Rear Axle Clunk (Please Report Here!)

RedZed34

Hey everyone,
I know there's a bunch of threads already started about the noises that the rear axles are making when the car starts from a complete stop, but I really think us as owners need to report these things direct to Nissan USA. If Nissan doesnt know these problem exist, then they can't fix them either. At the moment, there is no recall or bulletin for the problem, but I really think there's a design issue here. From what I can tell, the main reason for the noise is simply because there's play or slop in the axle splines causing a clunk when power is applied to the drivetrain (the axles specifically)... so it's obviously not a tight fit. So the dealers solution is just to remove the axles and put grease on the splines and re-assemble. Now to me, that's not a permanent fix, just a temporary solution to "hide" the noise. Think about it, eventually the grease is either going to wear down or sqeeze out and we will be back to square one. Also, how long are these axles going to last if the splines aren't tight? Premature wear and/or failure? This precedure was also done on previous 350z's, but I think its BS! You think Nissan would have figured it out by now. So here I am with a brand new 2009 Z with only 1,800 miles on it and I have to rip apart the whole rear end and do something that's not really even a fix. I hear this problem is also quite common with the new G37's as well. Nissan really needs to either re-engineer the axles and send out replacements or revamp the entire rear drivetrain assembly. I dont know. Does anyone agree?

So guys, if your experiencing this problem, please dont consider it "normal". It's not! I can go out and buy a cheap Kia for $10,000 and not hear any axles clicking or clunking, ya know?

So please report your issues to Nissan USA...

Nissan Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin TN 37068-5003
(800) NISSAN-1 (or 800-647-7261)
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.,
Eastern / Central Time / Pacific Time
Monday through Friday

Thanks!