Buyer Research

2016 Nissan 370Z — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $17,000–$25,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 10 Nissan 370Z years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Three complaints. That is the entire public record for this model year, and it needs saying plainly: three filings tell you almost nothing about how the car holds up, and a short page here is a measure of how few people wrote in, not a verdict that the car is sound. Two of the three are faults we can see clearly on the higher-volume earlier years — the clutch slave cylinder on the manual, and an airbag warning light that owners find expensive to chase. The complaint counts on the 370Z fall away sharply after 2014, which tracks falling sales and younger cars rather than any documented redesign of the parts involved, so we would inspect a 2016 for exactly the same things as a 2012. Drive it hard on the clutch, watch the dash lights, and buy on service history.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 3 owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan 370Z, and no recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under electrics and electronics (1), airbags (1), the transmission and drivetrain (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

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

Known Issues for the 2016 Nissan 370Z

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

Clutch slave cylinder leaks down and the pedal loses pressureMedium

The single power-train complaint on this year is the generation's signature fault: the clutch pedal went to the floor with no pressure, the fluid reservoir was empty, refilling it bought a few months, and then it emptied again while driving. The concentric slave cylinder sits inside the transmission bellhousing, so the fix means pulling the gearbox. One filing is not a pattern, but this exact failure runs through 2010 to 2014 in the dozens, and it is the first thing to test on any manual 370Z. Hold the clutch down at idle for thirty seconds and watch the pedal, then shift through every gear twice. Cars with the 7-speed automatic do not have this component.

Repair cost (estimate): $700–$1,800 — a modest part behind a transmission that must come out

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (1).

Airbag warning light comes on and the diagnosis runs through expensive partsMedium

One complaint on this year, filed under both airbags and electrical, from an owner whose airbag warning light came on. On the earlier years of this car the same symptom repeatedly traces to the front passenger occupant sensor, and owners were quoted between $2,500 and $4,767 because Nissan integrates the sensor into the seat base. A lit SRS lamp is not decoration — it can mean the system will not fire when it should. The check costs nothing and takes ten seconds: turn the ignition on and watch the airbag symbol illuminate and then go out.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$2,600 depending on which part of the airbag circuit has failed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (1), electrics and electronics (1).

Lightweight forged wheels on Sport cars crack rather than deformMedium

Nothing in this year's three-complaint record touches the wheels, so this comes from what is known about the Sport package rather than from NHTSA. The 19-inch forged RAYS rims are excellent under the car and intolerant of potholes — an impact that would bend a cast wheel can open a crack in the barrel, and the tell is a tyre that needs air weekly or a vibration that only appears above about 55 mph. Torch each inner rim looking for a weld bead, and ask what the seller paid for the last set of tyres and why.

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

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Clutch pedal that creeps toward the floor while held at idle
✗Airbag light illuminated once the engine is running
✗Clutch fluid reservoir low, or recently topped up by the seller
✗Steering shimmy that appears above 55 mph and fades when you slow

Good Signs

✓Airbag lamp that lights at ignition and extinguishes on its own
✓Clutch that releases at the same pedal height in every gear
✓A slave cylinder replacement documented on an invoice
✓Clutch fluid at the full line and clear in colour
✓Service records showing regular oil changes since new