Nissan Z Owner Shocked To Find His Odometer Had Racked Up 5,000 Miles Overnight

There has been a bit of a Japanese performance car renaissance in recent years and Nissan is right in the middle of it. I would argue that despite a few shortcomings, the Nissan Z Performance is the best sports car you can get for under $50,000, even now that the NISMO Z has a manual transmission option. 

While the Z sits on a familiar platform from the 370Z and features proven tech, some owners experience weird issues. I stumbled upon an interesting case while browsing through The New Nissan Z group, where Facebook user John Payton shared something strange. 

Here’s what he says: 

“How did this happen?! I just woke up, and the mileage went five digits overnight.”

John also took a photo (see below) of the odometer, which apparently jumped by 5,000 miles overnight. Naturally, many of the comments were humorous, but a few owners shared similar experiences. Some members even suggest that this is intentionally programmed in order to “burn through your warranty” quicker. 

There was an older case for a class action lawsuit where a man sued Nissan North America for allegedly adding miles to the odometers of their cars, in order to avoid repairs under warranty. While there have been a few class action lawsuits against Nissan around the mid to late 2000s, none of them were definitively "won". 

That said, they still resulted in settlements for many customers. While the Nissan Z is a reliable platform, could this really be a feature programmed in Nissan models even today? I am also, in no way suggesting the Z owner should take Nissan North America to court, although the decision is up to every owner who has experienced the issue.

Proving odometer roll-up is more difficult than proving odometer roll-back

While odometer roll-backs are illegal in the US, there is no definitive legislation against roll-ups. While both fall under “tampering with a vehicle’s odometer”, odometer roll-ups are more difficult to prove. Odometer roll-up or rollover typically applies to vehicles that have reached the maximum possible number, which causes the odometer to go back to zero, usually due to the use of the vehicle.

Possible causes for odometer roll-up

Although the case of the Nissan Z is peculiar, there are a few possible reasons for odometer roll-up (which may or may not apply to this case).

• Wrong tire size 

• Faulty speed sensor

• Faulty gauge cluster or connector

• A low battery voltage may cause false readings

While some of these issues are a possible culprit

This is certainly not the first case we heard of, where the driver instrument cluster shows strange readings. Not long ago, a 2024 Toyota RAV4 owner complained from false fuel-level readings. 

A Nissan Z jumping the odometer by 5,000 miles overnight is an unusual occurrence. Joyriding as some members jokingly commented, is out of the question as you would need 100 hours if driving at an average speed of 50 mph. 

At this point, there is no definitive proof that Nissan programmed such a feature in its cars, but I will follow the thread and update when possible.

If you have had similarly weird experiences with your vehicle, I would love to hear about it in the comment section below.

Dimitar Angelov's automotive interests made him an expert in a wide variety of vehicles. Japanese brands like Toyota and Nissan are closest to his heart, although performance cars in general are his favorite segment, which is why he is constantly on the lookout for the best deals on the market. Dimitar Angelov's car passion and knack for the written word led him to complete a Master of Arts in Media and Communications, and classic car restoration. Dim is happy to get behind the wheel of any car and share his impressions. You can follow Dimitar on X, Linked-in, Instagram, and Facebook.

Image source: The New Nissan Z / Facebook