Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 66 safety complaints
about the 2023 Nissan Frontier with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 3 mention a fire, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the tires.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system,
named in 30 complaints, 45% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 4,500 miles,
the median across the 11
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers December 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
66 complaints on file
66
Complaints
4
Describe a crash
3
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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 30 · 45%
30 45%
SERVICE BRAKES 15 · 23%
15 23%
ENGINE 13 · 20%
13 20%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 13 · 20%
13 20%
POWER TRAIN 13 · 20%
13 20%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 · 14%
9 14%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 · 14%
9 14%
STEERING 6 · 9%
6 9%
SEATS 4 · 6%
4 6%
STRUCTURE 3 · 5%
3 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 2%
1 2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 2%
1 2%
01531
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 66.
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 18.
20 15 10 5
222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2022 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 has not crash tested the 2023 Nissan Frontier. Its New Car Assessment Program
tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach
motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so
an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It
is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a
different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people
inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke
during ordinary use.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2023 Titan and Frontier vehicles. The tires may have a tear in the inner bead which can cause a rapid loss of tire pressure.
The risk
A rapid loss of tire pressure while driving can lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace all four road tires, or inspect and replace the spare tire assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 10, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC973 and PC974.
Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 4,249 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.
ENGINE
1 injured · crash · towed
I was at the post office on Redwood Road in South Jordan, in the dropoff mailbox lane. At the end of the lane is stop sign. The stop sign is for the traffic coming into and leaving the post office. I was sitting at the stop sign when I turned east towards Redwood Road, as I was pulling up behind a blue SUV, the Frontier lurched forward and the RPM’s rev’d all the way up and the truck shot forward. I put my foot on the brake trying to stop the car but it hit the blue suv at the stop sign, that was waiting to turn onto Redwood Road, and proceeded forward at what felt like a high speed into a blue sedan turning into the post-office. With the second impact the airbags exploded and the Frontier …
NHTSA complaint 11563123, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1 injured · crash · 4,500 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that when applying the accelerator pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and lurched forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. While leaving a store and entering traffic, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into an unknown vehicle, which spun and crashed into another unknown vehicle. The driver was able to drive the vehicle away from the scene. The driver sustained a concussion but did not seek medical attention. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The local dealer was contacted before the crash. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. …
NHTSA complaint 11560135, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
fire · 105 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while the vehicle was in the driveway, the vehicle started smoking causing the vehicle to burst into flames. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was not filed. The dealer was contacted, and they advised to contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted, and they stated they were going to reach back out to the contact. The failure mileage was 105.
NHTSA complaint 11500360. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
fire
We were travelling in our Nissan Frontier. It started running poorly and smoke began pouring out from under the hood. We jumped out and soon the entire front end was engulfed in flames. It was a total loss.
NHTSA complaint 11671231. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
fire
I purchased a pre-owned certified vehicle in June of 2025 it was a 2023 model with approximately 23k miles on it. In August of 2026 I was driving on the interstate and the vehicles warning lights came on and the vehicle shut down completely at a speed of 70 mph. The safety flashers quit working along with the headlights leaving the vehicle totally dark on a remote section of Interstate at night. I had the vehicle towed to a Nissan dealership and I was sent a video of what happened from the certified Nissan technician. I can provide the link to the video upon request. The technician stated in the video that the muffler had developed a very large hole in it and the heat from the exhaust …
NHTSA complaint 11763659, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Muffler developed hole in the top of it prematurely and melted the main wiring harness due to a known design flaw. The vehicle is still at the dealer awaiting repair. All warning lights came on, 4 wheel drive was disabled, center console lost power and hvac was disabled. Safety was put at risk as this happened on the nys thruway and the vehicles main wiring harness was actively melting/shorting while driving. The shorts disabled all Safety features like lane assist, detections, and abs. Transmission would also not down shift properly leaving me unable to safely accelerate. Im unsure if the tail lights were still operational or not but wouldnt be surprised if they weren't as many other …
NHTSA complaint 11763691, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The power door lock system intermittently malfunctions. During the initial failure, the passenger rear door lock seized in the unlocked position and could not be manually operated. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Nissan dealership, where all three passenger door lock actuators were replaced. Following the repair, the seized lock condition was resolved; however, the underlying malfunction continues. The passenger front and passenger rear doors will unlock electronically but will not lock using the key fob, interior lock switch, or intelligent key functions. The driver rear side door does not respond to electronic lock or unlock commands. The only way to secure or access the affected …
NHTSA complaint 11752360, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Rear backup camera turned purple in color and not accurate when backing up to a trailer.
NHTSA complaint 11749737. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
Transmission shifting harshly and may have to be replaced
NHTSA complaint 11747309. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
While underway at speeds under 20 mph. Vehicle hesitates and lurches creating a danger when taking off from a stop light. Vehicle may delay acceleration from a stop, which can feel unsafe in traffic and in merging situations.This activity is uncontrollable as the driver has no control and could lead to an accident or injury to pedestrians or other wise. Another problem is rough shifting, hard downshifts and a jerking. There is both an audible clunk and felt responce or "shift shock". Potential safety risk of hesitation or unexpected gear changes may compromise vehicle control. I have reported and visited the Bradenton Nissan dealership. (2 times) to no avail.
NHTSA complaint 11746707. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed April 17, 2023.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst