What's Wrong with the 2nd Generation (2005–2019) Frontier?

Front 3/4 view of a Nissan Frontier

Frontier owners have made 928 complaints about the 2005–2019 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it 38th out of 54 Nissan generations in overall reliability, with some transmission and engine concerns.

Compare With Other Frontier Generations

Common 2005-2019 Nissan Frontier Problems

Some of the worst issues 2nd generation Frontier owners have to deal with.

  1. Sunroof Rattles and Explodes

    Heads up, Nissan owners! That giant piece of glass above your head may soon be on its way down in a thousand little pieces. Lawsuits accuse Nissan of using a faulty tempering process for their sunroofs since 2008.

    Continue reading article "Sunroof Rattles and Explodes" Nissan sunroof with giant shards of glass missing

  2. Coolant Leaks Destroy Transmissions

    Automatic transmissions in certain 2005-2010 Nissan SUVs and Trucks are under attack from their radiators. Leaking coolant is mixing with transmission fluid through the cooler lines to create a toxic hell stew that irreversibly damages ever…

    Continue reading article "Coolant Leaks Destroy Transmissions" View of Nissan engine with coolant leak

  3. Timing Chain Defects

    Nissan says their timing chains are just noisy, but not defective. Try telling that to the owners who have seen loose timing chains rattled their engines apart, resulting in thousands of dollars in damages.

    Continue reading article "Timing Chain Defects" Overhead view of a busted timing chain

  4. Inaccurate Fuel Gauge

    That's because a wide swath of Nissan vehicles have gas gauges that never read full even after filling up, stop working below 1/4 of a tank, or show a low fuel warning even when there's plenty of miles to go. In other words, they're complet…

    Continue reading article "Inaccurate Fuel Gauge" Fuel gauge with the arrow on empty

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

2nd Generation (2005–2019) Frontier Key Numbers

  1. 14 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 928 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 38th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 54 eligible generations.

Recent Lawsuits for 2nd Generation Frontier Owners

  • Settlement

    Duncan, et al., v. Nissan North American, Inc., et al.

    1. Settlement

      A Nissan timing chain lawsuit has been preliminarily settled after vehicle owners accused Nissan of selling six models with defective primary timing chain tensioners, timing chain guides, secondary timing chain tensioners and tensioner shoes.

    2. Case Filed

      A Nissan timing chain class-action lawsuit is working its way through the court system as the automaker succeeded in getting some claims dismissed while the judge allowed other allegations to continue.

    Problem
    Timing Chain Defects
    Class Vehicles
    • 2004-2006 Altima
    • 2005-2010 Frontier
    • 2004-2008 Maxima
    • 2004-2009 Quest
    • 2005-2010 Pathfinder
    • 2005-2010 Xterra
    Location
    Massachusetts
  • Settlement

    Vincent Chiarelli, et al. vs. Nissan North America Inc. and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

    1. Settlement

      Nissan timing chain lawsuits have been consolidated and preliminarily settled after vehicle owners accused Nissan of selling six models with defective primary timing chain tensioners, timing chain guides, secondary timing chain tensioners and tensioner shoes.

    2. Case Filed

      A Nissan timing chain lawsuit accuses Nissan of manufacturing some of its most popular models with defective timing chain tensioning systems.

    Problem
    Timing Chain Defects
    Class Vehicles
    • 2004-2006 Altima (with 2 VQ35 engine)
    • 2005-2010 Frontier (with VQ40 engine)
    • 2004-2008 Maxima
    • 2004-2009 Quest
    • 2005-2010 Pathfinder
    • 2005-2010 Xterra
    Class Members
    Residents of New York or Florida or Maryland or New Jersey
    Location
    New York

Recent 2nd Generation (2005–2019) Frontier News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. Certain Nissan vehicles are shutting themselves off while driving

    thanks to busted ball springs in the ignition switch, with a hearty assist from heavy keychains.

    In August 2017, the ignition switch supplier (Alpha Technology Corp.) told Nissan a problem occurred during manufacturing of the ignition switch ball springs. New tests were created for the ignition switches and how they would function on rough roads during vibrations of the vehicles.

    Tests concluded that those ball springs are giving out way too early. And without springs to support the weight of heavy key chains bouncing around on bumpy roads, the ignition is slipping itself from the “on” to “accessory” position.

    To make sure drivers don’t suddenly find themselves cruising down the highway with their radios on and their engines off, Nissan is recalling over 150,000 vehicles.

    If this all sounds familiar you might be thinking of Chevrolet’s long nightmare with faulty ignition switches. In fact, maybe now is a good time to mention the Chevrolet City Express has found its way into an otherwise all Nissan lineup of recalled vehicles. Seems like more than a coincidence.

    The one key difference is that Nissan’s airbag systems have an electrical capacity reserve, which means they should still stay on even with the ignition in the “accessory” position. Chevy owners weren’t so lucky.

    keep reading article "Nissan Recalls Ignition Switches That Are Inadvertently Turning the Engine Off"

  2. A lawsuit says airbags in the Nissan Frontier are deploying without any reason.

    Nissan Frontier side airbag deployments have led to a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging the Frontier side airbags deploy for no reason. The lawsuit says the 2011-2012 Nissan Frontier trucks are dangerous because of the side airbags and Nissan refuses to fix the problems.

    The lawsuit says that a randomly deployed airbag goes off, it poses a serious distraction to drivers. It then goes on to say the sun is hot, ice cream is delicious, and everything's better with bacon.

    keep reading article "Frontier Side Airbags Are Deploying for No Reaon"

  3. Last October, Nissan extended their radiator warranty for what they called a “small percentage” of vehicles that may experience issues with coolant leaks.

    Namely, how those coolant leaks seep into the transmission and render it useless.

    While the automaker has offered an extended warranty for the radiators, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other safety organizations have received numerous complaints from owners alleging they have spent thousands of dollars for transmission repairs because the added radiator warranty coverage only applied to vehicles with fewer than 80,000 miles.

    That “small percentage” appears to be on the rise, as this problem regularly tops the CarComplaints.com trending problems list.

    Because it’s an extended warranty, and not a recall, Nissan isn’t obligated to tell owners about it. And, for those who know, it isn’t exactly clear if the radiator warranty extension covers damage done to the transmission by the leaking coolant.

    keep reading article "Radiators to Blame for Automatic Transmission Failures in Some of Nissan’s Most Popular Trucks and SUVs"