2023-2025 Nissan Z Problems: 8 Known Issues

Nissan campaign R22B2 and NHTSA recall 22V-671 cover 232 model-year 2023 Z vehicles equipped with the 9-speed automatic. Resistance between the parking rod and wedge can inhibit parking-pawl engagement, allowing movement after Park is selected with no preceding warning. Nissan directs VIN verification and TCM inspection/reprogramming at no charge; the 6-speed manual is outside this campaign.

Owners of 2023+ Nissan Z models with the 6-speed manual transmission report synchro issues and premature clutch wear. Some owners experience gear grinding, difficulty shifting, and clutch chatter. Nissan quality action P2A19 replaced the 6-speed manual on 174 specific MY2023 Z vehicles in dealer inventory because a since-corrected manufacturing issue could cause grinding when shifting into second gear.

The Jatco 9-speed automatic in the Z draws owner complaints of hesitation/lag from a stop, jerking or a forward thump when decelerating to a stop, and abrupt low-speed gear changes. The behavior parallels documented shift-quality issues on the same transmission family in the Frontier/Titan, which received TSBs for hesitation and shift shock. Some owners report the NISMO variant is less affected.

The twin-turbo VR30DDTT uses an oil pressure control (OPC) solenoid beside the oil pump that bleeds pressure at low load. If it sticks open, the bypass leak persists at all RPM and starves the bearings of oil, leading to spun rod bearings and catastrophic engine failure. There is no check-engine warning beforehand — only a red low-oil-pressure light once pressure is already critically low.

The 2023+ Nissan Z uses the VR30DDTT 3.0L twin-turbo V6 (shared with Infiniti) which develops a wastegate rattle at idle and low RPM. The internal wastegate actuators develop play, creating a metallic rattling sound. While primarily a noise issue, it can indicate wastegate valve wear. Nissan has acknowledged the issue but not issued a formal recall.

NHTSA recalls 23V-725/R23C8 and 24V-798/R24B6 cover two separate pop-up-hood conditions on certain 2023-2024 Z vehicles. Under 23V-725, left front bumper reinforcement-clip fasteners may be under-torqued and loosen. Under 24V-798, right-side pedestrian-sensor connectors may be reversed in the front bumper harness. Either condition can prevent intended hood activation in a pedestrian collision; neither has a preceding warning.

Some 2023+ Nissan Z owners report the center touchscreen freezing, going black, or not responding to touch. The Z Sport has an 8-inch touchscreen and the Performance has a 9-inch touchscreen with navigation. While the screen is frozen or blank, the backup camera view, navigation, phone and audio controls on it are unavailable. None of the Nissan bulletins listed for the 2023 Z names freezing or a black screen. Two of them do cover the 2023 Z's infotainment unit: NTB20-075D says the system receives software updates over the air, and NTB22-103A gives dealers the steps for replacing the infotainment control unit.

Under hard or track driving in hot conditions the RZ34 is prone to heat soak: the factory air-to-water charge cooler saturates and the ECU pulls timing, reducing power, with brief limp/power-reduction reported as oil temps climb toward roughly 270°F. The condition resolves once temperatures drop. Owners view factory cooling as marginal for sustained high-performance use, though Nissan reportedly improved it relative to the Q50/Q60.