2021 Nissan Frontier problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (4) · Service Brakes (2) · Fuel/Propulsion System (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 (60)
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 · 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.
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 60 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-13 · Service Brakes“while driving on a two lane state route road towing a rv at approximately 60 mph, the first indication of an issue was an amber abs warning light accompanied by an amber traction control light. shortly after a red brake warning light illuminated. shortly after that an amber 4wd drive light illuminated and the 4wd drive wheel indicator went blank.…”
2026-09-20 · Vehicle Speed Control“my 2021 ford explorer appeared to maintain or resume speed without cruise control being activated. braking and switching cruise off did not reliably stop the behavior, and speed varied by as much as 15 mph without my input. my concerns are: * apparent speed control when cruise had never been activated; * continued propulsion after braking; * app…”
2026-09-15 · Suspension“started rolling in park, then would not start towed to dealer , no word and no help!!!!…”
2025-10-14 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i [xxx] purchased the vehicle from daytona, nissan on [xxx] on the morning of [xxx], the airbag light came on. and was flashing. i took videos of all the different occurrences.i went back to the dealership and talked to the salesman that sold it to us.his name was simon.and he brought us in, and we were talking to a manager they disconnected the b…”
2025-07-28 · Air Bags“when someone is sitting in passenger seat the light for their airbag blinks, is on or off. so we are unsure if the airbag would in fact deploy if we were to be in a collision. …”
2025-02-11 · Power Train · 99,172 mi“the contact owns a 2021 nissan frontier. the contact stated while driving 35 mph, several unknown warning lights illuminated. the contact stated that an independent mechanic was contacted. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission control module error. the contact was informed by the mechanic to take …”
2024-10-16 · Unknown Or Other“recall r22a1 has not been repaired by the dealership. riverside nissan in rome, ga held the truck for twelve (12) weeks and was unable to repair the truck. they claim the part is not available. another repair was subsequently requested at town center nissan in kennesaw, ga. they initially reported they could get the part within two weeks but now st…”
2024-08-21 · Electrical System:ignition · 17,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 nissan frontier. the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, after which, upon pressing the push to start button the vehicle failed to start. after several attempts, the vehicle w…”
2024-08-19 · Exterior Lighting · 36,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 nissan frontier. the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. after several attempts, the contact was able to start the vehicle, after which the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. the contact also stated that when the fa…”
2023-07-09 · Unknown Or Other“i purchased a 2021 certified preowned nissan frontier with 21k miles and was promised it had passed a 167 point inspection and came with limited 7 year 100k power train warranty. this is addition to the factory warranty 3 year 36k and 5 year 60k mile that is still in effect. the truck has had to have several repairs upon purchasing. this include…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.