2016 Nissan Frontier problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (8) · Fuel/Propulsion System (6) · Engine (5)
🧭 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
24 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Electrical System:wiring:front Underhood 2016-03-31 · campaign 16V181000 · 1,554 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016 Frontier V6 vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to March 7, 2016. The starter motor wire harness may have been installed in an incorrect position, allowing the starter harness terminal to contact the heat shield and result in an electrical short.
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reposition the starter wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Service bulletins (119)
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
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.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
window glass warranty information 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 119 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-25 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“front right half shaft/ cv joint. the accident resulted in the vehicle air bags deploying. with the amount of damage vehicle has been totaled when the component failed it caused the vehicle to cross two lanes of traffic before striking a temporary barrier in a construction zone. no. vehicle was totaled inspected by virginia state police trooper at …”
2026-07-28 · Unknown Or Other“our 2016 nissan fronter has a slow air leak on the tires after haveing them checked by a tire dealer it was found the tire pressure sensor (tps) was leaking at the core dealer was unable to remove the core or the nut that holds the tps on the wheel. galvonic reaction had welded all in place . dealer cut the valve off and replaced with a new tps (no…”
2025-10-17 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i am experiencing a fuel pump issue that stalls the engine while driving. the issue will sometimes go away if i first loosen the fuel cap on the gas tank to relieve built up pressure but after driving for 10 to 15 minutes or so the vehicle will begin to jerk while accelerating then it will stall and cut off. i have to wait a few minutes once it cut…”
2024-11-11 · Structure:body“a loud squeaking has developed during every day driving. after inspecting - the front right truck bed mounting location has cracked and failed.…”
2024-09-12 · Fuel/Propulsion System“while fueling at different gas stations the tank spills/belches gas all over. this is a major safety issue and needs recalled. there are endless complaints on [xxx] of similar issues occurring to other frontier owners. i took it to my local mechanic and was quoted over $800 to replace all 5 components of the system as nissan has suggested in a bul…”
2024-08-14 · Air Bags“the airbag warning light is blinking and has been for approximately 9 months. i live in salida, co which does not have a nissan dealership to take my vehicle into for servicing. i recently saw an article on fox 31 news pertaining to the same airbag malfunction and would like to know what to do about my problem.…”
2024-06-28 · Engine“head gasket blew and it warped the heads at 98,000 miles replace motor with a 51,000 mile motor and less than 2 months later, motor is knocking inside with broken peices of the motor. i have to replace it again. …”
2024-06-05 · Wheels“the issues iw with the lug nuts expanding locking on the tire so it cannot be takeoff for rotation or replacement or if you have a flat tire tout on the spare. went to bj's tire in pasadena, md (1-410-647-6600) to have a rotation and they said they could not do it the lug nuts expanded to larger size and it could cross thread if they got them off a…”
2023-12-31 · Service Brakes“my 2016 nissan frontier is leaking axle grease from the driver side rear tire. the grease/oil got all over the brake pads, rotor, and emergency brake. this seems to be a very common issue that was supposed to have been resolved several models prior.…”
2023-04-29 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control · 💥 crash“airbags didn’t deployed when the incident of the the truck crashed at the time. (april 05,2023)…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.