Common 1998-2004 Nissan Frontier Problems

Some of the worst issues 1st generation Frontier owners have to deal with.

  1. Sunroof Rattles and Explodes

    Heads up, Nissan owners! That giant piece of glass above your head may soon be on its way down in a thousand little pieces. Lawsuits accuse Nissan of using a faulty tempering process for their sunroofs since 2008.

    Continue reading article "Sunroof Rattles and Explodes" Nissan sunroof with giant shards of glass missing

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

1st Generation (1998–2004) Frontier Key Numbers

  1. 7 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 58 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 20th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 54 eligible generations.

Recent Lawsuits for 1st Generation Frontier Owners

Recent 1st Generation (1998–2004) Frontier News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. Nissan is recalling about 501,000 trucks in the United States because corrosion in the lower steering column joint and shaft can cause a sudden steering failure.

    The lower steering column joint on the affected Frontier and Xterra vehicles can develop corrosion that limits the movement of the joint, although they're saying that's rare.

    If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition it may, in an extreme case, lead to cracking of the steering shaft.

    The affected vehicles include any of the following manufactured between August 2003 and June 2006:

    • 2002–2004 Nissan Frontier vehicles manufactured from July 9, 2001 to October 20, 2004 in Smyrna, Tenn., for the North American markets
    • 2002–2004 Nissan Xterras manufactured from July 9, 2001 to January 6, 2005 in Smyrna, Tenn., for the North American markets

    Additionally:

    • Nissan Frontier vehicles manufactured from November 30, 2001 to June 26, 2008 in Curitiba, Brazil for South and Central American markets
    • Nissan Xterra vehicles manufactured from February 17, 2003 to June 13, 2008 in Curitiba, Brazil for South and Central American markets
    • Nissan Sentra vehicles manufactured from May 15, 2010 to July 8, 2010 in Aguascalientes, Mexico for global markets

    Nissan plans to begin owner notification in early December once replacement parts are available. Owners will be asked to bring their vehicles to the dealer to have the new parts installed free of charge.

    keep reading article "Steering Shaft Failure Recall"