2008 Nissan Frontier problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (47) · Air Bags (15) · Engine (13)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Frontier model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
108 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal 2023-02-10 · campaign 23V067000 · 404,690 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles. The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment.
Risk: A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Dealers will replace the drivers airbag cover. Owner letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are PC944, PC945, and PC946.
Equipment:electrical:navigational System(Global Positioning System) 2010-09-10 · campaign 10V401000 · 7,948 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH A GARMIN NUVI MODEL 750 NAVIGATION SYSTEM. THE BATTERIES CONTAINED IN THE AFFECTED GPS UNITS CAN OVERHEAT.
Risk: OVERHEATED BATTERIES COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY GARMIN TECHNICIANS BY REPLACING THE BATTERY AND INSERTING A SPACER ON TOP OF THE BATTERY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN DIRECTLY AT 1-866-957-1981 OR NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2010-05-20 · campaign 10E019000 · 1,873 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2010 TITAN, ARMADA, AND QX56, AND MODEL YEARS 2005 THROUGH 2010 FRONTIER, XTERRA, AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE LOWER CONTROL LINK ASSEMBLY HAS TWO CYLINDRICAL COLLARS FORMING THE INBOARD ATTACHMENT POINTS TO THE CH
Risk: IF THE COLLAR WELD SEPARATES, THE VEHICLE HANDLING WILL DETERIORATE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:auxillary Tank 2010-03-03 · campaign 10V075000 · 80,689 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 AND MODEL YEAR 2008 FRONTIER, XTERRA AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE MOLDED FUEL TANK SHELLS CAN DEFORM, CAUSING THE FUEL SENDER FLOAT ARM TO CONTACT AN EMBOSSMENT MOLDED INTO THE TANK SHELL CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE TO SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER TANK WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY.
Risk: THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND STALL IN TRAFFIC, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WITH A NEW ONE THAT HAS A MODIFIED FLOAT ARM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Service bulletins (106)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Air Bags 2024-07-08 · NTB23-081C · Service Campaign
voluntary safety recall campaign 2005-2013 frontier, pathfinder, and xterra; driver air bag cover campaign id #: pc945 and pc948 applied vehicles: 2005-2013 frontier (d40) 2005-2012 pathfinder (r51) 2005-2013 xterra (n50) check service comm or dealer business systems (dbs) national service history t
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication – network diagnostic flow chart this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB10-066C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 106 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-10-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“while driving the vehicle and the fuel gauge reading 1/4 tank, without any prior notification such as a "low fuel" light thw car shut off on the highway, the vehicle ran out of gas. this has happened 3 times. upon researching there is a known recall for this vehicle that exhibits these exact symptoms as the fuel gauge shows 1/4 tank but really ther…”
2024-04-07 · Air Bags“saw that there was an airbag item recall (nhtsa i.d.: 08v69000) for my vehicle. airbag warning light is on. however, dealer says, "no open campaigns" and vehicle is out of the warranty period.…”
2024-01-29 · Air Bags · 20,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2008 nissan frontier. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the driver's side air bag suddenly deployed without an impact. as a result, the contact swerved into a drainage ditch, and the vehicle flipped completely over on its top. a police report was filed, and injuries were reported. the contact was transported by ai…”
2023-11-01 · Air Bags · 166,667 mi“the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v067000 (air bags) 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 that while driving at an undisclosed sp…”
2023-09-01 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the calipers in this kit have seized and been replaced (fronts 7/22,rears3/23) the front calipers have seized again 8/23. there is something wrong with these calipers and a potential for crash/injury situation, as a break components this reliability is unacceptable and potential dangerous. i feel this should be investigated before someone dies due …”
2023-08-12 · Air Bags“my airbag dash light indicator is flashing and will not turn off.…”
2023-05-09 · Air Bags · 36,481 mi“the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v067000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated while driving 35 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated. the contact was able to continue driving. the local dealer was not contacted. the v…”
2023-05-01 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v067000 (air bags) 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 …”
2023-02-16 · Air Bags“air bag icon started to flash , i took it to the dealer but they said theres no recalls , air bag sign keeps on flashing…”
2022-09-26 · Power Train · 86,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. the contact stated that while driving at speeds over 40 mph, the vehicle would shake and vibrate. the vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the radiator fluid had leaked into the transmission causing severe damage to the transmission. the contact was informed that the transmission and ra…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.