NISSAN 300ZX · model year

1994 NISSAN 300ZX

4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1994NISSAN300ZX carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1994 300ZX is engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline with 1 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and structure:body:roof and pillars (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 1994 300ZX, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

4
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS1
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL1

Recent Complaints

20020520CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

HAD HEAD-ON COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AND AIRBAGS DIDNOT DEPLOY. DRIVER INJURED AND VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK *SLC

19990120STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

THE CONVERTIBLE TOP HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, BRAND NEW. WHEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS HIGHER THAN 30 MILES PER HOUR, THERE IS SIGNIFICANT VIBRATIONS AND NOISE COMING FROM THE CONVERTIBLE TOP MECHANISM. THERE SEEMS TO BE A FAILURE OF THE COVERTIBLE TOP MECHANISM ITSELF. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO VARIOUS DEALERS AND NONE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. MOST OF THE TIME THE DEALERS DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH IT. I NEED THIS ISSUE TO BE RESOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AS IT COULD HINDER THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND MY PASSENGERS, AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS.

19971023POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION FAILS TO GO INTO 5TH GEAR. *AK

19950314FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

VEHICLE BURNED, FIRE STARTED IN ENGINE. TT

Compare 1994NISSAN300ZX to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 5 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1994 NISSAN 300ZX have?
The 1994 NISSAN 300ZX has 4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1994 NISSAN 300ZX?
The most-complained component for the 1994 NISSAN 300ZX is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS.
Is the 1994 NISSAN 300ZX safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.