2009 Nissan Frontier problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (9) · Power Train (6) · Fuel System, Gasoline (3)
🧭 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
33 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.
Equipment 2010-09-03 · campaign 10E043000 · 294 vehicles
Defect: MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SEATS CONTAINING SIDE AIRBAGS. THE HEAVIER SEAT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH FULL DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Risk: AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIRBAG COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY.
Fix: MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
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.
Service bulletins (99)
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 99 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-11-03 · Air Bags · 170,000 mi“the contact owns a 2009 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 time for the recall repair. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the a…”
2022-09-13 · Air Bags“airbag warning light blinking and won't go off. was not able to reset. diagnostic code 12.…”
2021-10-26 · Engine · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 nissan frontier. the contact stated that the vehicle overheated and shut off. the failure occurred while driving at various speeds. the contact stated that it took a while for the vehicle to regain full power. the contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle had to be towed after shutting off. the contact took the ve…”
2020-09-14 · Air Bags · 72,000 mi“my airbag warning light is on. my mechanic noticed a recall, campaign id r0807, but the recall only affects vehicles registered in 'salt' states. i live in va but traveled extensively in pa, maryland, dc for work for many years. since my vehicle is experiencing the failure that the recall was issued for, my vehicle should be covered as part of the …”
2020-08-27 · Air Bags“my airbag light is flashing and the front air bag crash zone sensor needs to be replaced. there is a recall in effect, but only for vehicles in 'salt' states. my vehicle is registered in va, but i traveled in pa, md, and dc for several years for work, so my vehicle should be covered on the existing warranty recall.…”
2020-07-10 · Air Bags · 116,750 mi“this is a follow up to an already filed claim. complaint # 11331805 claim # [xxx]. dealership never informed me that the way to fix the airbag on my 2009 nissan frontier pro 4x was to replace each part until the problem went away. nissan has a very interesting way to fix something even after the computer diagnostic test. information redacted purs…”
2020-06-30 · Air Bags · 116,750 mi“the driver air bag light came on. vehicle was taken to a nissan dealer. it was determined that the air bag module was bad. the dealer informed me that the air bag is a takata. vehicle is a 2009 frontier pro 4x with 117,000 miles. contacted nissan and was informed that vehicle mileage and age does not warrant any assistance from nissan in making the…”
2020-06-23 · Air Bags · 175,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan frontier. the contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the air bag needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the local dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer w…”
2019-06-30 · Suspension · 54,000 mi“my control arms are worn and i only have 55,000 miles on my truck. my tires are wearing and the front end pops, and it pulls to the right.…”
2019-04-08 · Power Train · 100,000 mi · 🔥 fire“tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan frontier. while driving 55 mph, the contact detected smoke underneath the hood. the vehicle was towed to king windward nissan (45-568 kamehameha hwy, kaneohe, hi 96744, (808) 235-6433) where the contact was informed that the radiator, transmission, and engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. th…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.