2003 Nissan Frontier: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 92 complaints
92
Total Complaints
65,500mi
Median Mileage
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Top Issue
11
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

37,574 25th Percentile
65,500 Median Mileage
100,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
10
STEERING
8
STRUCTURE:BODY
7
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
AIR BAGS
4
SUSPENSION:REAR
4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
3
WHEELS
3
SERVICE BRAKES
3
SUSPENSION
3

Severity Assessment

11
Crashes
2
Fires
5
Injuries
2
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE APPLIED THE BRAKE AND THE ENGINE SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING A REAR ENDING ACCIDENT. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS"
"THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT APPEAR ON THE DASHBOARD PANEL. AND WILL STAY ON INTIL THE VEHICLE IS TURN OFF DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. TS"
"I PURCHASED A 2003 NISSAN FRONTIER PICKUP TRUCK. WHEN I USE THE DEFROSTER THE AIR CONDITIONER COMES ON WHICH IS NORMAL. I CANNOT TURN OFF THE DEFROSTER AND AIR CONDITIONER UNTIL I TURN OFF THE ENGINE. THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR STAYS ON UNTIL THE ENGINE IS SHUT DOWN. IF I AM ON A HIGHWAY I H..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28