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 473 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
- 473
- Safety recall campaigns
- 22
- Crash-related complaints
- 32
- Fire-related complaints
- 11
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2022 (110 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2025 (14 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 473 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.
- 473 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: Sep 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
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
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 473 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
473 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.
UNKNOWN
I drive on the highway and my truck stalls out and just shuts off. When I’m driving at slow speeds, it just keeps stalling I lose power and it takes a few tries for it to start again then I have to peel out so it stays started and hope I don’t have to slow down.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 73,471 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 101,000.
Check engine light came on and when filling with fuel, gas came shooting back out.
The contact's boyfriend owns a 2017 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while her boyfriend was driving at 30 MPH or above, the vehicle started to stall. The check engine warning light was illuminated. On a separate occasion, the vehicle stalled and drastically shifted out of gear into a different gear. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure or find a cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
I had a check engine light come on and took it to my mechanic for diagnosis and repair if needed. He diagnosed it as error code P2004. The code indicated a bad runner control valve position sensor. It is located on the end of intake manifold and has two torx screws to remove it. The issue is Nissan did not sell a replacement sensor separately , you can only get that part with the purchase of a whole new intake manifold. This same sensor issue exists on the 2017 Nissan Rogue with service bulletin NTB17-091. My truck is also a 2017 but the specific vehicle is a Nissan Frontier not a Rogue but the failure is identical. In that service bulletin the solution was to replace the sensor which did not require the purchase of the entire intake manifold. I would like Nissan to issue a refund for the intake manifold as the same condition exists with the same year Nissan Rogue and they sell that part separate from the intake manifold.
Read 14 more owner reports
Complete power/ignition failure resulting in death of driver on [XXX] while driving at night in the rain in a 2017 Nissan Frontier Pickup 4 door. The TDPS in McKinney, TX is pulling the black box for testing. 2 weeks before the accident the same vehicle (2017 Nissan Frontier pickup) 4 door lost complete power/braking/ignition failure on the same road [XXX] in Princeton, TX The vehicle was pushed off the road and then towed to a local mechanic in Wylie, TX The mechanic had issues in determining what was wrong with the vehicle. He ruled out alternator, battery, fuse box and wiring. I am a witness to the previous failure and it was documented. The same day the vehicle was picked up from service, the individual died that night in the vehicle in a tragic accident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Fuel tank developed leak at the filler neck connection point. The tank is "plastic". Connection neck is "plastic" but a different color than the tank. (Perhaps dissimilar materials that are somehow fused/bonded together.) Fuel spilled from the tank onto my garage floor initially; I moved the vehicle outside. The problem was confirmed by an independent service center. The service center replaced the tank with a new OEM tank. The vehicle is low mileage, garage kept and well maintained. I am reporting this in case there is a manufacturers defect in these fuel tanks. Photo of the fuel tank and filler connection neck area attached.
Since buying the vehicle new, the airbag light has been on and off throughout the entire time (The vehicle has never been crashed). I have brought it in to multiple dealerships asking for them to take a look at it and have never gotten much feedback other than them resetting it or having replaced wiring due to previous recalls. I was alerted recently of the airbag control unit now needing to be replaced. With Nissan's history of questionable electrical efforts, the component seems like something that may need to be evaluated in some capacity.
From the first snow fall in Minnesota, I had to drive very slow, there is no traction, or control of the car. I had 2 spin outs, and one person hit me. I do not feel safe in this car, but you won't trade it in for me. I fear for my life, driving in Minnesota winter. The wheels just keep turning, and there is no way to control the car.
Hit a cement barrier going 60 mph at a 45 degree angle on the passenger side and only the passenger side curtain airbag deployed.
There was a coolant leak. It was leaking from head gasket. When it was being rebuilt there were two head bolts stripped. The truck only has 58,000 miles. We were told that the engin isn't covered by the warranty.
The two square head carriage bolts that secure the roof clamp to the rack were poor quality. The heads sheared off which cause the roof rack to rip off from the top of the truck and fly into traffic on the freeway. The items being held by the rack did not exceed the 150 lb limit. When the rack broke free, the kayak and camping bags broke the rear window on my truck, hit my 2 dogs, and landed in the roadway causing cars to swerve to avoid collision. The damage to my truck alone is in excess of $1,000 not including the camping equipment and kayak that have to be replaced as they are irreparably damaged. If traffic were heavier, this incident could easily have caused a major collision as there was a large roof rack and equipment strewn about the freeway. I had to run onto the freeway to remove the items to not cause further collisions. I retained all the broken pieces of the rack and photographed the incident. I read multiple reviews on the website where I purchased the product and this appears to be a common problem. There were no indicators of failure prior to the rack breaking off from my truck and flying onto the roadway. The hardware used to secure the clamp to the crossbar is completely insufficient. There appeared to be no adhesion on the weld that held the head of the carriage bolt to the shaft. The galvanization appeared to be the only thing causing the bolt to stay in one piece prior to it bearing weight.
As I was driving my truck this morning it stalled on me, two times. The first time I was able to turn the key off and back on again and it started right up. I then drove it about 20 yards (luckily I was in a parking lot) and it stalled again but this time the dash lights remained on even with key out of the ignition. Also I was not able to unlock the doors. I kept turning key back and forth until the truck finally started. I was going to try disconnecting the battery to see if that would help but with the truck running I unhooked the negative side and the truck kept running!!Oh, and I also had the ignition switch replaced a few weeks ago under that recall. This is very unsafe to say the least and I can't believe it's not affecting other 2017 Frontiers.
When I got in my truck yesterday some of the dash warning lights were on and the digital mileage was showing up. This is all without a key in the ignition. I could start it but it cranked a bit. So I opened the hood to disconnect the battery and I could hear that the engine was priming, no telling how long this was going on since I haven't driven it in a couple of weeks. This happened about a month ago as well although that time the radio was playing with no key in the ignition.
AIRBAG LIGHT ON, COMPETITOR (MAZDA) DEALER STATED THAT AIR BAG MODULE NEEDS REPLACING ESTIMATED COST $2500. ALSO WHEN 4X4 IS ENGAGED IT'S REALLY HARD TO DO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT AT LOW SPEED.
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle occasionally stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the battery connectors to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V551000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
FUMES AND ODOR ENTERING CABIN EXTREME AT TIMES GET DIZZY DRIVING WHEN FUMES ENTER THE CABIN I HAVE TO PULLOVER. TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD RETURN TO DEALER PROBLEM UNRESOLVED WAS TOLD TO CHANGE CABIN FILTER CHANGE PROBLEM PERSIST UNTIL TODAY. VEHICLE BOUGHT NEW. PROBLEM IS WHILE DRIVING AND IN TRAFFIC BEHIND ANY VEHICLE .*DT*JB
THE AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS FLASHING AND DOES NOT TURN OFF ON THE TRUCK. I DROVE THE TRUCK WITH MY FRIEND AND WE WERE BOTH IN OUR SEAT BELTS, FOR AN ENTIRE 1 HOUR RIDE THE LIGHT KEPT FLASHING. THE AIRBAG LIGHT STARTS FLASHING AS SOON AS I START THE TRUCK NOW AND DOES NOT SHUT OFF UNLESS I PARK THE CAR AND TURN THE CAR OFF. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, IF THE AIRBAG DOES NOT DEPLOY DUE TO THE FAULTY SENSOR EVEN WHEN SEAT BELTS ARE WORN I AM SURE THAT IS A HOSPITAL CASE AND A LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN. PLEASE MAKE NISSAN RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM.
WHEN IT RAINS OR SNOWS, THE FUEL FILL OVERFLOW VALVE STOPS WORKING CORRECTLY AND FUEL SPITS RIGHT BACK OUT WHEN TRYING TO FILL WITH FUEL AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. THE LIGHT COMES ON WHEN DRIVING IN RAIN OR SNOW. *TR
Showing 20 of 473 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 473 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 473 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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Check a Nissan Frontier by state
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Nissan Frontier.
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Nissan Frontier reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Nissan Frontier reliable?
Poor. The Nissan Frontier has 473 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 (110 complaints), 2020 (46 complaints), 2017 (38 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 (120 complaints); POWER TRAIN (113 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.