2000 Nissan Frontier Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year report a wide spread of problems on an older truck, most often tire tread or sidewall separation, rust-related fuel tank and sending unit leaks that bring a strong fuel smell and a check engine light, and automatic shifter problems where the lever can move out of Park or Reverse. Many complaints come in past 80,000 miles, and a large share of the fuel and shifter reports involve whether a past recall applied to this particular vehicle.

1. 1
   Tires

   Tire tread separation and sidewall cracking

   • 29 complaints (15%)
   • median 65,169 mi at 7.7 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2020

   Complaints describe tread peeling away from the carcass or sidewalls separating while driving at highway speed, often with a vibration or wobble beforehand, and in some cases the flapping tread damaged body panels. Owners also report dry rot, hundreds of small sidewall cracks, and new tires that would not balance or showed belt separation. Several say the tire maker or seller replaced or partly reimbursed the affected tires. Mostly reported on tires with substantial mileage on them, from around 45,000 up past 150,000 miles, at highway speeds; some cases involved tires only a few years old.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Inspect all four tires inside and out for sidewall cracking, bulging or uneven tread, and check the DOT date codes. Ask when the tires were installed and whether any were replaced under warranty.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Tread seperated on my vehicle while on the freeway,resulting in $4,000.00 of damage to vehicle,over $3,000.00 in lost earnings.after picking up my truck from body shop,exactly one week later a second tire from the set (b.f. Goodrich long trail 265/75/r15) exploded while on the freeway it wasnt a seperation ,the sidewall literally blew out around the entire circumfrence.”

   NHTSA complaint #10032591, filed 2003-08, 60,000 miles

   “My 9 year old son and I took a trip up north to sd. On our first day out approx. 70 miles away form the border the driver side tire's tread flew off causing my 2000 nissian truck to vere in front of an oncoming semi truck. We avoided the collision and removed the damaged tire. This was the second time that it has happend. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10128744, filed 2005-07, 58,000 miles
2. 2
   Fuel system

   Fuel smell and check engine light from rusted fuel tank

   • 17 complaints (9%)
   • median 94,000 mi at 11.7 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $850 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2000–2016

   Owners describe a strong gasoline odor around the truck, a check engine light for a vapor leak, and stalling or loss of power. Shops and dealers commonly trace it to corrosion on the top of the fuel tank, a rusted filler tube, or the fuel sending unit no longer sealing, and recommend replacing the tank or sending unit. Some owners note the vehicle had already had recall 04V230000 performed and the problem came back, or that the recall was declined for their vehicle. Typically reported between about 60,000 and 135,000 miles, often on trucks in rust-belt or winter-salt states.

   Recall 04V230000

   What to check: Smell around the filler neck and under the truck after sitting, and look for rust on the tank top and filler tube. Ask whether recall 04V230000 was completed and whether the tank or sending unit has been replaced since.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On march 07, 2007 my 2000 Nissan Frontier began intermittently to lose engine power. No recognizable events lead up to the power failure, it came on suddenly and without any warning. The first incident occurred at a major highway intersection, and nearly caused vehicle crash. On march 08, 2007, I had my vehicle towed to my primary mechanic for inspection. On march 09, 2007, my primary ase certified mechanic diagnosed the problem as being a faulty fuel tank sending unit. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10186070, filed 2007-03, 142,000 miles

   “I noticed a fuel odor for about 2 days and then my check engine light came on. I went to my local Nissan dealership on 9/26/2014 and was told that my fuel pump is not sealing properly on top of my fuel tank due to rust. I was informed that the tank needs to be replaced and the cost would be $954 dollars. This is the second time I have had this problem. This same problem occurred in may 2009. I had the same fuel odor issue. They dropped the tank,cleaned up the rust, resealed the fuel pump, and re-installed the tank. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10639800, filed 2014-09, 123,600 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Automatic shifter moves out of gear or will not engage

   • 8 complaints (4%)
   • median 138,000 mi at 11.6 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2018

   Complaints describe the truck rolling after being shifted into Park, the gear selector indicator showing Reverse or Neutral when the lever was not moved, stalling when Reverse was selected, and difficulty getting the shifter into gear. Owners report that dealers and the manufacturer said the vehicle was not covered by the automatic transmission shift cable recall, and repairs were diagnosed as a failed shifter or shift indicator. Reported from about 60,000 miles into the 150,000-250,000 mile range, on automatic-equipped trucks.

   Recall 00V288000

   What to check: With the engine running, shift through all positions and confirm the indicator matches and the truck holds in Park on a slope. Ask whether recall 00V288000 was performed and whether the shift cable or shifter has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2000 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the gear shift selector does not work properly, similar to NHTSA campaign id number: 00v288000 (power train: automatic transmission). Both the dealer and manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The current and failure mileages were approximately 152,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10369781, filed 2010-12, 152,000 miles

   “The contact stated while driving in normal conditions, the gear shift indicator went into reverse and the vehicle crashed into a concrete pole. The vehicle sustained damage to the passenger side quarter panel and the bumper. The vehicle was then driven to an independent repair shop for inspection. The mechanic recommended replacing the gear shift indicator to correct the problem. The police were not contacted. The consumer believed the problem he experienced was related to the recall. Updated 04/11/06.”

   NHTSA complaint #10153984, filed 2006-03, 180,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Instrument cluster gauges drop out

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the speedometer, odometer, temperature and other gauges dropping to zero or sticking, sometimes for minutes to hours, then returning to normal; one owner reported the lights going out at night at the same time. Dealers were often unable to duplicate the problem, and some owners were told parts for a vehicle this old were no longer supplied. Reported from roughly 17,000 to 70,000 miles, often at higher road speeds.

   What to check: Start the truck and watch every gauge through a short drive, including the odometer display. Ask whether the cluster or its circuit board has ever been repaired or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My Nissan 2000 se 4x4 extended cab has around 27000 miles. I purchased it new from carmax on 6/9/2000. About six months after purchasing the truck I experienced a failure of the instrument panel. I notified my Nissan dealer but couldn't duplicate the problem. I've learned to live with the problem but it now occurs just about every time I drive. It turns off for about 10 minutes and then comes on again. My lights or other safety equipment are not affected by this failure. During the failure I can't tell how fast I'm driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #10157020, filed 2006-05, 5,000 miles

   “(1). At higher speeds, my 2000 Nissan Frontier truck's dashboard dials malfunction. This occurs frequently. (2). The dials either drop to zero -- the odometer, speedometer and temperature guages -- as if the vehicle were not running, or they get stuck at the speed. They remain stuck or inactive for periods of up to 4 hours. Also, the digital mileage disappears or skews so that it is not readable. On two occasions the vehicle rapidly decellerated as if it were responding to the dashboard dials dropping. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10100905, filed 2004-12, 38,700 miles

Buying note. These are old trucks, so condition matters more than the model year: check tires and the fuel tank area for age and rust, confirm which open recalls were actually completed, and test the shifter and gauges on a test drive. Service records showing recent suspension and fuel system work are worth asking for.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.