IN DECEMBER 2008 I BOUGHT A WATER PUMP FOR MY 1990 NISSAN 300ZX FROM ADVANCE AUTO PARTS IN MAULDIN, SC. IT FAILED WITHIN FOUR WEEKS, CAUSING MY ENGINE TO OVERHEAT. I HANDED THE DEFECTIVE PUMP BACK TO THE STORE PERSONNEL. A WEEP HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE PUMP WAS SPURTING OUT WATER, AND THE SPINNING PART WAS CHEWED UP. THE STORE PERSONNEL TOLD ME THE PUMP WAS VISIBLE DEFECTIVE. THE STORE GAVE ME A RECEIPT FOR A REPLACEMENT PUMP, WHICH I PICKED UP FROM AN ADVANCE AUTO STORE/PARTS WAREHOUSE IN SPARTANBURG, SC. WITHIN THREE WEEKS THAT PART FAILED, MY ENGINE OVERHEATED, AND WAS DESTROYED. INCREDIBLY, THE STORE AND THE REGIONAL MANAGER TOLD ME THEIR SYSTEM HAD LOST THE FIRST PUMP, WHICH THEY HAD SENT BACK TO A REGIONAL PARTS RETURN WAREHOUSE IN GEORGIA. THEY WANTED THE SECOND PUMP, BUT COULD NOT GIVE ME A NAME, POSITION, OR DEPARTMENT THAT WOULD ACTUALLY RECEIVE THE PUMP, OR A TRACKING NUMBER OR METHOD. I WAS LUCKY THAT THE PUMP FAILURES HAD NOT PUT ME IN A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION ON A HIGHWAY MEDIAN, OR FAILED ME DURING A FREEZING RAINSTORM. UNFORTUNATELY, THE TWO FAILURES DESTROYED MY CAR ENGINE. I WAS SHOCKED THAT NO TECHNICAL INVESTIGATION HAD BEEN DONE OF THE FIRST PART, NO DOCUMENT HOLD HAD BEEN ISSUED, AND THEY SEEMED UNCONCERNED ABOUT THEIR INABILITY TO TRACK DEFECTIVE PARTS WHICH HAD BEEN RETURNED TO THEM. IN FACT THE STORE MANAGER, AND REGIONAL MANAGER, DID NOT SEEM TO TAKE SERIOUSLY THE FAILURE OF TWO PUMPS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WEEKS APART. I EXPECT A COMPANY TO STA
1990 Nissan 300Zx
Owners filed 19 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the fuel system, gasoline › fuel injection system › injectors. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline › Fuel Injection System › Injectors | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure › Body › Door | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering › Steering Wheel/Handle Bar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Service Brakes, Air › Disc › Caliper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Cooling Unit and Lines | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Latches/Locks/Linkages › Hatchback/Liftgate › Lock | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsAT 63000 MILES VEH DEVELOPED UNEXPLAINED OIL LEAKS RESULTING IN REPLACEMENT OF ENGINE. LESS THAN 15000 MILES LATER WHILE DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT ROAD, TRANSMISSION FAILED TO CHANGE FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR ON AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *AK
VEHICLE RAN ROUGH AND WOULDN'T ACCELERATE FASTER THAN 10 MPH. THIS WAS DUE TO A FAILURE IN THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. THERE WA FUEL INJECTION RECALL 95I006000, BUT IT ONLY INCLUDED EARLIER MODEL YEAR VEHICLES. *AK
PASSENGER DOOR WILL NOT OPEN WHATSOEVER. PERSON ON PASSENGER SIDE COULD BE TRAPPED IN CAR, UNABLE TO OPEN DOOR. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE DRIVERS SIDE ELECTRONIC LOCK ALSO FAILED COMPLETELY.
WHEN THE WEATHER IS HOT CONSUMER COULD START THE ENGINE FOR A FEW MINUTES. THEN, IT WILL SHUT OFF. BUT, WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLD ENGINE WILL START UP FINE. *AK
CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNED WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. FAILURE MORE THAN LIKELY DUE TO FUEL INJECTOR DEFECT, SPRAYING GAS OVER ENGINE. RESULT WAS INTENSE FIRE DESTROYING CAR. NOTHING SALVAGABLE. RECALL OF 90'S NISSAN 300ZX IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. *AK
EXCESSIVE SHAKE AND STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION WHILE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. HAVE TURNED ROTORS TWICE AND REPLACED BRAKE PADS. PROBLEM WILL DISAPPEAR FOR ABOUT 1 MONTH THEN WILL START AGAIN.
PLASTIC COOLIING FAN CRACKS AT HUB. DANGER THAT FAN BLADES MAY FLY OFF AND CAUSE DAMAGE OR INJURE SOMEONE.
WHILE DRIVING THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, CAUSING HE VEHICLE TO COLLIDE . MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
TRANSMISSION--SHIFTS FRON 1ST TO 2ND SLOWLY, LEAKS. TIMING BELT REPLACED TWICE (3,894 MILES IN BETWEEN). BATTERY CAUSED ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IN CAR. AIR CONDITIONING AND STEREO PROBLEMS. OWNER WANTS TO KNOW IF THESE PROBLEMS ARE COVERED IN A SECRET WARRANTY OR RECALL.
ALUMINUM CALIPERS OVERHEAT AND WARP CAUSING OTHER COMPONENTS TO FAIL AS WELL AS VIBRATION, ALUMINUM WHEELS REPLACED W/STEEL WHEELS.
DEFECTIVE ENGINE VALVES. NISSAN PUT OUT A BULLETIN ON 08/07/93, STATING THAT SOME OF THE 300ZX MODELS HAD DEFECTIVE VALVES. *AK
FUEL INJECTORS FAILED.
REAR HATCH LATCH FAILURE, EJECTION, ATTORNEY FOR CONSUMER.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCED REPEATED PLANETARY FAILURE DUE TO DESIGN OF COOLER.
FUEL INJECTORS KEEP GOING OUT; TOLD BY DEALER, COMMON PROBLEM; CAUSES EXCESS FUEL TO GO INTO CYLINDER; POTENTIAL FOR ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. *AK
FUEL INJECTORS ARE LEAKING FUEL OVER THE ENGINE. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE, VEHICLE SEIZED WHILE DRIVING. TT
ABS BRAKES; INTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLYING BRAKES SYSTEM WILL LOCK UP AND THEN ACCELERATE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
19 of 19 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.