2020 Nissan Frontier

Routine

Owners filed 23 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the power train. It has been recalled 2 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Power Train10
201
Service Brakes3
000
Unknown or Other1
000
Steering1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Pads1
000
Seats1
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission1
100
Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights1
000
Engine1
000
Electrical System › Wiring › Interior/Under Dash1
000

2 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Power Train › Automatic Transmission22V671000
Filed Sep 7, 2022197,230 vehiclesNissan North America, Inc.

Defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Titan, 2020-2022 Frontier, and 2023 Z vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.

Risk. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicle. Dealers will perform the applicable repairs below, free of charge: • Model Year 2020-2022 Frontier vehicles: reprogram Transmission Control Module (TCM) • Model Year 2020-2022 Titan vehicles: reprogram TCM and Engine Control Module (ECM) • Model Year 2023 Titan vehicles: reprogram TCM • Model Year 2023 Z vehicles: reprogram TCM. Owner notification letters were mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

Power Train › Automatic Transmission22V457000
Filed Jun 24, 2022180,176 vehiclesNissan North America, Inc.

Defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Frontier and Titan vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.

Risk. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicle. Dealers will replace the transmission parking pawl pin, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22A2 R22A3.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Steering
Filed Jul 10, 2026OH

Crank bolt snapped causing me to loose power steering, a part failed that shouldn't have .I have the bolt looks like in was cracked when they put it together, it was only on by about three threads, my mechanic and the one from nissan said they'd never seen one come apart before,lucky I wasn't on the highway or in traffic

Service Brakes
Filed Jun 30, 2026IA

Nissan Frontier won’t engage into park parking prowl issue I’ve looked it up on google but my vin doesn't say there is a recall for my truck. Can we get a full recall for the 2020’s ?

Power Train
Filed Jun 29, 2026HI

The 9 speed automatic transmission suffered a catastrophic internal failure (codes PO893 and PO876), forcing the vehicle into limp mode. The vehicle loses propulsion unexpectedly in traffic, and the transmission risk complete mechanical lockup while driving. The vehicle is unsafe to operate on public roads, creating a severe crash hazard.06

Engine
Filed Sep 28, 2025CA

UNKNOWNI want to report my repossessed car and hold Santander Consumer USA responsible because they sold my car without my consent and not only that, report the fraud of the sale of the same car that I bought and that neither the DMV Nissan of Orange nor Santander Consumer USA informed me of the debt that I still had on that car and Santander was charging me with a contract where they add the cost of the car with interest after I had paid a down payment and financed the car at a cost of 30,659.14 and then they charged me another 17,390.78 in interest which the dealership hid from me and they also knew about the debt that was still owed on the car by Santander Consumer USA and they did not inform me what they call fraud by selling a car with a lien holder I ask for a refund of all my money $ 15,538.10 amount to the principal balance + 18,022.23 interest payments + 8,000 downpayment that makes the total of $41,560.33 which I have lost all my money invested in that car and they took my vehicle and are advertising it on this page for sale

Power Train
Filed Jun 6, 2025PA

Hello, I was an owner of a new 2020 Nissan Frontier pro4x. My vehicle had 33,000 miles, garaged in the winter and never used for towing. All minor maintenance were performed at a certified Nissan dealer. On [XXX] I was driving my truck on [XXX] in Youngstown when suddenly I heard a terrifying loud grinding noise coming under the truck causing also the truck to shake violently. I'm blessed that I didn't not lose control of the vehicle and most importantly it did not happen on the freeway. This happen as I was ready to merge into [XXX]. I arranged the truck to be towed to Sims Nissan dealer in Youngstown. I was told that my driveshaft came apart somehow causing other major damages to other critical parts of the truck. I end up also calling my Insurance. I discussed with them the incident, and the insurance started a comprehensive claim. On May 29th Robert Griffith the Adjuster call me to inform me that the truck will be totaled. I've already reached out with a letter to Nissan Headquarters, I explained what happened but most importantly wanted to Nissan to be aware of my incident. Didn't get any help or support but I was given a claim number, [XXX]. I've also contacted BBB of my incident. I feel really strong that this incident should have never happened and I will do my best to get an answer. Thank you so much for your time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Unknown or Other
Filed May 17, 2025UT

The truck will not start due to it thinking it’s not in park when it is in park and has slipped out of park but I had my e brake on

Power Train
Filed Apr 27, 2025FL

The truck is jerky during low speed take offs. It also died off during acceleration and then surged all of a sudden recently. It is now in the repair shop being diagnosed for an electric transmission control warning light. It would not start.

Service Brakes
Filed Oct 16, 202455,000 milesMO

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the brake system was erroneously activated causing the vehicle to reduce speeds. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the front and rear brake assemblies but the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 55,000.

Power TrainCrash1 injured
Filed Oct 7, 202455,000 milesCO

The contact owned a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V671000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle began to inadvertently roll away. The contact stated the vehicle ran over the contact's foot. No medical attention was needed The contact stated the vehicle crashed into a tree stump and the front bumper was damaged. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55, 000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights
Filed Sep 17, 202432,000 milesPA

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed, and the contact became aware that the brake lights were inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Pads
Filed May 29, 202459,834 milesNY

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was a loud grinding sound coming from the brakes. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake pads needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the same diagnostic result was provided. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,834.

Power Train
Filed Apr 17, 2024NC

My vehicle was the subject of Nissan's Safety Recall for the parking pall not engaging. I had the vehicle into the Dealer twice six months ago, where they supposedly addressed this defect. Beginning last week, my vehicle's parking pall will not engage when the vehicle is in Park, allowing it to roll freely. The manufacturer's fix is either not working or the material or workmanship is a problem. I am bringing the vehicle to the Dealer tomorrow for the problem.

Electrical System
Filed Sep 18, 2023AR

Vehicle alternator failed at 79,000 miles. Instead of shutting off, vehicle disabled the cooling fans but kept the engine and fuel supply systems running leading to the vehicle overheating during diagnostics which require the engine to rev and hold an elevated RPM. Unsure if other systems like braking and steering were affected by the choices the vehicle made to keep the engine running despite no cooling since the truck was not moving when it over heated..

Power Train
Filed Feb 16, 202328,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while the transmission was shifted into park (P), the vehicle accelerated forward. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

Power Train
Filed Jan 27, 202332,000 milesHI

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was purchased but the contact was offered no assistance. The contact continued driving the vehicle and stated that the vehicle was hesitating and jerking while depressing accelerator pedal. Occasionally, the vehicle failed to start up after several attempts. The contact stated that the vehicle had rolled back while stopped on an incline. The contact reached out to the dealer and was informed that the defect was related to the battery, which the contact disputed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V671000 (Power Train) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer where the vehicle was purchased. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000. The VIN was not available.

Air Bags
Filed Jan 13, 20239,624 milesMT

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the passenger’s side seat belt pretension sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the passenger’s side belt assembly tongue pretension and the passenger seat belt retractor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,624. The contact stated that this failure has occurred 4 times while both the driver and the passenger was occupied.

Power TrainCrash
Filed Dec 13, 202216,000 milesSC

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the vehicle was in the park position, but while exiting the vehicle it began to roll and crashed into the garage door. There were no reported injuries. There was no fire or police report filed. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V671000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 16,000.

Power Train
Filed Nov 9, 2022AR

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V671000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Power Train › Automatic TransmissionCrash
Filed Sep 22, 2022CA

2020 NISSAN FRONTIER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO TRANSMISSION ISSUES. THE CONSUMER STATED UPON PURCHASING THE VEHICLE IT WOULD PULL TO THE RIGHT. THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THIS FAILURE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED IN PARK. ON TWO OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY. ONCE STRIKING AN RV, AND SECOND STRIKING A FENCE. THE CONSUMER WAS MADE AWARE OF A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THERE WAS NO REMEDY AVAILABLE YET. THE DEALER TEMPORARILY ALLOWED THE CONSUMER TO DRIVE A RENTAL. THE DEALER REQUESTED THE CONSUMER RETURN THE RENTAL AND PICK UP THE UNREPAIRED VEHICLE.

Service Brakes
Filed Feb 22, 2022CA

There are 3 incidents thus far. ***I have video confirmation of these incidents*** First, I had parked my vehicle at a gas pump, put my vehicle in park, and locked the vehicle. Apparently, as I walked away, my vehicle had slowly rolled backwards more than 15 feet until it hit the curb. I noticed the vehicle moved from the location I had parked my vehicle when I came back to the vehicle and didn't notice my vehicle where I had remembered leaving the vehicle. I inspected my vehicle and no damage and the vehicle shift was in the park position. After I realized what had happened I went back in to the store and asked the manager to show me the camera footage to see what had happened. I recorded the surveillance video as proof. Second, I was arriving at a brother's house and parked my vehicle, put my vehicle in the park position and when I shut the vehicle off the vehicle rolled forward approximately 3 feet. Third, I was arriving at a family member's house. I parked the vehicle, put the vehicle in the park position. When I shut the vehicle off, the vehicle started rolling forward. As I noticed immediately what had happened, I ran in front of the vehicle to stop the vehicle from rolling any further to which I started pushing the vehicle backwards. At about 10 feet of pushing the vehicle backwards, I eventually heard a click sound rendering the vehicle locked in the park position. *****I have video confirmation of my locked and parked vehicle rolling back while I stepped away at the

20 of 23 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2006
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20268100Routine
20257300Routine
202422310Routine
202366130Routine
2022111630Routine
202118200Routine
2020 — this page23200Routine
201928110Routine
201825200Routine
201738111Fatalities reported
201643110Routine
201533010Routine
201442210Routine
201348110Routine
201278300Routine
201164110Routine
201059600Routine
200937510Routine
2008136620Routine
2007520200Above average
2006617721Fatalities reported
2005532681Fatalities reported
200466430Routine
200377721Fatalities reported
2002124820Routine
2001134782Fatalities reported
2000189640Routine
199978500Routine
1998129500Routine

Compare every Frontier year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Sep 7, 2022. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.