Nissan Frontier reliability by year
13 recalls and 528 owner complaints across 16 model years. Best year to buy: 2019. Year to avoid: 2022.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 16 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Frontier aggregated across 16 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Nissan Frontier?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2019 Nissan Frontier scores 8.4/10 — the strongest in the 2006–2025 range. 28 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Nissan Frontier year should I avoid?
The 2022 Nissan Frontier scores 7.2/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 107 owner complaints with NHTSA, 3 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2022 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Nissan Frontier should I avoid?
No Nissan Frontier model year currently rises to an "avoid" or "high-risk" verdict on the NHTSA data — either the record is clean or sample sizes are still too thin for a confident call. The year-by-year breakdown below shows what's on file regardless.
How many years of the Nissan Frontier are tracked?
16 model years (2006 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 13 recalls and 528 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Nissan Frontier?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 88 complaints across 10 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.