CarComplaints.com Notes: In a very limited selection on small pickup trucks, the Frontier is one of the best options except -- and I cannot emphasize this enough -- for one problem that makes it an avoid-at-all-costs pain in you know what: the radiator ruptures and leaks coolant into the transmission, killing it. Such a buzzkill.
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was on my way home from work, when my service engine soon light came on. The next day, I was on my way home from town when my truck died. It took me a few minutes to get it to start. I had the oil changed Thursday. On my way home, I ran by the local autozone, to have my service engine light checked out. It showed up that the crankshaft position sensor is out. While looking through the web, I see im not the only one that has had this problem. Please help.
On July 5th, 2013 my wife was on highway I45 in North direction and after FM1960 the vehicle engine hesitated and died. She was able to safely pull the truck from first line on left to the last on right ( highway with total 4 lines maybe). And then to the emergency line. Brakes and steering control became harder than normal and she was scared of losing control of vehicle. Some body else picked me up at herman memorial hospital at the woodlands and we went to meet her. We tried several times and the engine cranked but no start. My final diagnostic was probable she ran out of gas even when the fuel gauge was showing almost half tank. We went to get one gallon to the gas station, poured on the truck and at the second try it started. In the way back we filled the fuel tank. The fuel gun at gas station stopped automatically but the gauge indicated less than half tank. This was a scary experience that could result in a serious accident with also serious consequences. I called today July 6, 2013 to Nissan service at tom peackock in I45 and they checked my VIN # saying that no warranty applies to fix it. They said nobody was able at the moment to check the price of fuel sending unit which suspected be faulty. An estimate of cost of repair is around $600, the person on the phone said. I will call back this coming Monday to re-verify this issue and the part availability. I submit this because I consider it a safety to customer and other people issue. I have read about recalls on this item but Nissan answer was a negative or denied request to proceed as a recall issue. The fuel gauge is not reliable and I think is not an option to have it operative in any vehicle.
While traveling on the #1 lane at approximately 70mph on the 60 East freeway close to the intersection of the 57 North freeway connector, I lost full power and was forced to make an emergency exit narrowly missing several trucks and cars in the process. After limping home and letting the vehicle sit for a few days, I took the truck to puente hills Nissan complaining that I lose power once the transmission comes to temperature and that I needed them to asses the damage at a cost to me of $130. Their evaluation eventually concluded that the radiator had ruptured causing coolant to leak into the transmission thereby damaging it beyond repair. They quoted me approximately $4,500 for the repair which mainly included labor, tax, a replacement transmission, a new radiator, and all necessary hoses and parts. I was able to drive the vehicle but approximately 1.5 miles from my home, I lost power once again and was forced to have the vehicle towed the rest of the way. The vehicle is no longer safe to drive at all at this point.
I purchased a 2005 Nissan Frontier in 2006. In 2010 I noticed my service engine soon light came on. I took my truck to a mechanic who put it on the computer to see what is going on. The computer read that the sensors were bad. I replaced all the sensors myself and still have the same problem. I have been reading online that this is a big issue with Frontiers. It's definitely a safety hazard and causes problems when trying to get the truck to pass inspection. There needs to be a warning when an issue like this is happening for consumers.
The contact owned a 2005 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph a popping noise emitted from the vehicle and smoke started began to rise from under the instrument panel. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road and the fire department was notified. The fire department extinguished the fire, but the origin was unknown. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and the insurance company was notified. The vehicle was then towed to a junk yard. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was unknown.
- Andrews, SC, USA
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I owns a 2005 Nissan Frontier. When I attempted to start my vehicle it would not start. After several attempts and still would not start, I waited a few minutes. While I waited I check with the fuse box and check the terminal wires. Then I was able to start the vehicle. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified and informed her that the vehicle was not included in any related recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure continued to recur intermittently. The failure mileage was 11000 and the current mileage was 11500.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Frontier. While driving approximately 30 mph the contact noticed that the fuel gauge on the dashboard fluctuated intermittently. The contact stated that the air bag light illuminated intermittently and the check engine light also illuminated on the dashboard constantly. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or to be repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
2005 Nissan Frontier ipdm module defective causing car to shut off unexpectedly while driving under normal circumstances in traffic. Can cause serious accident as the vehicle looses power completely in the middle of traffic at any speed in which you can no longer have the ability to safely maneuver the vehicle. As a consequence, other cars may not be able to or have the time to move around your vehicle in time. There are great numbers of people complaining about this same ipdm issue on many Nissan on the internet. This is could lead to serious accidents or someone loosing their life. It happened to me while entering a busy highway and the car lost power suddenly and shut off. I was left helpless with oncoming traffic behind me. I was lucky I was not struck. Nissan dealer confirmed it was the ipdm. This a wide problem with Nissan vehicles.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Frontier. When she attempted to start the vehicle it would not start. After several attempts, she waited a few minutes and she was able to start the vehicle. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified and informed her that the vehicle was not included in any related recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure continued to recur intermittently. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 70,000.
2005 Frontier ran out of gas due to defective sensor. Took into dealer and the dealer held car hostage until diagnosticfee was paid. Told it was a defective ipdm. Looked around and this is a common problem dealership understands. Truck broke down while driving and would not start major safety issue.
I was driving my 2005 Nissan Frontier and the vehicle ran out of gas while traveling on the roadway even though the gauges indicated 1/4 of a tank of gas remaining. I was nearly rear ended by another vehicle traveling behind me. Fortunately I was on a roadway with a travel speed of 35mph and not on a major highway. I had to push my vehicle to the roadside and call for assistance from a family member. I contacted the dealer to find that the vehicle is know to have a failure of the fuel level sending unit. I was told they have recalled 2006-2010 models of the Nissan Frontier but the 2005 model using the same part was not. I had to pay the dealer an $89.95 diagnostic fee to confirm what they already told me and then pay $470 additional in part and labor fees. Nissan Consumer Affairs was unresponsive and denies they have a problem with the 2005 model even though I presented them with a factory service bulletin I obtained that clearly identifies the problem for the 2005 model year and tells the dealer what to do, what to replace and allows them to claim for reimbursement for the part from Nissan. Service bulletin ntb07-069B part affected fuel level sending unit # 25060-zz00A.
2005 Nissan Frontier fuel gauge & check service light. The check service light came on and the fuel gauge reading poorly+erratically. Went on web and found this problem has been ongoing from previous years and models. There are hundreds of complaints on the web so there must be thousands who have been affected. The repair cost is $600 from the dealer, a cash cow. My truck has only 30,000 miles and been babied. I feel this is a planned design defect and a recall should be ordered. Samuel baylus
Serious safety issue: At a very busy California intersection, my vehicle simply quit running, at which point I was able to re start said vehicle and "limp" it to a safe area, luckily I might add. I had vehicle towed to a service facility where the mechanic found a lose battery connection in which he thought he solved the mechanical problem. The next day traveling down hwy 50 in the Sierra mountains at 65 mph the vehicle stopped running again and I was lucky enough to have an exit nearby that I safely coasted the dead vehicle into. Had vehicle towed to a different mechanic. He found a faulty ipdm ( intelligent power distribution module ). upon his research and mine, this is an ongoing problem in which Nissan is not responding to. It should be safety issue and be recalled by Nissan and the repair should be performed at no charge from a Nissan dealership. If you were to google : "ipdm problem Nissan " you will find further data. Please review, and thanks for listening....
After getting gas I started my 2005 Nissan Frontier and as I entered back on the highway the engine immediately stalled. The "service engine" light and the 4WD warning light came on. After rolling about 50 ft it started running normally again. I visited my Nissan dealer on 9/10/09 and they could not find anything wrong. That afternoon after getting gas it stalled after starting it again with the same warning lights on. I could not restart it. This time it had to be towed to the dealer. They found that an engine electronic module had failed but was on nationwide back-order and did not know when it would be replaced. I was told it was a large problem in 2006, 2007 and some in 2008 Nissan Frontier and titan trucks. If this item is in nationwide back-order it must be a major problem and a dangerous one if a vehicle's engine stalls while in operation on roads and highways.
My 2005 Nissan pickup's fuel gauge has stopped working. The gauge no longer indicates gas in tank even when full. The service engine light is on and the reserve light is on.
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- Ripley, TN, USA