Problems · NHTSA complaints

2013 Nissan Frontier problems

Owners filed 48 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Frontier with NHTSA between Nov 2013 and Mar 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (15).

Complaints
48
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
5
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags15
  2. Electrical system8
  3. Power train6
  4. Seat belts5
  5. Engine4
  6. Vehicle speed control4
  7. Wheels3
  8. Structure2
  9. Service brakes2
  10. Service brakes, hydraulic2
  11. Steering1
  12. Fuel/propulsion system1
  13. Electronic stability control (esc)1
  14. Exterior lighting1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20132
20149
20159
20164
20173
20183
20196
20203
20211
20221
20234
20241
20251
20261

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

15 reports3 crashes
“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor located in front of the radiator had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the Part Number: 98581-9BD8A; had been on backorder for approximately 6-12 months. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 16, 2026Air bagsODI 11724649

Electrical system

8 reports1 crash1 fire1 related recall
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Nissan Frontier. The vehicle was purchased in a private sale. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 98,107, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 183,101. The Carfax report and the last report were in 2022.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 10, 2025Electrical systemODI 11698520

Power train

6 reports
“My daughter backed out of our driveway, put the truck in reverse. She was then unable to put the truck into drive. It got stuck in the middle of the street. Thankfully we live on a quite street with not much traffic during the day. However if this happened in a parking lot it would have been much different. My husband was able to come home from work and manually push it forward, then drove it backwards into a parking spot (out of the middle of the street). He did an internet search and found a solution. Apparently one of the screws holding the gear shifter (park,neutral,reverse,drive...) came loose and was getting hung up on the plastic molding portion of the gear box. It was a simple fix - just pop open the cover and screw the part back in. However this was a terrible thing to happen, and could have really been a much bigger issue than it was. Had it happened in a busy parking lot, busy street, or on a boat ramp.... It would have been disastrous. Please consider sending a written notice to all owners. Thank you”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 29, 2023Power train, Unknown or otherODI 11504270

Seat belts

5 reports1 crash
“In Summer 2023 driving on uneven country road in Upstate New York hit a pothole and my airbag warning light came on. Then started to flash. Truck is still drivable BUT now The seatbelts no longer lock in place during a sudden stop Did research online Nissan has a Voluntary Service Campaign for this exact issue. Campaign ID P7318 I made appointment with Koeppel Nissan. Had to wait weeks then They canceled my scheduled appointment on September 4 and reschedule for September 12. Probably not safe to drive truck with airbag light on and seatbelt issues. I go to my regular mechanic. He tells me seatbelt retractors do not seem to be working. He tests them by extending seatbelt slowly. Then tugging hard. He said they should lock in place. They do not. He also put a scan tool into OBD port. There are zero codes Nothing showing why airbag light flashing. Informs me there is a 10 year Warranty on seatbelts. He said wait for dealer to do their replacement of air bag diagnostic sensor unit. HE SAID THE AIRBAGS DEPLOY IN STAGES. YOUR LIGHT COMING ON IS FIRST STAGE SECOND STAGE IS SEATBELT LOCKING IN PLACE. Yours did not lock in place but your retractor might have been…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 13, 2023Electrical system, Air bags, Seat beltsODI 11559978

Engine

4 reports
“This is an intermittent problem sometimes this problem will happen as far apart as a month, Then for two days then go away. When accelerating the truck will starting bucking, not getting to enough fuel, this will sometimes not stop the next day I take it to the mechanic it is running fine no check engine light comes on. He runs a diagnostic, no error readings this has been going on for 6mos.. Once it was so bad by the time I got it home it had fried the converters. The mechanic changed the converters replaced all the censors on the engine and converters clean the injectors, replaced the plugs, and changed fuel filter, tested the fuel pump, good. I need help, don't know what to do. Had another shop run a diagnostic check after all of this could find no problems, but the problem is still there. Afraid of stalling in an intersection and getting killed.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 18, 2023EngineODI 11527635

Vehicle speed control

4 reports1 crash
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN FRONTIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A DRASTIC DELAY UPON PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THREE TO FIVE SECONDS LATER, THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD WITH A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER MORE THAN ONCE AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE AND REPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE SEVERAL TIMES AND PROVIDED NO REMEDY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000. UPDATED 7/9/15*CN”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 12, 2015Vehicle speed controlODI 10715990
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.