Nissan Frontier Years to Avoid

Based on federal records, the Nissan Frontier years to avoid are 2016, 2015, 2022: the 2016 alone has 0 NHTSA owner complaints and 119 manufacturer service bulletins on file. The cleanest recent records so far belong to the 2025 and 2024 model years.

Sources: NHTSA complaints, manufacturer service bulletins, recall campaigns, CarWhere verified buyer prices · Updated 2026-09-24 · By CarWhere Research

Model yearNHTSA complaintsService bulletinsRecall campaignsAvg. price buyers paid
2015AVOID01150—
2016AVOID01190—
20170850—
20180730—
20190620—
20200660—
20210600—
2022AVOID01150—
20230820—
2024BEST0220—
2025BEST040—
2026020—

Methodology: complaint counts are owner reports filed with NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation; service bulletins are manufacturer communications filed with NHTSA; counts are raw federal filings, not adjusted for sales volume. Prices are averages of CarWhere verified buyer transactions (shown when 3+ deals exist for the year).

Common Nissan Frontier problems by year

2016 Nissan Frontier: 0 owner complaints, 119 service bulletins, 0 recall campaigns.

2015 Nissan Frontier: 0 owner complaints, 115 service bulletins, 0 recall campaigns.

2022 Nissan Frontier: 0 owner complaints, 115 service bulletins, 0 recall campaigns.

2025 Nissan Frontier: cleanest recent federal record (0 complaints, 4 bulletins).

2024 Nissan Frontier: cleanest recent federal record (0 complaints, 22 bulletins).

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FAQ

What are the worst years for the Nissan Frontier?

Based on federal records, the Nissan Frontier years to avoid are 2016, 2015, 2022: the 2016 alone has 0 NHTSA owner complaints and 119 manufacturer service bulletins on file. The cleanest recent records so far belong to the 2025 and 2024 model years. Counts are raw federal filings (NHTSA complaints, manufacturer communications, open recall campaigns) and are not adjusted for sales volume.

What are the best years for the Nissan Frontier?

Among recent model years, the 2025 and 2024 Nissan Frontier show the lowest combined complaint and service-bulletin counts on federal record.

Is the Nissan Frontier reliable?

The Nissan Frontier's reliability varies by model year. Across 0 NHTSA owner complaints on federal record, 2016, 2015, 2022 stand out as the years to avoid, while the 2025 and 2024 model years show the cleanest records — see the year-by-year table above. Counts are raw federal filings, not adjusted for sales volume.

What are the most common problems with the Nissan Frontier?

Owner complaints for the Nissan Frontier are summarized by model year above; see the table for the federal record.

How do I check a specific Nissan Frontier before buying?

Decode the VIN free at carwhere.com/tools/vin-decoder to confirm the exact year and build, then run the $9.99 CarWhere Full VIN Report for that VIN — it includes the recall, complaint, and service-bulletin record for the exact model year, the original window sticker where the manufacturer publishes one, and a market price check from verified buyers. One-time purchase, no subscription.

Where does this data come from?

Three federal sources — NHTSA owner complaints (ODI), manufacturer service bulletins filed with NHTSA, and open recall campaigns — plus CarWhere's verified buyer-paid transaction prices. Counts are presented raw and refreshed regularly.

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