Nissan Frontier Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability
Year-by-year breakdown of safety recalls, NHTSA owner complaints, reported deaths, injuries, crashes, and worst problem areas. Updated daily from federal databases.
Recent Safety Incidents — Last 5 Model Years
Own a Nissan Frontier? Check your specific VIN for a full history report.
Nissan Frontier — Year-by-Year Problem Comparison
| Year | Verdict | Recalls | Complaints | Crashes | Injuries | Deaths | Top Issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Best | Excellent | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | Fuel System / Gasoline | Full report → |
| 2025 | Excellent | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | Back Over Prevention | Full report → |
| 2024 | Excellent | 1 | 10 | — | — | — | Suspension | Full report → |
| 2023 | Good | — | 46 | 7 | 4 | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2022 | Good | 3 | 98 | 18 | 6 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2021 | Excellent | — | 14 | 3 | — | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2020 | Excellent | — | 11 | 2 | 1 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2019 | Excellent | — | 20 | — | — | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2018 | Excellent | 1 | 13 | — | — | — | Suspension | Full report → |
| 2017 | Excellent | 1 | 20 | 1 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Full report → |
| 2016 | Good | 1 | 32 | 6 | 6 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2015 | Excellent | — | 24 | 1 | 2 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2014 | Excellent | 1 | 30 | 1 | 1 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2013 | Excellent | 1 | 33 | 2 | 1 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2012 | Good | 2 | 50 | 3 | 2 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2011 | Good | — | 50 | 3 | 4 | — | Service Brakes | Full report → |
| 2010 | Excellent | 4 | 25 | 2 | 2 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2009 | Excellent | 3 | 25 | 1 | — | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2008 | Good | 3 | 92 | — | — | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2007 | Avoid | — | 353 | 6 | 3 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2006Worst | Avoid | 2 | 411 | 11 | 12 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2005 | Avoid | 2 | 392 | 4 | 4 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2004 | Good | 2 | 36 | 2 | 2 | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2003 | Good | 4 | 41 | 6 | 4 | 2 | Fuel System / Gasoline | Full report → |
| 2002 | Good | 5 | 78 | 7 | 5 | — | Vehicle Speed Control | Full report → |
| 2001 | Good | 4 | 71 | 5 | 7 | 2 | Fuel System / Gasoline | Full report → |
| 2000 | Caution | 5 | 118 | 10 | 11 | — | Tires | Full report → |
| 1999 | Good | 4 | 59 | 4 | 3 | — | Tires | Full report → |
| 1998 | Good | 4 | 75 | 6 | 11 | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
29 model years shown. Crashes, injuries, and deaths from NHTSA complaint filings. Click any year for full details.
Most Common Nissan Frontier Problems
Based on 2,231 owner complaints filed with NHTSA across all model years.
Recent Safety Recalls — Nissan Frontier (2022–2026)
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2022 Frontier vehicles. The seat belt bracket mounting bolts on the left-rear seat may have been incorrectly tightened. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 207, "Seating Systems," 209, "Seatbelt Assemblies," and 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Remedy: Dealers will replace the bolts on the left-rear seat and repair any damaged threads as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were January 27, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC856.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2022 Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed trucks. The tow hitch was not installed, compromising the structural integrity of the fuel tank in the event of a rear crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."
Remedy: Dealers will install the tow hitch and harness kit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC855.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Frontier and Titan vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.
Remedy: Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicle. Dealers will replace the transmission parking pawl pin, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22A2 R22A3.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rogue, 2022 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Titan rental vehicles. When the Sirius XM subscription is set to "Not Subscribed," it may cause the infotainment head unit to reboot, resulting in an inoperative rearview camera. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: The Infotainment system software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 29, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22A5 PC901 PC902.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Titan, 2020-2022 Frontier, and 2023 Z vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.
Remedy: Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicle. Dealers will perform the applicable repairs below, free of charge: Model Year 2020-2022 Frontier vehicles: reprogram Transmission Control Module (TCM) Model Year 2020-2022 Titan vehicles: reprogram TCM and Engine Control Module (ECM) Model Year 2023 Titan vehicles: reprogram TCM Model Year 2023 Z vehicles: reprogram TCM. Owner notification letters were mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2022 Titan, Titan XD, Frontier, and 2021-2022 Rogue vehicles. The in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system may continuously reboot when the vehicle is restarted, which can result in an inoperative rearview display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: The IVI software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R22B8, R22C1, and PC923/25.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2023 Titan and Frontier vehicles. The tires may have a tear in the inner bead which can cause a rapid loss of tire pressure.
Remedy: Dealers will replace all four road tires, or inspect and replace the spare tire assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 10, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC973 and PC974.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Titan, Frontier, Infiniti QX60, Pathfinder, 2023-2024 Sentra, Versa, Kicks, Infiniti QX50, and 2023 Rogue vehicles. Due to a manufacturing issue, the driver's air bag inflator may absorb moisture, and cause the air bag to deploy improperly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front driver's air bag assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD103, PD104, and PMA34.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Frontier vehicles. The front right-side lower link may have been manufactured with an oversized ball joint, which can result in corrosion and ball joint separation from the front right-side lower link.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front right-side lower link, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 15, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PD109.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Nissan Frontier vehicles. Due to a software logic error, the daytime running lights may dim unexpectedly when the idle start-stop feature cycles the engine from off to on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Dealers will update the engine control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261. Nissan's number for this recall is R25C3.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Frontier and Kicks vehicles. The center information display unit may display a blank screen when shifted into reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Dealers will update the software on the vehicle’s center information display, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 10, 2025. The manufacturer numbers for this recall are PD152 and PMA48.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Nissan Frontier vehicles. The right-side headlight assemblies may have missing or illegible headlight aim markings, which can result in improperly aimed headlights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the right-side headlight as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 20, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PD121.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Altima, Sentra, 2025-2026 Frontier, and 2026 Kicks vehicles. The door strikers may have been improperly welded and break, allowing the door to open while moving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
Remedy: Dealers will replace the door strikers, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD185 and PMA61. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 28, 2026.
Showing 13 recalls from 2022–2026 model years. See the full year-specific pages for older recalls.
Recent Owner Complaints
Direct reports filed with NHTSA by Nissan Frontier owners — 2022–2026 model years.
If i get any snow at all on the front of the vehicle. The front accident warning does not work.
The rear view camera stays dark for at least 1 minute a few times a week when starting the vehicle. This is after the software update.
The contact owns a 2025 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera image was blank. The failure reoccurred twice. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V324000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
At around 9000 miles, the dealership had to replace the front rotors and brakes due to rotors cracking and warping. Now at 22,000 miles I’m having the same issue and I only do normal driving. There is obviously something wrong with the breaking system in the front of this vehicle. when I press the brakes, the steering wheel shakes.
See attached document for complaint.
Since I purchased my 2022 Nissan Frontier, I have experienced recurring issues where, periodically while driving, all the indicator lights appear on the digital screen (as shown in the attached photo). When this happens, all the advanced driver assistance systems become nonfunctional, including cruise control, ABS brakes and radar detection. These incidents have occurred while driving on the highway. Over time, I brought the vehicle in for service, but the technicians indicated they could not find anything wrong. My frustration grew as the problem started occurring more frequently, especially when I was in the car with my wife and kids. This is a serious safety concern. I recently took the vehicle to the dealer again (March 2, 2026), where I was charged almost $500 for them to "reboot" the vehicle and assure me it was fixed. However, the issue reoccurred the very next day. For the first time, I am formally reporting this problem in hopes that something can be done. I am taking it back again this Monday. I do not feel comfortable selling the vehicle knowing it has this unresolved issue. I would appreciate any assistance you can provide, and you may contact me if you wish Thank you.
The light turned green. The truck got up to fourth gear and slipped all the lights on the dash lit up so I took it to the first transmission shop where they said transmission just went out at 75,140 miles pretty much the exact mileage for my first service according to the book in the glove box I took it to Nissan dealership where they said it was the shift selector needed to be changed for a total of $1600. I had it done. I drove it a half a mile down the road and it did it again. They said they drove it over 14 miles with no problem but my odometer says different now they’re telling me I need a new transmission for $9214.03. I’ve done a lot of research and googled other people having the same problem. I called Nissan corporation they offered to pay 60% for a new transmission. This tells me they know something is wrong with it. After taxes I will have spent over $11,800 for a new transmission at 75,000 miles. This should not have happened.
Transmission down shifts hard sometimes. Notice more when coming off highway and making exits slowing down.
I was traveling on the highway doing 70 mph in the left lane when warning lights started appearing on the dash. The first light was an ABS light. 5 minutes later the truck completely died. I was able to coast across the right hand lane and make my way into the shoulder. With the vehicle completely shut down, I had lost power steering and brake effectiveness. Fortunately, traffic was light and I was able to avoid other vehicles. I was unable to restart the vehicle and had to have it towed to a Nissan dealer. It took them 2 months to diagnose and repair the issue. In the end, the cause was that a hole developed on top of the muffler. The heat escaping the hole was able to pass through an inspection hole in the frame and melt the electrical chassis wiring harness running through it. Parts replaced included: ECM (computer), IPDM (electrical distribution module), engine harness, chassis harness, and muffler.
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving uphill, the vehicle vibrated. The contact stated that the vibration increased as the contact decelerated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission parking pawl and the transmission control module had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the dealer advised that the clutch might need to be repaired, but the contact advised the dealer to wait until the clutch displayed signs of failure. The contact stated while driving four months after the vehicle was repaired, the vehicle vibrated when the RPMs decreased, and the vehicle operated as intended when the RPMs increased. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the transmission fluid was replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer for the clutch repair. While at the dealer, the contact was informed that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The failure was progressively worsening. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
This truck was parked in the driveway for at least 24 hours. The battery was dead, so my fiancé got the jumper box out of the truck and popped the hood. After he lifted the hood, he got one of the clamps on the battery when the truck started to roll forward. He couldn’t get out in enough time and was run over. The truck can be inspected upon request. There was a police report and insurance report but no one inspected the vehicle.
When driving, the collision sign randomly comes on. It causes the the vehicle to rev and there's a lag in picking up speed. There are times when the vehicle is "stuck" while waiting on a left turn and it screeches and jolts when I press on the gas to move forward before it actually moves.
114 total complaints retrieved from NHTSA for 2022–2026. For older model years, see individual year pages.
Frontier Years to Avoid
Best Frontier Years to Buy
Nissan Frontier Problems by Year
Frequently Asked Questions — Nissan Frontier Reliability
What year Frontier has the most problems?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2006 Nissan Frontier had the highest combined complaint and recall count — 411 complaints and 2 safety recalls. See the full 2006 report for specific defects.
Is the Nissan Frontier reliable?
The Nissan Frontier has accumulated 2,231 owner-filed complaints and 56 safety recalls across all model years in NHTSA's database. There have been 4 reported deaths associated with complaints. The 2026 model year shows the fewest reported issues. Always run a VIN check before purchasing any used Frontier.
What are the most common Frontier problems?
The most frequently cited problem areas are: Power Train (503 reports), Fuel System / Gasoline (277 reports), Engine And Engine Cooling (174 reports), Engine (170 reports). Based on NHTSA complaints across all model years.
How do I check if my Frontier has an open recall?
Use the vehicle's 17-character VIN at VinCheckEngine.com. Our free VIN report pulls the latest NHTSA recall data along with auction history, odometer records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
Check a Specific Nissan Frontier VIN
Model-level data shows what can go wrong. A VIN-specific report shows what has gone wrong with a particular vehicle — including auction history, odometer discrepancies, open recalls, accident records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
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