Common problems

Nissan 370Z common problems

What MOT testers find on the Nissan 370Z: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 3,565 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 13 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=1,258)4.9

All cars at 13 years (n=6,612,160)17.0

Tyres advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=1,258)18.6

All cars, same age (n=6,612,160)28.1

What stands out

No part area of the Nissan 370Z fails more than 1 point per 100 MOTs above all cars at 13 years old (n=1,258; all cars n=6,612,160).
Suspension fails are less common: 2.1 per 100 MOTs against 14.9 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 13 years: tyre tread below 1.6 mm, on 2.2 per 100 MOTs (all cars 3.0).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 13.7 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 13 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Nissan 370Z at 13 years (n=1,258) against all cars at 13 years (n=6,612,160). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	4.9	17.0	4.7	10.8
Tyres	4.4	7.3	18.6	28.1
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	4.3	4.3	1.4	8.2
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.0	5.6	3.7	4.7
Suspension	2.1	14.9	15.7	27.9
Brakes	1.8	9.1	14.7	25.0
Body and structure	1.7	5.0	5.6	8.0
Number plates and VIN	0.3	0.4	0.6	3.4
Seat belts and airbags	0.2	1.2	0.1	0.7
Steering	0.1	2.9	2.4	3.5
Road wheels	0.1	0.5

What testers fail most on the 370Z at 13 years

Fail items on the Nissan 370Z at 13 years (n=1,258), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=6,612,160).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	2.2	3.0	£88 to £145 per tyre
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	1.8	0.7

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 13 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Nissan 370Z at 13 years (n=1,258), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=6,612,160).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	13.7	18.2	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	7.1	10.6	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play	Suspension	6.0	2.3	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	5.2	5.1	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	Suspension	5.2	3.8
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	3.6	9.1	£88 to £145 per tyre
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	3.0	3.1	£182 to £263 per section
Windscreen: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	1.9	2.9
Nail in tyre	Other	1.7	1.7
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	1.7	2.4	£88 to £145 per tyre

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 13 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Tyres	Exhaust, emissions and leaks
12 years	1,152	4.1	3.1	3.4
13 years	1,258	4.9	4.4	4.3
14 years	1,155	5.4	3.5	5.1

What to check on a viewing

On the Nissan 370Z, testers most often record tyre tread below 1.6 mm; catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Tyres

Check the tread across the full width of all four tyres, and the spare if there is one.
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking in the sidewalls.
Wear on one edge only can point to worn suspension or the tracking being out.

Exhaust, emissions and leaks

Start the engine from cold if you can and watch the exhaust for blue or black smoke.
Check that the engine warning light goes out after starting and stays out on the test drive.
Look under the car and around the engine for oil or fluid leaks, and listen for a blowing exhaust.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Nissan 370Z?

At 13 years, the age with the most MOT tests (1,258), the fail items testers record most often on the Nissan 370Z are tyre tread below 1.6 mm (2.2 per 100 MOTs), catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (1.8 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (13.7) and brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (7.1).

Which parts of the Nissan 370Z fail more often than on other cars?

None by more than 1 point per 100 MOTs at 13 years, compared with 6,612,160 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Nissan 370Z problems by area

370Z tyre problems

Other Nissan models

All Nissan models · Common problems by make

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Nissan 370Z?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources