2004 Nissan Frontier Problems and Recalls (60 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2004 Nissan Frontier is Transmission / driveline (18% of 60 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 60 complaints · 4 recalls

What problems show up on the 2004 Nissan Frontier?

11 of 60 filings named Transmission / driveline (18% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Fuel system (8 reports).

There are 4 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Lights and Steering. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.

What to check before you buy a 2004 Nissan Frontier

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 4 campaigns on file below.
  2. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  3. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  4. Steering. Check for play in the wheel, noises on lock and whether it tracks straight.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Transmission / driveline. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Transmission / driveline 11 complaints · 18.3% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 7
  • Fires 3
  • Injuries 5
  • Deaths 0
All Nissan Frontier years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) appears in 11 of 60 owner complaints (18.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 11 complaints, 18.3% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 1 fire reports 11 · 18.3% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 8 complaints, 13.3% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 8 · 13.3% Steering (STEERING): 7 complaints, 11.7% of reports Steering (STEERING) 7 · 11.7% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 5 complaints, 8.3% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 fire reports 5 · 8.3% Engine (ENGINE): 5 complaints, 8.3% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 5 · 8.3% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 4 complaints, 6.7% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 3 crash reports 4 · 6.7% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 4 complaints, 6.7% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 4 · 6.7% Parking brake (PARKING BRAKE): 2 complaints, 3.3% of reports Parking brake (PARKING BRAKE) 2 · 3.3% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 2 complaints, 3.3% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 2 · 3.3% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 28 complaints, 46.7% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 4 crash reports 1 fire reports 28 · 46.7% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 11 18.3% 1 crashes · 1 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 8 13.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 7 11.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 5 8.3% 0 crashes · 2 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 5 8.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 4 6.7% 3 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 4 6.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Parking brake (PARKING BRAKE) 2 3.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 2 3.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 28 46.7% 4 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2006. 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Apr 2004 Jan 2023 Recall campaign 06E023000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E023000 Recall campaign 06E064000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E064000 Recall campaign 07E046000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E046000 Recall campaign 10V554000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V554000
  • Campaign 10V554000 was reported 289 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q3 Owner reports 3
2004-Q4 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 4
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 06E023000
Recall campaign 1 06E064000
Recall campaign 1 07E046000
Recall campaign 1 10V554000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (4)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Lights and Steering.

  1. Recall campaign 06E023000

    Lights

    Report date
    Component:
    Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 06E064000

    Safety recall 06E064000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 07E046000

    Safety recall 07E046000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS HARNESS WOULD RESULT IN POWER FROM THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER GOING TO THE TOWING VEHICLE DASH LIGHT CIRCUIT RATHER THAN THE TRAILER BRAKES. THIS RESULT WOULD BE THE LACK OF TRAILER BRAKING WHEN THE TOWING VEHICLE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. IT WOULD ALSO RESULT IN THE TOWING VEHICLES DASH LIGHTS BEING ACTIVATED WHEN THE VEHICLE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE FAILURE OF THE APPLICATION OF THE TRAILER BRAKE COULD RESULT IN REDUCED ABILITY TO STOP AND CONTRIBUTE TO A POSSIBLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    HOPKINS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE ORIGINAL HARNESS WITH A REVISED HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 17, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT HOPKINS AT 800-835-0129.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Recall campaign 10V554000

    Steering

    Report date
    Component:
    Steering (STEERING)
    Consequence:
    THE SHAFT MAY BREAK WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL DURING THESE LOW SPEED MANEUVERS INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    THE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT AND JOINT WILL BE REPLACED WITH A SHAFT OF A DIFFERENT DESIGN. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 13, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 7 of 60 complaints · page 1 of 3
2023-03-13Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11511547
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ROBBINS Nissan in Humble, KD service advisor - REFUSED RECALL SERVICE - saying he needs a customer phone number! No phone no service. Is there a law in this country requiring every citizen to have a phone, by force? Is this China already?
2023-02-27Parking brake (PARKING BRAKE)
NHTSA ODI 11509358
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while parked, the contact pulled the cable release for the parking brake and the bracket under the parking brake detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer stated that the manufacturer no longer manufactured the part for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 209,000.
2022-12-15Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11497513
CrashFireInjuryDeath
This is the first major safety incident with a stuck and wide-open throttle. I just started from a left hand turned at a stop light. I noticed the 2004 Nissan Frontier pickup truck began to increase its speed without any extra pressure applied to the gas pedal. I applied the brakes to slow down the truck's speed while the engine continued to increase speed. I turned on the flashers to warn traffic. I put the truck into neutral while braking and the engine immediately revved to high and loud rpms. I heard the engine making a shift in its high rpm revving noise, and I turned off the engine. I was now fully stopped near the curb. Next, my husband started the engine after a few minutes of being stopped. The engine immediately started revving to the high rpms. Since the truck was parked, he tapped the gas pedal a few times which seemed to reset the engine's wide-open throttle. Safety Issue: The engine revved to very high rpms and speeded up on its own; brakes were not fully stopping the truck. Failed Component: The engine's "throttle"
2021-09-23Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11434032
CrashFireInjuryDeath
This vehicle suddenly starts to accelerate on its own like it's in cruise control only it's not and I'm not pressing the gas pedal. It would go well only a 100 if I let it and applying the brakes does nothing. The only way of stopping the vehicle is to put it in neutral and one time that didn't stop it and I had to put it in park and turn off the key. I've taken the vehicle to 3 different garages and they are not able to figure out what the issue is. I've contacted Nissan and they have no recalls of this. I finally looked online and saw that other people have been in accidents because of the same problem. This vehicle is deadly to drive and I'm a professional driver so luckily I knew what to do when this happens. I am not able to drive truck safely and I'm not able to sell it or even give this to anyon because I would be responsible when they kill someone from the mechanical failures. I bought the truck for my teenage son and obviously he can't drive it
2021-04-06Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11406666
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DEALER SOLD A VEHICLE AS A FLORIDA 2 OWNER VEHICLE. I DID ANOTHER CARFAX ON IT AFTER I MADE THE PURCHASE TO DISCOVER DEALER SOLD IT TO SOMEONE IN TN AND THEY TITLED IT. THEN THEY RETURNED IT. DEALER SOLD IT TO ME WITHOUT HAVING TITLE ON HAND. VEHICLE WAS SHIPPED AND DROPPED OFF AT MY HOUSE WITHOUT ME BEING THERE TO LOOK IT OVER. THEY NEVER TOLD ME WHEN IT WOULD BE SHIPPED. WHEN MY MECHANIC INSPECTED IT HE SEEN MANY ISSUES. ONE WAS THERE WERE PARTS ON THE TRUCKS STEERING THAT DID NOT BELONG. IT HAD THE WRONG SWAY BAR LINKS INSTALLED. WHEN YOU ATTEMPT TO TURN STEERING HITS THE SWAY BAR AND IT LITERALLY BENDS THE BODY OF THE TRUCK. THERE ARE MANY POWER STEERING ISSUES. THE POWER STEERING GEAR BOX IS LEAKING AS WELL AS POWER STEERING LINES. DEFINITELY NOT A SAFE VEHICLE TO BE ON THE ROAD. THIS WAS NEVER DISCLOSED WHEN MAKING THE PURCHASE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. COOLANT SENSOR AS WELL AS ENGINE KNOCK SENSORS. WHEN UNDER THE VEHICLE YOU CAN HEAR LOUD BANGING. MECHANIC SUSPECTS CONNECTOR RODS AND/OR MAIN BEARINGS MEANING MOTOR IS ON ITS LAST LEG. LASTLY, DEALERSHIP HAS NOT SENT TITLE NOR ANY PAPERWORK ON IT. ALL I GOT WAS A BROKEN DOWN TRUCK LEAKING FLUIDS LEFT IN MY DRIVEWAY.
2020-04-03Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11320150
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN WORKED ON MULTIPLE TIMES FOR RUST, CORROSION, GAS TANK LEAKS, BEARINGS AND REAR DIFFERENTIAL. IT CONTINUES TO RUST AND CORRODE. THE MOTOR RUNS WELL BUT THE VEHICLE HAS RUSTED EVEN WITH EXCELLENT CARE. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED. THE GAS TANK HAS BEEN FIXED MULTIPLE TIMES AND CONTINUES TO CORRODE AND LEAK. I THINK THAT ALL OF THESE ISSUES NEED TO BE CHECKED ON. THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAS CORRODED AND ALL OF THESE ISSUES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE EVERY TIME THAT IT HAS TO BE FIXED. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR HELP WITH THESE PROBLEMS.
2018-01-18Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11063619
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE AIR BAGS WARNING LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK, AND NEVER GOES OF, CHECKEED ABOUT THE SITUATION, TURN ON THE IGNITION KEY AND WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO GO OFF, BUT IT DOES NOT, WHILE DRIVING, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHTS STILL BLINKS CONSTANTLY, DOES NOT GOES OFF. DOESN'T MATTER IF DRIVING SLOWLY ON STREET OR FASTER ON HIGHWAY OR FREEWAY..EVEN WHEN NOT DRIVING.. IF I TURN THE IGNITION ON AND OFF, STILL BLINKS... MAYBE THE AIRBAG MALFUCTION?

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2004 Nissan Frontier?

Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 11 of 60 reports (18%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2004 Nissan Frontier?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Lights and Steering. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2004 Nissan Frontier?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources