NISSAN FRONTIER · model year

2021 NISSAN FRONTIER

25 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021NISSANFRONTIER carries 25 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. 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 2021 FRONTIER is unknown or other with 4 filings, followed by power train (4) and fuel/propulsion system (3). 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 2 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 2021 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.

25
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

25 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4
POWER TRAIN4
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3
AIR BAGS2
SERVICE BRAKES1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION1
TIRES:SIDEWALL1
SEAT BELTS1
SEATS1
ENGINE1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION1

Recalls (2)

22V45700024/06/2022

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

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.

22V67100007/09/2022

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

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.

Recent Complaints

20251014AIR BAGS

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 BATTERY AND TRY TO RESET IT AS WE WERE LEAVING, THE SALESMAN WALKED US OUT.WHEN WE FIRED UP THE VEHICLE, THE WHOLE DASH FLASHED AND WENT BLACK IN FRONT OF THE SALESMAN.A DAY LATER, WE BROKE DOWN IN THE TRUCK AND HAD TO BE JUMPED.WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY PUT A NEW BATTERY IN AND A COUPLE DAYS LATER, IT CAME ON AGAIN.BUT TOOK IT IN AGAIN, AND THEY PUT US IN A RENTAL CAR FOR A WEEK THEY TOLD US WHEN WE GOT THE TRUCK BACK THAT THEY CHANGED A AIRBAG SENSOR AND THEN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER, MY SON WAS DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE STALLED ON HIM WHILE DRIVING IT TOOK HIM 4X TO FIRE IT BACK UP. WHEN IT DID FIRE BACK UP, IT WOULD ONLY GO 7 MILE A

20251014ELECTRICAL 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 BATTERY AND TRY TO RESET IT AS WE WERE LEAVING, THE SALESMAN WALKED US OUT.WHEN WE FIRED UP THE VEHICLE, THE WHOLE DASH FLASHED AND WENT BLACK IN FRONT OF THE SALESMAN.A DAY LATER, WE BROKE DOWN IN THE TRUCK AND HAD TO BE JUMPED.WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY PUT A NEW BATTERY IN AND A COUPLE DAYS LATER, IT CAME ON AGAIN.BUT TOOK IT IN AGAIN, AND THEY PUT US IN A RENTAL CAR FOR A WEEK THEY TOLD US WHEN WE GOT THE TRUCK BACK THAT THEY CHANGED A AIRBAG SENSOR AND THEN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER, MY SON WAS DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE STALLED ON HIM WHILE DRIVING IT TOOK HIM 4X TO FIRE IT BACK UP. WHEN IT DID FIRE BACK UP, IT WOULD ONLY GO 7 MILE A

20251014FUEL/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 BATTERY AND TRY TO RESET IT AS WE WERE LEAVING, THE SALESMAN WALKED US OUT.WHEN WE FIRED UP THE VEHICLE, THE WHOLE DASH FLASHED AND WENT BLACK IN FRONT OF THE SALESMAN.A DAY LATER, WE BROKE DOWN IN THE TRUCK AND HAD TO BE JUMPED.WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY PUT A NEW BATTERY IN AND A COUPLE DAYS LATER, IT CAME ON AGAIN.BUT TOOK IT IN AGAIN, AND THEY PUT US IN A RENTAL CAR FOR A WEEK THEY TOLD US WHEN WE GOT THE TRUCK BACK THAT THEY CHANGED A AIRBAG SENSOR AND THEN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER, MY SON WAS DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE STALLED ON HIM WHILE DRIVING IT TOOK HIM 4X TO FIRE IT BACK UP. WHEN IT DID FIRE BACK UP, IT WOULD ONLY GO 7 MILE A

20250728AIR 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.

20250211POWER TRAIN

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 the vehicle to a dealer to check for a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V671000 (POWER TRAIN). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,172.

Mileage: 99,172

20241016UNKNOWN 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 state the part is backordered and unavailable. Vehicle is undrivable without repair.

20240821ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

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 was able to start, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 17,000.

Mileage: 17,000

20240819EXTERIOR LIGHTING

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 failure occurred, the exterior lights would not function properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the brake light switch. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V135000 (Exterior Lighting), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.

Mileage: 36,000

20240819ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 failure occurred, the exterior lights would not function properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the brake light switch. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V135000 (Exterior Lighting), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.

Mileage: 36,000

20230709UNKNOWN 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 includes AC line flushed because it was sloshing in the dash. A leaf in the right blower motor. And now my truck has been ins hop two weeks. Initially diagnosed as a bolt missing was causing a rattling in the dash . They said the dash would have to be broken down to find it and fix it. I ask them how they really know if they have to break down the dash. I had to get consumer affairs involved with Nissan because dealer said I would have to pay for the repair even though it is still under factory warranty and it was sold certified which means it was fully inspected for defects. A week and half later I was texted that it was a broken crash bar w

20230627POWER TRAIN

The Vehicle hesitates when taking of from a stand still of from switching lanes from a stop. The Transmission is trying to switch from a stop causing the Vehicle to have no power of RPM's on the Torque Converter. Very Dangerous. Has almost caused me to have a wreck several times. Have taken the Vehicle to the Nissan Dealership 2 times . Dealership said there was a problem and Nissan has had other complaints but their Engineers does not have a fix. The first time at the Dealership they reprogramed the Transmission . Said that would fix it. The Reprogram was a Recall. Did not fix the issue. Today 06/27/2023 The said there was some complaints in Nissan's data the same as mine. Tech said he test a 2023 Nissan with same transmission ant they mine and it shifted the same. Told them they crazy my is a 2021 2 wheel drive , the one the test drove was 2023 4 wheel drive. Totally different.

20230524POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V457000 (Power Train) 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20230314ENGINE

Numerous complaints of problems with bad/defective engine mounts .

20230311POWER TRAIN

I brought my truck in for service on 3/10/23 and they preformed the recall for the transmission. This involved reprogramming no parts were available yet. On my trip home from the shop I noticed right away my fuel economy went from 21MPG to 18 MPG (same roads I always drive) and I have been having a warning light come on after I let and it has came on and off twice. I worry about what would make such a drastic change and what is it doing to my transmission. I have notified the dealer but they are not open till Monday. I do not want my private information shared. I do not know if this is a normal or common problem

20220927FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Transmission in Park Nissan sent notice truck could roll away. Radio turns self on and off 2-3 times after starting vehicle no lights or messages show up Cell phone bluetooth won't work

20220927UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Transmission in Park Nissan sent notice truck could roll away. Radio turns self on and off 2-3 times after starting vehicle no lights or messages show up Cell phone bluetooth won't work

20220726SEAT BELTS

have gone to Nissan for excessive rattle noise in passenger footwell would sound louder as i gave it gas they concluded that the heater core bracket was loose and tighten but sound did no go away took it in again heater core bracket not good would need to replace so had to take it in third time for same heater core issue eventually they replaced heater core but still have problems with the air was taken to Nissan over 7 times for climate problems. it was not equal driver side blew hotter than the that passenger side eventually it stop blowing air through front vents only the defrost vent works seat adjusting bracket did not lock in place when coming to a stop the passenger seat would slide forward defective Nissan replaced --few month later passenger seatbelt tensioner went bad check engine error code took it to Nissan was replaced by Nissan Nissan service mechanics driving car with defective seatbelt that no issue until part came in same with bracket i had to take t

20220726SEATS

have gone to Nissan for excessive rattle noise in passenger footwell would sound louder as i gave it gas they concluded that the heater core bracket was loose and tighten but sound did no go away took it in again heater core bracket not good would need to replace so had to take it in third time for same heater core issue eventually they replaced heater core but still have problems with the air was taken to Nissan over 7 times for climate problems. it was not equal driver side blew hotter than the that passenger side eventually it stop blowing air through front vents only the defrost vent works seat adjusting bracket did not lock in place when coming to a stop the passenger seat would slide forward defective Nissan replaced --few month later passenger seatbelt tensioner went bad check engine error code took it to Nissan was replaced by Nissan Nissan service mechanics driving car with defective seatbelt that no issue until part came in same with bracket i had to take t

20220726UNKNOWN OR OTHER

have gone to Nissan for excessive rattle noise in passenger footwell would sound louder as i gave it gas they concluded that the heater core bracket was loose and tighten but sound did no go away took it in again heater core bracket not good would need to replace so had to take it in third time for same heater core issue eventually they replaced heater core but still have problems with the air was taken to Nissan over 7 times for climate problems. it was not equal driver side blew hotter than the that passenger side eventually it stop blowing air through front vents only the defrost vent works seat adjusting bracket did not lock in place when coming to a stop the passenger seat would slide forward defective Nissan replaced --few month later passenger seatbelt tensioner went bad check engine error code took it to Nissan was replaced by Nissan Nissan service mechanics driving car with defective seatbelt that no issue until part came in same with bracket i had to take t

20220415TIRES:SIDEWALL

Sidewall failed at 70MPH on I-40 Westbound causing immediate deflation of the tire almost causing loss of vehicle control. The problem has NOT been reproduced by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has NOT been inspected by any police or manufacturer. The low tire warning lamp illuminated seconds after said blowout. HANCOOK DYNAPRO AT M P265/75R16

Compare 2021NISSANFRONTIER to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 NISSAN FRONTIER have?
The 2021 NISSAN FRONTIER has 25 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2021 NISSAN FRONTIER?
Yes, the 2021 NISSAN FRONTIER has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 NISSAN FRONTIER?
The most-complained component for the 2021 NISSAN FRONTIER is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.
Is the 2021 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.