"How reliable is the 2005 Nissan Frontier?"

"Based on 750 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Nissan Frontier has a median complaint mileage of 92700 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Nissan Frontier?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Nissan Frontier is POWER TRAIN, accounting for a significant portion of the 750 total complaints filed."

2005 Nissan Frontier: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 750 complaints

750

Total Complaints

92,700mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

69,902 25th Percentile

92,700 Median Mileage

116,408 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN

234

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

111

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE OUR SIDE MIRROR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF MY 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER CREW CAB TRUCK CANNOT BE ADJUSTED TO ELIMINATE A BLIND SPOT. THE MIRROR IS ELECTRIC, AND IS ELECTRIC HEATED, AND WILL NOT ADJUST AT THE ANGLE NEEDED TO SEE CARS NEXT TO YOU. THIS MEANS I MUST ALWAYS TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD AND TUR..."

"THE "DIFFERENTIAL LOCK" (DIF LOCK) DASH LIGHT GOES ON AFTER A PERIOD OF DRIVING. AFTER AWHILE, THE DIF LOCK LIGHT TURNS OFF & THE ABS & SLIP DASH LIGHTS COME ON. AT FIRST, THE DEALER COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. AFTER ADDITIONAL DRIVING BY THE DEALERSHIP, THE LIGHTS CAME ON. THE DEALERSHIP R..."

"I PUCHASED A 05 FRONTIER P/U 2WD, AND LOG ON 2K MILES WHEN ENGINE CHECK SOON LIGHT CAME ON. I BROUGHT TO THE DEALER AND THEY ORDERED A CATALETIC CONVERTER ON 5-19-05 BUT UNTILL NOW THEY DONT HAVE THE PART AND TOLD ME TO CALL NISSAN FACTORY INQUIRING ABOUT MY CATALETIC CONVERTER? I BELIEVE THE DEALER..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

POWER TRAIN 234 complaints

25th: 88,175 mi Median: 103,000 mi 75th: 121,000 mi

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 111 complaints

25th: 46,000 mi Median: 57,865 mi 75th: 78,000 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 85 complaints

25th: 86,748 mi Median: 101,570 mi 75th: 122,000 mi

ENGINE 80 complaints

25th: 91,000 mi Median: 107,000 mi 75th: 121,500 mi

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 36 complaints

25th: 70,250 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 110,225 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 70 FL: 62 TX: 48 GA: 42 PA: 35 NC: 32 SC: 30 TN: 29 VA: 25 NY: 25

Who Files Complaints?

3.3%

Original Owners

96.7%

Second+ Owners

Nissan Frontier — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1998	146	110,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	14
1999	106	80,000	TIRES	10
2000	224	83,500	TIRES	20
2001	155	78,500	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY	13
2002	152	69,000	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	13
2003	92	65,500	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	11
2004	89	70,000	STEERING	10
2006	832	84,350	POWER TRAIN	23
2007	698	85,500	POWER TRAIN	9
2008	187	87,174	POWER TRAIN	2
2009	44	57,048	AIR BAGS	1
2010	75	41,000	AIR BAGS	3
2011	84	49,100	AIR BAGS	5
2012	98	45,000	AIR BAGS	7
2013	65	27,000	AIR BAGS	8
2014	49	35,500	AIR BAGS	5
2015	48	27,500	AIR BAGS	2
2016	55	35,000	AIR BAGS	6
2017	44	17,500	FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	7
2018	29	6,500	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0
2019	37	12,000	POWER TRAIN	3
2020	29	28,000	POWER TRAIN	3
2021	25	36,000	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	3
2022	185	2,000	POWER TRAIN	22
2023	101	11,250	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	5
2024	23	-	SERVICE BRAKES	0

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