Nissan Frontier Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Nissan Frontier options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Nissan Frontier has 499 owner complaints and 22 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. 2022 drew the most complaints; 2025 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Nissan
- Model
- Frontier
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 499
- Safety recall campaigns
- 22
- Crash-related complaints
- 32
- Fire-related complaints
- 13
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2022 (112 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2025 (16 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Nissan Frontier: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
NCAP crash test ratings for this model are not yet loaded or this vehicle was not tested in the years analyzed. NHTSA tests a subset of new vehicles each year. Check nhtsa.gov/ratings directly for the latest results.
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe NISSAN FRONTIER has 499 NHTSA complaints and 22 recalls on record. 32 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 499 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 22 federal recall campaigns
- 32 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Oct 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
22 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
TRAILER HITCHES
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 499 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
499 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
2018 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner... Battery inconsistently drains fast when off and while driving. Indicator lights for battery, brakes, ABS and traction control come on. Gauges malfunction. Tried another battery and still having same symptoms. Alternator and battery passed bench test. Fuses are good. Wiring harness appears to be in good condition. Grounds are tight and clean. Wondering if this problem is related to the recall on the ignition switch.
The passenger dashboard airbag keeps generating error codes and the airbag light continually flashes. There have been 2 costly repair attempts by a Nissan dealership, but the problem persists. The dealership stated the passenger airbag was not functioning properly. They want to try a 3rd repair attempt which is the most expensive yet. I have been in contact with Nissan customer service and they have split the repair costs with me thus far on 2 of the repairs. At this point they are just throwing parts at the problem hoping something fixes the issue without knowing or properly diagnosing which component is actually at fault. The problem first manifested in August 2024 at around 62k miles. The light came back on within 5 days of the first attempt. Likewise the light came back on within a few days after the 2nd repair attempt. I am not confident the 3rd attempt will address the issue either.
15 mph door lock system does not work. Have been in garage with truck, and heard doors lock with no one near vehicle. I understand there is a class action suit about the door lock system. Seems to me this system could malfunction and possible lock you in vehicle. This is a 2018 Nissan frontier SL. The FOB function normal locking and unlocking vehicle.
I bought this truck from my boss man and had it put in the shop to replace the head gasket but they ended up changing the valve cover the intake manifold gasket and putting plugs in it due to a smoking issue and skipping but after all the repairs were done it turns out that the valves are bad in the engine and they more than likely they were bad when they installed originally. It's causing stalling issues in traffic and I'm sure I'm not the only one with this problem.
Jan 29 2025 vehicle failed to start . Turned switch to start several times .no response at all no dash lights no starter reaction no clicking from battery, which would indicate battery problem. Waited several mins approx 30 minutes. Vehicle started and been ok for several more starts today. Suspect ignition switch ,seems many models this vehicle has problems. Mine did not show a recall?
Upon inspection found passenger side truck bed mount with a crack and portion missing from where the bed connects to the frame.
Read 14 more owner reports
Paint peeling on front left finder and where both front finders connect to the cab. N/A The dealer was informed and photos sent. Just the photos sent N/A
Passenger airbag warning light on dashboard flashes continually. This indicates it may not deploy in accident. It was taken to a Nissan dealer and mechanic inspected and stated in report, "Found occupancy classification module to be installed incorrectly and non OEM". Warning light began flashing in February, 2023. No prior problems with airbags or warning lights. Airbags never deployed and never worked on. Vehicle was purchased new from a Nissan dealer. Airbag and warning light have not been repaired and it continues to flash when the truck is on. The warning light first came on spontaneously while driving and not in response to accident.
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera intermittently failed to operate. There was either a blank or foggy image on the infotainment screen. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was given a diagnostic test fee. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was given the same information as provided by the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that upon inserting the key in the ignition switch to start the vehicle, the ignition switch was significantly loose, preventing the vehicle from starting. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the ignition switch plastic body needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V551000 (Electrical System). An unknown dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,260. The defect was repaired and the contact is requesting reimbursement.
The back-up camera beeps most all the time in reverse. You do not know if it's something is there are not. It has almost caused a wreak.
I have a 2018 Nissan Frontier bought it in 2019 I noticed a little vibration at first and now 2 years later it’s vibrating a lot more I took to Nissan in 2020 they said they saw nothing wrong but now I’m told that it’s my motor mounts and Nissan doesn’t want to fix cause it’s only covered by bumper to bumper and not power train warranty now I can’t drive because I’m scared for motor to break or transmission and I’ve researched and heard of people that have the same problem and can’t get any help
Squeaking sound coming from front driver side suspension. This has been happening ever since purchased in 2018 that dealer cannot find. Getting worse as it ages. Afraid tire may drive train may break while driving.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 NISSAN FRONTIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT INCREASED SPEED AND RUNS ON IDLE FOR ABOUT FIVE OR SIX SECOND AND AFTER IT WOULD RUN OK, THE CONTACT MENTION THAT THE FAILURE ONLY OCCURRED ONCE TO THREE TIMES A MONTH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN ANOTHER OCCASION WHILE HIS WIFE WAS AT A STOP AND TO GO, THE VEHICLE WOULD GO SLOW ON IDLE AND WHEN MAKE A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN IT RETURN TO NORMAL. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FOUR TIMES TO FUCCILLO NISSAN OF CLEARWATER, 15232 US-19, CLEARWATER, FL 33764, AND WAS DIAGNOSED BUT COULD NOT FIND A FAULTY CODE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TEST DRIVING BUT THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE TWICE AND WAS INFORMED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE TAKEN THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER BUT STILL WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATED THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 27,800.
2018 NISSAN FRONTIER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PROBLEM WITH ALIGNMENT.*LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER COULD NOT COMPLETE AN ALIGNMENT BEFORE REPAIRING THE VEHICLE WITH A KIT. THE MANUFACTURER ASSISTED %50 OF THE REPAIR COST. THE CONSUMER WAS DISSATISFIED DUE TO THE FAILURE BEING A MANUFACTURING FLAW. *JS
JUST BOUGHT A 2018 NISSAN FRONTIER WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK PUT WINDOWS DOWN IN THE BACK AND I'M HEARING A SOUND COMING FROM TIRES LIKE UNBALANCED. GOT HOME AND LOOK TO SEE IF THERE WAS TIRE WEIGHTS ON THE RIM BECAUSE ITS LIKE ITS UNBALANCED WITH A LOUD SOUND AND I NOTICED ALSO THAT A SWAYING A LITTLE. AND I REMEMBER THE THIS WEBSITE WAS GETTING RECALLS ON TIRES. SO I WANTED TO SEE IF MINE WAS ON THE LIST WHICH IS P265\60\R18 109T. THIS IS ON REGULAR CITY ROADS. EMAILED MY SALES MAN THAT SOLD ME THE TRUCK AND TOLD HIM I WAS HAVING A PROBLEM LIKE A SHIMMY IN REAR TIRE. SO WE WILL SEE MAYBE THIS WEEKEND IF THEY GET BACK TO ME TODAY IS 2/25/2020
I WENT FOR INSPECTION AND THEY TOLD ME I NEED FROM BRAKES AND ROTOR AND I ONLY GOT TEN THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED MILES
I OWN A 2018 NISSAN FRONTIER 9745 MILES. AS A PREVIOUS OWNER HAS EXPLAINED HIS BRAKE PROBLEM SAME AS MINE WHEN YOU DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL SOLID IT ALMOST GOES TO THE FLOOR ALSO WHEN THIS PEDAL GOES LOW THE ACCELERATOR GOES DOWN TOO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. I HAVE CONTACTED 3 NISSAN DEALERS THEY CLAIM THEY CANT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM ON A ROAD TEST.. NISSAN CORP ADMIN LADY FINALLY CALLED, SHE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS...I AM A 75 YEAR OLD 100% DISABLE VETERAN AND JUST WANT A CAR WITH GOOD RELIABLE BRAKES, UNFORTUNATELY NISSAN TRUCKS AREN'T FOR ME....IF NISSAN CANT SOLVE MY PROBLEM I WILL BY BUYING ELSEWHERE NO ACCIDENT BUT VERY CLOSE CALL............
THIS TRUCK IS A 2018 NISSAN FRONTIER THAT HAS ~10K MILES AND IS DRIVEN DAILY. IN THE EVENINGS IT IS KEPT OUTSIDE. RECENTLY, A HORRIBLE ODOR BEGAN COMING FROM THE VENTILATION SYSTEM. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED DISMANTLING THE PASSENGER DASH, REMOVED THE CABIN AIR FILTERS, AND DISCOVERED A DEAD MOTHER RAT AND 4 OFFSPRING IN THE COMPARTMENT ABOVE THE FILTERS. IF I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM, THE TRUCK WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY UNUSABLE. HOW WERE THEY ABLE TO GAIN ENTRY? I AM GUESSING THROUGH SOME FRESH AIR INTAKE THAT IS OBVIOUSLY OPEN TO THE EXTERIOR. NISSAN NEEDS TO ADD A VERY SIMPLE WIRE MESH COVER TO THE OFFENDING ENTRANCE. TO ALLOW ACCESS TO A FULLY GROWN RAT, IT IS ASSUREDLY 2-3" IN DIAMETER! THANKFULLY, I WAS ABLE TO CATCH THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, IT IS SUMMER, HIGH TEMPERATURES, AND HAD THE TRUCK BEEN LEFT UNATTENDED FOR SEVERAL DAYS, THE RESULTING ODOR MAY HAVE NEVER BEEN REMEDIATED. MY CONCERN IS, IF I CAN'T FIND AND COVER THE OPENING, THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN.
AFTER 6 MONTHS OF OWNING THIS NEW VEHICLE, WHEN PUMPING GAS IT WOULD CUT OFF WHEN BEGINNING TO PUMP THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE BUT IT HAPPENS EVERYTIME,TOOK IT TO DEALER THEY REPLACE A BUNCH OF PARTS AFTER FIRST FILL UP IT WAS OK THE SECOND FILL UP THIS MORNING TOOK 10MINUTES TO GET 10 GALLONS IN TO IT I WILL CALL DEALER TODAY
Showing 20 of 499 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Nissan Frontier
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Nissan Frontier, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Nissan Frontier has 499 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Nissan Frontier has 22 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 32 of the Nissan Frontier's 499 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Nissan Frontier vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Nissan Frontier vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Nissan Frontier has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Nissan Frontier reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Nissan Frontier reliable?
Poor. The Nissan Frontier has 499 NHTSA owner complaints and 22 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Nissan Frontier years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2022 (112 complaints), 2020 (46 complaints), 2024 (44 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Nissan Frontier problems?
Top reported issues: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (131 complaints); POWER TRAIN (121 complaints); SERVICE BRAKES (81 complaints).
Does the Nissan Frontier have recalls?
Yes — 22 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Nissan Frontier. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.