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Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2019 Nissan Frontier

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 28 safety complaints about the 2019 Nissan Frontier with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering back-over prevention.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 7 complaints, 25% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 12,000 miles, the median across the 11 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers June 2019 to May 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

28 complaints on file

28

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

2

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 7 · 25%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 21%
AIR BAGS 5 · 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 · 18%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 11%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 7%
ENGINE 2 · 7%
SEAT BELTS 2 · 7%
STEERING 2 · 7%
STRUCTURE 2 · 7%
SUSPENSION 1 · 4%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 4%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 28.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 6.

8 6 4 2
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2019 Nissan FRONTIER, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test Crew Cab PU/CC AWD Early Release Crew Cab PU/CC AWD Later Release Crew Cab PU/CC RWD Early Release Crew Cab PU/CC RWD Later Release King Cab PU/EC AWD King Cab PU/EC RWD
Overall Not rated Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated Not rated
Frontal, driver Not rated Not rated
Frontal, passenger Not rated Not rated
Side crash Not rated Not rated
Side barrier Not rated Not rated
Side pole Not rated Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover 19.8% 19.8% 21.2% 21.2% 19.8% 21.2%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

19V654000 · September 12, 2019

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 1,228,830 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · fire · crash · towed

In a no fault accident, I was passenger. When the collision happened, I was wearing seatbelt, and then I was up in the dash/ windshield, there were flames, smoke. The airbags had "exploded" The seatbelt was hanging out of the passenger door after I exited. Still dangling out the door where it did not retract. I busted the windshield with my head, concussion, four teeth porcelain knocked out of them, and many other problems. It's very scary , I want this to please be investigated because I don't want anyone else to have to go through this.

NHTSA complaint 11685601. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Hood flew open while driving on route 23 in Wise Va.

NHTSA complaint 11741167. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Passenger side ocs control unit has failed .

NHTSA complaint 11730733. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
I was attempting to drive my Frontier on Christmas day 2025 when several lights appeared on the dash. I also noticed my speedometer no longer functioned. I returned home immediately. Two days later, I took it in to a local repair shop and they told me the malfunction code was for ABS and I had to take it to the dealership. Within a week, I took it to the dealership and they confirmed the malfunction code and ordered part number 47660-9BK5E. I have not been able to drive my truck since then because the part is unavailable due to high demand. I suspect many people are having this issue. I have not driven my vehicle since early January because I can't track my speed and the ABS does not work.

NHTSA complaint 11716677. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

83,062 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was gray and then blank. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted even after the rearview camera system had been replaced. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,062.

NHTSA complaint 11708375. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
We have three 2019 Nissan Frontier pickups in our fleet that have all recently had the same problem. A engine valve misfire on cylinder 3 on all three trucks. This has caused the trucks to shake, idle rough, and have loss of power while driving. Two independent mechanics have inspected the trucks and have replaced multiple parts to try and fix the problem, however, it has been recommended that all three trucks have the engine replaced. The check engine light did activate on the dash when the problem first began in each truck.

NHTSA complaint 11707810. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
Heater does not warm up. Ran the truck for an hour and no heat to defrost windshield. This also occurs while driving and the defroster won't clear the windshield, and have to resort to using a rag. Looked for possible causes on the internet, and found this is a common complaint. There are many articles suggesting where to look for resolution. There was a similar complaint on this site listed under other from January of 2025. Being unable to keep the windshield clear with the defroster is a safety risk due to poor visibility or distraction while using a rag to clear it.

NHTSA complaint 11707632. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Nissan Frontier

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 9 1 —
2025 8 3 —
2024 22 3 —
2023 66 1 —
2022 112 6 —
2021 19 2 —
2020 23 2 —
2018 25 2 —
2017 38 1 1
2016 43 1 —
2015 33 0 —
2014 42 2 —
2013 48 1 —
2012 78 3 —
2011 64 1 —
2010 59 4 —

Other 2019 Nissan models

Rogue 337 Leaf 259 Altima 232 Sentra 222 Kicks 134 Rogue Sport 100 Armada 77 Pathfinder 76

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Nissan on this site — 205 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst