2005 Nissan Frontier problems
The 2005 Nissan Frontier has 750 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (32%) concerns drivetrain & axles. After that come engine (23%) and fuel system (22%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 750 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 32% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 13 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 93,000 miles 678 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 17 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 32 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 78 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 96 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 174 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 126 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 84 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 44 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 15 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 7 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Among the 678 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 93,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 102,000 miles (220 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 13 injuries reported; 1 death reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 83% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 27 model years of the Nissan Frontier with enough data (223 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 nissan frontier. While the contact's son was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and crashed into a jersey wall. The driver was trapped inside the vehicle when it suddenly burst into flames. As a result, the contact's son passed away. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and deemed a total loss. The dealer was not contacted to determine the cause of the engine power failure.
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 nissan frontier. The contact was driving 55 MPH during rainy weather when she unexpectantly lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was flipped several times before crashing into a ditch. The police arrived to assist and a report was filed. One passenger sustained a lower back injury. Another passenger sustained shallow cuts to the arms, face and chest. The vehicle was destroyed.
My nissan frontier hit a patch of black ice, skidded across two lanes of oncoming traffic, hit a light pole and slammed into a ditch embankment at 45-50 MPH. Neither the driver nor passenger air bags deployed.
Brought vehicle in to mechanic because of rough sound happening occasionally. It turns out it was the transmission, and that radiator fluid leaked into transmission which has caused transmission issues. Cost to repair will be approximately $4,000. This should not happen to a vehicle with 66,000 miles.
At the approximate speed of 5 to 8 MPH, and accelerating, the "service engine soon" signal light up. Immediately I had to turn 5000 rpms to reach a speed of 20 MPH. I drove the vehicle approximately 5 miles to home and parked it their. Contacted my mechanic and took the vehicle to his garage the next morning for a total of 8 miles in addition to the 5 for a total of 13 miles driven while in warning. Upon completion of a diagnostics check, it was discovered that there had been a transmission radiator valve failure.