Problems · NHTSA complaints
2023 Nissan Frontier problems
Owners filed 68 complaints about the 2023 Nissan Frontier with NHTSA between Dec 2022 and Nov 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (31).
Complaints
68
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Electrical system31
- Service brakes15
- Power train13
- Forward collision avoidance13
- Engine13
- Vehicle speed control9
- Steering6
- Seats4
- Structure3
- Back over prevention2
- Visibility/wiper1
- Exterior lighting1
- Tires1
- Latches/locks/linkages1
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 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
16
17
18
16
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 16 |
| 2024 | 17 |
| 2025 | 18 |
| 2026 | 16 |
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.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Electrical system
31 reports1 crash1 fire
“Vehicle will drain it's battery over-night occasionally (approximately 2-3 times monthly for me). I park in the garage of my home and will sometimes walk out the truck displaying an error regarding the parking brake. When I go to start the vehicle, it does not and then requires I jump start it. After getting it started, the dashboard lights up with every error under the sun: showing proximity sensor system failures, engine malfunctions, 4WD failures, etc. It typically takes 1-2 drives for the system to fully reset itself and clear the errors.”
Service brakes
15 reports2 crashes
“April 2 I was driving to an appt got off on access road and as I pulled up behind another vehicle the acceleration was faster than the pressure on the pedal warranted and the emergency stop-braking warning came on. After it was safe to proceed to my destination I proceeded to a parking spot as I turned to pull in the vehicle rapidly accelerated on its on and jumped the side walk. I attempted to brake but the pedal went to the floor with no braking and the engine was red lining as we crashed. My passenger pushed the engine off button. Front passenger tire was sheered off. No air bag deployment and vehicle likely totalled.”
Power train
13 reports
“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 systems to the rear of the vehicle were fully disabled. The truck is at the dealer I have a quote and video of the muffler and melted wiring harness. The truck is not safe to drive but the problem is constant. This is a known problem by nissan as theres a tsb to place a larger heat shield over the wiring harness.”
Forward collision avoidance
13 reports2 crashes
“Vehicle Year/Make/Model: 2023 Nissan Frontier Defect Description: The wiring harness connected to the brake stop lamp switch on 2023 Nissan Frontier vehicles contains a design or manufacturing defect that causes premature switch failure. The defect results in the switch overheating and burning out, evidenced by visible charring and sooty residue inside the switch housing. Upon failure, the brake lights may not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed, removing a critical safety signal for following drivers. Nissan has acknowledged this defect and issued Technical Service Bulletin NTB22-084. However, owners whose vehicles have exceeded the 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty threshold are required to bear the full cost of repair out of pocket, despite the defect being a known manufacturing issue. Safety Hazard: Failure of the brake stop lamp switch renders the vehicle's rear brake lights inoperative. This creates a significant safety risk to the vehicle's occupants, following drivers, and the general public — particularly under low-visibility conditions such as nighttime driving, inclement weather, or high-traffic situations. In my personal incident,…”
Engine
13 reports1 crash1 fire
“We have a fleet of 2023-2025 Nissan Frontiers. Starting in December of 2024 we began having problems with the vehicles electrical system going wild and shutting the trucks down. It causes all of the lights to come on and the truck to stall and not restart, We did not realize that we had a problem until it happened to multiple vehicles over the last several months. A few of them were brought to the dealership where we were told they could not find any problems and just replaced the batteries. So, when some of the others did it, we just replaced the batteries ourselves. This week asked again if there was a known issue and were told Nissan only knows of a battery drain issue. These vehicles are shutting down sometimes while our people are driving them. They also try to restart themselves sometimes. They are automatically applying the breaks when this happens wile the ABS light comes on. This is an extremely dangerous situation for our fleet drivers as well as the motoring public. It has happened to 10 of the 15 Frontiers that we own.”
Vehicle speed control
9 reports2 crashes
“When vehicle in cruise control going anywhere 55 to 70 mph. Coming to slight grade hill, the vehicle down shift so hard from 9 gear to 4th gear and the RPM goes almost to 6000. There was some waters running over the road and almost causes me to lose control. I have complaint to the ORR dealer in Ft. Smith from the beginning and they said nothing wrong. It been a problem since I brought it new.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.