What breaks most · 1998 to 2018 model years
Nissan Frontier problems by year
Owners have filed 2,698 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan Frontier across model years 1998 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2006 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2007 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2015, 2016 and 2014.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2005, 2007
- Fewest complaints: 2015, 2016, 2014
- Complaints on file
- 26981998 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 2006564 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 11835 fires · 101 injuries · 5 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 77kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 85Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 127 | 12 | 5 | Electrical system (23) | |
| 76 | 8 | 5 | Tires (19) | |
| 180 | 17 | 6 | Tires (29) | |
| 132 | 11 | 7 | Fuel system (25) | |
| 117 | 12 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (13) | |
| 71 | 6 | 7 | Fuel system (13) | |
| 60 | 8 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (12) | |
| 507 | 9 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (252) | |
| 564 | 13 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (203) | |
| 469 | 4 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (198) | |
| 110 | 1 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (43) | |
| 28 | 1 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (8) | |
| 42 | 3 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (11) | |
| 44 | 2 | 1 | Air bags (10) | |
| 53 | 3 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (19) | |
| 32 | 4 | 1 | Air bags (9) | |
| 25 | 2 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (6) | |
| 20 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (5) | |
| 22 | 2 | 1 | Unknown or other (6) | |
| 14 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (4) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (3) |
What fails on the 2006 Nissan Frontier
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 36% |
203 | 1 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2006 Nissan Frontier |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 30% |
170 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Nissan Frontier |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 13% |
72 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 Nissan Frontier |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 12% |
67 | 2 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Nissan Frontier |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 9% |
51 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Nissan Frontier |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
33 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2006 Nissan Frontier |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
23 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Nissan Frontier |
| Fuel System, Other | 4% |
22 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Coolant leaked from radiator into transmission through faulty cooling lines.. Result was sudden loss of power while accelerating onto highway. Very costly repair bill ($4600.00). Had to replace radiator and do a complete rebuild of transmission.
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Truck would not crank. The indicator for the gears went out. I was at home parked when it would not start. Had a mechanic test it. The test indicated the transmission computer is the problem. There is transmission fluid in the antifreeze. This is a defect from nissan.
-
Lost power to transmission while driving down road with grandson in car seat. Saw the ses (service engine soon) light and coasted off to side of highway. Very scary!
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Nissan Frontier years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2005, 2007 carry the most filings on the Nissan Frontier. The 2006 alone has 564 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Nissan Frontier problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 203 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Nissan Frontier problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Nissan Frontier complaints that include mileage is about 77,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.