NISSAN FRONTIER · model year

2005 NISSAN FRONTIER

750 NHTSA complaints, 11 crash reports, and 6 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2005NISSANFRONTIER carries 750 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 11 crashes, 12 fires, 13 injuries, and 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2005 FRONTIER is power train with 234 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline (111) and engine and engine cooling (85). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 6 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2005 FRONTIER. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

750
Complaints
11
Crashes
12
Fires
13
Injuries
1
Deaths

Total Complaints

750 filings

Crashes Reported

11 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN234
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE111
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING85
ENGINE80
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM36
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM25
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION19
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL15
UNKNOWN OR OTHER14
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER12
AIR BAGS11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY10
STRUCTURE:BODY8
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM6
STEERING5

Recalls (6)

06V09200030/03/2006

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP

ON CERTAIN KING CAB TRUCKS, IN A SEVERE SIDE IMPACT CRASH, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT DEFORMATION OF THE VEHICLE'S BODY COULD CAUSE THE FUEL FILLER CAP TETHER TO BE STRETCHED TO THE POINT OF UNSCREWING THE FUEL FILLER CAP.

08V69000029/12/2008

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

NISSAN IS RECALLING 242,720 MY 2005-2009 PATHFINDER, FRONTIER AND XTERRA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PEN

10V51700028/10/2010

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDU

10E01900020/05/2010

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM

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, ARM

06E06400017/07/2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED

07E04600003/07/2007

EQUIPMENT

CERTAIN HOPKINS AFTERMARKET TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL CONNECTION HARNESSES SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES WHICH ARE LISTED ABOVE. THE INTERNAL PART NUMBERS WITHIN HOPKINS ARE: 1010476025, 1040376025, 1110476025, 1170376025, 1290376025, 1010476035, 1040376035, 1110476035, 1170376035,

Recent Complaints

20250109AIR BAGS

EL EMBLEMA DE RESINA EN LA CUBIERTA DEL MÓDULO AIRBAG DEL CONDUCTOR EN LOS VEHÍCULOS AFECTADOS PUEDE TENER DURABILIDAD REDUCIDA DEBIDO A POSIBLES VARIACIONES EN EL PROCESO DE PRODUCCIÓN DEL PROVEEDOR. EN ESTA CONDICIÓN, CON EL TIEMPO, LOS POSTES DEL EMBLEMA PUEDEN DESARROLLAR GRIETAS, Y EL EMBLEMA Y LOS COMPONENTES DE RETENCIÓN PODRÍAN DESPRENDERSE EN CASO DE QUE SE DESPLIEGUE EL AIRBAG.

20240731AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20230908ENGINE

The timing chain has gone out. Other crankshaft sensor went out while driving the vehicle at about 30mph.

20230908ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The timing chain has gone out. Other crankshaft sensor went out while driving the vehicle at about 30mph.

20230704POWER TRAIN

The truck loss power stalling,shuddering, bucking, want pick up speed even when excellerating, slow take off, loss of speed

20230518ENGINE

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated. The contact then stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast the vehicle off the roadway. The contact then stated that the check engine warning light intermittently flashed upon start-up then remained illuminated. The contact stated that he allowed the engine time to cool down then restarted the vehicle; however, after the vehicle was restarted, he depressed the accelerator pedal to regain speed but two to three minutes later the vehicle stalled again. The contact stated that occasionally, after the vehicle stalled, the vehicle was jumpstarted, but the negative side of the battery sparked from the cable. Additionally, the contact stated that the ABS warning light and the check engine warning illuminated then turned off then the vehicle stalled. The contact state

Mileage: 189,000

20211216FirePOWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle came to a complete stop and then hesitated to accelerate. Additionally, a burning odor was detected. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with transmission and radiator failure. The transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,700.

Mileage: 88,700

20210728POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving 75 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. There was no warning light before or after the failure. The vehicle was towed by an independent mechanic. The mechanic performed a diagnostic test and found that coolant had leaked into the transmission and caused the transmission to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.

Mileage: 82,000

20210209AIR BAGS

AIRBAG LIGHT BLINKS CONSTANTLY. POSSIBLE FRONT AIR BAG SENSOR DEFECTIVE

Mileage: 160,000

20201128UNKNOWN OR OTHER

YEAR 2013 RECALLED RADIATOR LEAKAGE INTERNAL AND CAUSED ( TRANMISSION FLUID GOT INTO RADIATOR ) . I REPORT TO NISSAN USA : THEY DENIED TO PAY FOR ITS BECAUSE HAVE BEEN TO LONG BUT NOW ITS HAPPENING TO MY TRUCK ON DATE : 10/19/2020 . PLEASE , HELP . THANKS !

Mileage: 83,490

20201020POWER TRAIN

MY 2005 NISSAN FRONTIERS TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 137,000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN IT SEEMED TO JOLT OUT OF 5TH GEAR TO 4TH. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I HEADED TO NISSAN BUT IT SEEMED TO ONLY REMAIN IN A HIGH GEAR (3RD OR 4TH). THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILED TRANSMISSION DUE TO COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE TRANSMISSION. ITS A KNOWN PROBLEM. I CALLED NISSAN HEADQUARTERS AND ASKED FOR HELP THEY SAID NO. I HAD AN EXTENDED POWERTRAIN WARRANTY THROUGH AUL, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS THE RADIATOR THAT LEAKED AND NOT A TRANSMISSION FAILURE THEY WON'T COVER IT.

Mileage: 137,000

20200804ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE SERVICE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND PROGRAMED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE THEN WAS THEN TAKEN TO NISSAN AT THE AVENUES (10859 PHILIPS HWY, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32256) BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V517000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 113,010.

Mileage: 113,010

20200707POWER TRAIN

WHEN THE TRUCK HIT ABOUT 115,000 MILES, IT STARTED SHIFTING ODDLY. AT 120,000 MILES IT WOULD NOT DRIVE. I LET IT SIT FOR A WEEK AND THEN IT WOULD DRIVE. I CAN ONLY DRIVE IT 5 MILES OR LESS IN ORDER FOR IT TO DRIVE. ANYMORE THAN THAT, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND IT DOESN'T HAVE THE POWER TO GO OVER 10MPH. AFTER DRIVING, EVEN LESS THAN 5 MILES, IT LEAKS ANTIFREEZE.

Mileage: 120,000

20200228POWER TRAIN

TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO CROSS CONTAMINATION WITH RADIATOR. TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED.

Mileage: 142,463

20200213AIR BAGS

AIR BAG DIAGNOSTIC CODE INDICATES FRONT CRASH SENSOR DEFECTIVE

Mileage: 160,000

20200207POWER TRAIN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. ORR NISSAN LOCATED AT 2323 VIKING DR, BOSSIER LA, WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

Mileage: 160,000

20200129AIR BAGS

FRONT AIR BAG SENSOR NOT OPERATING.AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHES

Mileage: 160,000

20200129ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FRONT AIR BAG SENSOR NOT OPERATING.AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHES

Mileage: 160,000

20200129WHEELS

FRONT AIR BAG SENSOR NOT OPERATING.AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHES

Mileage: 160,000

20200122STRUCTURE:BODY

DRIVERS DOOR DOES NOT OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE ONLY FROM THE INSIDE THE TEMP OUTSIDE WAS LIKE 40F

Mileage: 65,000

Compare 2005NISSANFRONTIER to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER have?
The 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER has 750 NHTSA complaints, 11 crashes, 12 fires, 13 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER?
Yes, the 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER has 6 recall(s). The most common affected component is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER?
The most-complained component for the 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER is POWER TRAIN with 234 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.