Buyer Research

2010 Nissan 370Z — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $11,000–$18,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

Fifty-six percent of this year's 110 complaints are one part: the electronic steering column lock, which decides the car will not start, usually in a car park, usually with a tow to follow. Nissan recalled the same component on the GT-R and never extended it to the Z, so the bill lands on the owner — the people filing here were quoted $1,000 to $1,700. Behind it sits the clutch slave cylinder, which empties the pedal onto the floor while you are driving. Both faults are expensive, both are well understood, and both can be checked or bought already fixed. The VQ37 engine and the way the car drives are why people keep these for fifteen years. Buy the one with receipts for the lock and the slave cylinder; on one without them, negotiate for the cost of doing both.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 110 owner complaints for the 2010 Nissan 370Z, and no recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 56% of them are about one thing — steering. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2010 Nissan 370Z

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Electronic steering column lock fails and the car will not startHigh — wallet impact

This is 62 of the 110 complaints on this year. The electronic steering column lock releases the steering column once your key fob is recognised; when the unit fails, an intelligent-key warning lights up, the push-button start sits in LOCK, and the car goes nowhere. Owners here describe it at the supermarket, at work, and once after a 74-year-old had already paid for the same repair seven years earlier. Nissan recalled this part on the GT-R and did not extend it to the Z. A Nissan dealer replaces and programmes the unit; independent shops fit a bypass module for a fraction of that. Before you buy, start and restart the car several times and watch for the key-shaped warning symbol flickering on the dash.

Repair cost (estimate): $900–$1,800

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (62).

Airbag light and a passenger occupant sensor the dealer prices like a whole seatMedium

Four of the six most recent complaints in this 30-strong electrical cluster are the steering lock again, filed under the wrong label — worth knowing so you do not count one fault as two. What is left is the SRS warning light. One owner with 24,000 miles was told the front passenger occupant sensor had failed on code B1018 and quoted $4,767, because Nissan builds the sensor into the seat base. Most cases are cheaper than that, but none are cheap. At the car: the airbag light should come on with the ignition and go out within a few seconds. One that stays lit is a real negotiating point.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$2,600 depending on whether it is a connector or the seat base assembly

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (30).

Clutch slave cylinder empties and the pedal stays on the floorHigh — wallet impact

On the 6-speed manual, the slave cylinder sits inside the bellhousing. When its seal fails the clutch fluid drains away and the pedal drops to the carpet with no warning — owners in this record lost it on the highway, on a service road and in stop-and-go traffic, and in each case the car was stuck in whatever gear it was in. The part itself is inexpensive; reaching it means pulling the transmission out, which is where the money goes. Several owners had it fail twice. On the test drive, press the clutch twenty times in a row and feel for the pedal sinking under steady pressure, then check the clutch fluid reservoir is full and clear. Cars with the 7-speed automatic do not have this part at all.

Repair cost (estimate): $700–$1,800 — a cheap part behind a gearbox that has to come out

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (26).

Sport-package forged wheels crack rather than bend on a potholeMedium

The Sport package's 19-inch forged RAYS wheels are light, which is the point, and brittle, which is the cost. An impact that would put a dent in an ordinary cast wheel can open a hairline crack in one of these, and the first sign is usually a slow leak or a vibration that shows up around 60 mph. Nobody filed this with NHTSA for 2010, so treat it as something known about the car rather than something the record proves. Run a hand around the inside barrel of each wheel feeling for a welded repair, and take the car above 55 mph with your hands light on the wheel.

Repair cost (estimate): $600–$1,400 per wheel

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Key-shaped warning symbol on the dash, or a starter button that stays in LOCK
✗Clutch pedal that sinks toward the floor while you hold steady pressure on it
✗Clutch fluid reservoir below the mark or dark in colour
✗Airbag warning light still lit a minute after startup
✗Steering-wheel vibration around 60 mph on 19-inch forged wheels

Good Signs

✓A receipt for a replaced steering lock unit, or a bypass module already fitted
✓Clutch slave cylinder replaced, with the invoice and the mileage on it
✓Airbag light that illuminates at startup and goes out within seconds
✓Clutch fluid clear and up to the full mark in the reservoir
✓Oil change records showing the correct viscosity for the VQ37 at sensible intervals