car begin to overheat and coolant leak. Car was towed to dealer. Parts weren't in stock. Took 4 days and was given rental car for 2. Picked up car in perfect condition. |
| 70000 mi US $100 |
Car stalled multiple times in a row thus leaving the car inoperable. Was towed to dealer. Told problem was crank position sensor. |
| 109000 mi US $10 |
Check engine light came on due to faulty camshaft sensor. This in turn caused the traction control to fail. |
| 114300 mi US $490 |
Car was leaking oil and running poorly. Replaced plugs, cleaned fuel system and gas tank, replaced passenger valve cover gasket, and reset ecu. |
| 120000 mi US $150 |
Car went into fail-safe mode with trouble codes P1122 & P1128. Troubleshooting concluded throttle-body required replacement. Cars runs fine. |
| 94000 mi US $3000 |
Replaced plugs and notice oil in cylinders, had to replace valve cover gaskets / seals. |
| 130000 mi US $95 |
Car stalled / hard to restart due to failed bank 1 camshaft position sensor. Sensor replaced. |
| 132000 mi US $5 |
Small rubber bumper on clutch pedal that engages lower starter interrupt switch broke into pieces. Car unable to start with that bumper missing. Replaced with body panel retainer of same diameter. |
| 132000 mi US $56 |
Coil pack failure on #4 |
| 139000 mi US $200 |
Crack in top of radiator tank. Replaced radiator. |
| 140000 mi US $10 |
Pedal position sensor error code. Would not start. Replaced rubber pedal spacer. |
| 141000 mi US $200 |
O2 sensor replacement |
2003 Nissan Z 2dr Hatch
287-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 74600 mi US $1200 |
exhaust system rusted and broke in front of the muffler. Purchased and had a Borla stainless steel true dual exhaust system installed from cat back. |
| 88000 mi US $100 |
replaced exhaust system gaskets between catalytic converter and exhaust pipe |
| 45000 mi US $30 |
check engine light came on. Car was in shop for oil change. Tech read code as fuel temp sensor. Reset computer, code has not returned. |
| 75000 mi US $250 |
Engine overheat resulting from a failed water pump. Replaced pump, thermostat and both drive belts. Changed oil and filter. Problem reported earlier. Spark plugs have since been replaced by self. Cost 60.00. 1.0 hour |
| 139900 mi US $1600 |
Replaced exhaust sensors |
| 57000 mi US $1200 |
Dealer Replaced Thermostat and Radiator. |
| 68000 mi US $1200 |
Dealer replaced Engine Harness. |
| 77000 mi US $1200 |
Dealer replaced Crankshaft sensor and Cam Sensors (both banks) |
| 102000 mi US $1300 |
Brought car in to replace spark plugs. Nissan found oil in spark plugs 5 & 6. Valve Covers need replacing as well as Valve Cover Gaskets. |
See TrueDelta's information for all Hatchbacks and Convertibles.
See TrueDelta's information for all Nissan models.
