Buyer Research

2019 Nissan 370Z — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $22,000–$31,000. 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

One complaint. That is the whole public record for the 2019, and a single filing supports no conclusion about how these cars wear — the page is short because almost nobody wrote in, not because the record was examined and came back empty. The one owner who did file describes the car refusing to pull away properly for about ten seconds after sitting for a day or two, which is a drivability problem rather than an expensive one. Note also that the curtain-airbag campaign covering the 2018 build does not extend to this year, so a 2019 has no recall to chase. What we would still check is the clutch: the slave cylinder is the one expensive, recurring fault across this whole generation, and a 2019 is younger rather than differently built. Inspect it properly and buy on service history.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 1 owner complaint for the 2019 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 throttle and cruise control (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 2019 Nissan 370Z

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

No power for the first ten seconds after the engine has sat for daysMedium

The only complaint filed on this year: after the engine cold-soaks for hours or days, the first pull-away is limited to roughly 5 mph and 1,500 to 2,000 rpm for about ten seconds before the car behaves normally. The owner points to a Nissan service bulletin, which they identify as EC19-011 with reference NTB19-018, covering exactly that symptom. It is a software and emissions-control behaviour rather than a broken part, and it usually resolves with a dealer reprogramme — but pulling into moving traffic with 5 mph available is a genuine safety annoyance. Ask the seller to leave the car untouched overnight so your test drive starts from cold, and take note of the first thirty seconds.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$400 for a dealer reprogramme, depending on whether a bulletin applies to the VIN

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under throttle and cruise control (1).

Concentric slave cylinder failure is the generation's expensive weak pointMedium

Nobody has filed this on a 2019 and, with one complaint on the year in total, that silence carries no weight. On 2010 through 2017 it is the dominant complaint by a wide margin: the clutch slave cylinder lives inside the bellhousing, the seal lets go, the hydraulic fluid drains and the pedal stays flat on the floor with the car locked into whatever gear it was in. Nissan never changed the fundamental design. Test it for real — hold the pedal down at idle for thirty seconds and watch for creep, then shift through every gear twice and check the clutch fluid reservoir is clear and up to its mark. Automatics do not use this part.

Repair cost (estimate): $700–$1,800 — a small component behind a transmission that has to come out

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Lightweight forged wheels crack at the rim on a potholeMedium

Not represented anywhere in this year's record, so weigh it as knowledge about the Sport and Nismo packages rather than as evidence. Their forged RAYS wheels are stiff and light and will take a crack in the inner barrel where a heavier cast wheel would simply bend. The first symptom is normally one tyre losing pressure over a week, or a shimmy that turns up above 55 mph. Torch the inside of each rim for a weld repair and check the pressures yourself, and on a Nismo also budget for its specific tyre sizes, which are not cheap.

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

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Car that will not accelerate normally for the first few seconds from a genuinely cold start
✗Clutch pedal that sinks while you hold it at a standstill
✗Clutch fluid reservoir below the mark or dark in colour
✗One tyre noticeably lower than the other three
✗Vibration through the steering wheel that only appears above 55 mph

Good Signs

✓A cold first start that pulls cleanly into traffic from the first second
✓Clutch slave cylinder replacement documented on a dated invoice
✓Clutch that takes up at the same height in all six gears
✓Dealer record of a software reprogramme for the cold-start power bulletin
✓Original wheels with clean inner barrels and matching tyres