2020 Nissan Frontier problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (9) · Service Brakes (2) · Engine (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Frontier model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2022-09-07 · campaign 22V671000 · 197,230 vehicles
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.
Fix: 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
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2022-06-24 · campaign 22V457000 · 180,176 vehicles
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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (66)
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
Power Train 2024-08-07 · NTB20-077A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
9 speed a/t valve body (control valve tcm) replacement this bulletin is no longer active. please discard previous versions of ntb20-077.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB17-127C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
intelligent key initialization procedure stops or will not continue this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 66 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-07-10 · Steering“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…”
2026-06-30 · Service Brakes“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 ?…”
2026-06-29 · Power Train“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…”
2025-09-28 · Engine“ 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 …”
2025-06-06 · Power Train“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 …”
2025-05-17 · Unknown Or Other“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…”
2025-04-27 · Vehicle Speed Control“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. …”
2024-10-16 · Service Brakes · 55,000 mi“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…”
2024-10-07 · Power Train · 55,000 mi · 💥 crash“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 …”
2024-09-17 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights · 32,000 mi“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 manufac…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.