Nissan Frontier Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 3,363 consumer complaints across the 29 model years of the Nissan Frontier (1998–2026) that have at least 5 complaints. 2006 has the most, with 617. Across all years, the part named most often is transmission and drivetrain (992 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Frontier years →
All Frontier model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11 | 2,700 | 1 | 2 | — | Too new |
| 2025 | 9 | — | 3 | 4 | — | Too new |
| 2024 | 22 | 1,100 | 3 | 22 | — | Too new |
| 2023 | 66 | 4,500 | 1 | 82 | 94 · More | Too new |
| 2022 | 112 | 2,000 | 6 | 115 | 100 · More | Rising |
| 2021 | 20 | 26,500 | 2 | 60 | — | Rising |
| 2020 | 23 | 28,000 | 2 | 66 | — | Rising |
| 2019 | 28 | 12,000 | 1 | 62 | 21 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2018 | 25 | 9,745 | 2 | 73 | 31 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2017 | 38 | 17,500 | 1 | 85 | 50 · Typical | Stable |
| 2016 | 44 | 32,500 | 1 | 119 | 46 · Typical | Stable |
| 2015 | 33 | 29,000 | 0 | 115 | 23 · Fewer | Stable |
| 2014 | 42 | 35,000 | 2 | 133 | 44 · Typical | Falling |
| 2013 | 48 | 27,000 | 1 | 128 | 50 · Typical | Stable |
| 2012 | 80 | 43,000 | 3 | 113 | 72 · More | Rising |
| 2011 | 64 | 47,800 | 1 | 110 | 49 · Typical | Falling |
| 2010 | 59 | 41,000 | 4 | 107 | 72 · More | Rising |
| 2009 | 37 | 60,097 | 3 | 99 | 56 · Typical | Falling |
| 2008 | 136 | 85,000 | 5 | 106 | 77 · More | Stable |
| 2007 | 520 | 82,000 | 1 | 97 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2006 | 617 | 80,000 | 4 | 98 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2005 | 532 | 90,000 | 3 | 108 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 66 | 61,000 | 1 | 43 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 77 | 65,500 | 4 | 38 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2002 | 124 | 69,500 | 4 | 39 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2001 | 134 | 73,850 | 3 | 36 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2000 | 189 | 88,125 | 3 | 34 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 1999 | 78 | 80,000 | 2 | 29 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 1998 | 129 | 110,000 | 2 | 30 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Transmission and drivetrain992 28%
- Fuel system805 23%
- Engine350 10%
- Engine cooling325 9.3%
- Electrical system313 9.0%
- Air bags299 8.6%
- Brakes213 6.1%
- Other or unknown186 5.3%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2008: “Driving on street truck began to shake and vibrate I loss power and car couldn't shift into gear it seemed I pulled over and stopped and shut off. Car I started it began to drive and it wudnt go over 30mph I stopped and noticed leaking under the truck towards the engine and when I pressed on gas it wouldn't go still so I stopped and got towed”
NHTSA complaint #11348447, filed 2020-08, 180,000 miles2007: “Coolant and transmission lines cross contaminated I found out when my car just stopped turning on so I took it to the dealer and they said I need to change radiator and transmission for close to 6000 dollars because the fluids cross contaminated due to a failure in the radiator. My vehicle has only 60800 miles but is out of warranty due to age and this isn't right”
NHTSA complaint #11366264, filed 2020-10, 60,800 miles2014: “Every time I need to fill my truck up, I never let it get below a quarter of a tank, fuel will come shooting back out as if it is full, but it is not. My truck was off, and the key not in the ignition. This has happened every since my getting this truck, 1/19/20190 to current. I have to fuel slow in order to get gas a full tank, like there is a kink in the system.”
NHTSA complaint #11315518, filed 2020-03, 51,000 milesOther Nissan models
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About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology