Buyer Research

2018 Nissan 370Z — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $20,000–$28,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.

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

Kestrel Take

Two complaints on the entire model year, and one open safety recall worth five minutes of your time: some 2018 cars left the factory with the driver's side curtain airbag installed incorrectly, and Nissan will put it right at no charge. Beyond that the public record is effectively empty, which we read as very few owners filing rather than as evidence of an unusually sound car — a two-complaint record cannot support any claim in either direction. What we would still inspect is the clutch, because the concentric slave cylinder is the one fault that runs through every earlier year of this generation in numbers, and nobody has yet filed one on a 2018. Check the VIN for the recall first, drive the clutch hard second, and buy on documented servicing.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 2 owner complaints for the 2018 Nissan 370Z, and 1 recall campaign.

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 the brakes (2). 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.

One recall campaign covers this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

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

Known Issues for the 2018 Nissan 370Z

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

Driver's curtain airbag may be installed wrong and fail to deploy (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 18V153 covers 2018 370Z cars whose driver's side curtain airbag may have been fitted incorrectly on the line, which can stop it deploying properly in a crash — the car as built does not meet the federal standard it is certified to. Nissan dealers inspect the installation and correct it at no cost, and the campaign opened on 1 May 2018. Because the fix is free and the failure mode only shows up in an accident, the whole risk here is a recall that was never performed. Put the VIN into NHTSA's recall lookup on your phone while you are standing at the car, and ask the seller for the dealer paperwork.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Concentric slave cylinder can dump the clutch pedal to the floorMedium

No 2018 owner has filed this with NHTSA, and with a two-complaint record that tells you very little. On every year of this car from 2010 to 2017 it is the dominant complaint: the clutch slave cylinder sits inside the transmission bellhousing, its seal fails, the fluid drains and the pedal stays on the floor with the car locked in gear. The design did not visibly change, so the honest position is that a 2018 is younger, not immune. Hold the clutch down at idle for thirty seconds watching for the pedal to creep, work through all six gears twice, and check the small clutch fluid reservoir is clear and full. Automatic cars have no such part.

Repair cost (estimate): $700–$1,800 — the transmission is removed to reach it

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Forged 19-inch Sport wheels crack instead of dentingMedium

Nothing in this year's record mentions wheels, so this is a known characteristic of the Sport package rather than something the filings show. The forged RAYS rims are light and stiff, and a bad pothole can start a crack in the inner barrel instead of bending the rim. Owners usually find out through one tyre that needs air every week, or a vibration that appears above 55 mph and stops when they slow down. Run a torch around the inside of each wheel looking for a weld repair, and check all four tyre pressures yourself rather than taking the dash reading on trust.

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

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Recall paperwork the seller cannot produce for the curtain airbag campaign
✗Clutch pedal that creeps downward while you hold it at a standstill
✗Clutch fluid below the mark or darkened in the reservoir
✗Brake rotors with a heat-blued or heavily grooved face, which suggests track use
✗Vibration through the wheel above 55 mph that settles as you slow

Good Signs

✓Recall 18V153 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Dealer invoice showing the curtain airbag inspection was carried out
✓Clutch that engages at a consistent height through every gear
✓Clutch fluid clear and at the full line
✓Original brake rotors with even, unscored faces at moderate mileage