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2004 Nissan Frontier

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2004 Nissan Frontier do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 64.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

47 reports with mileage · 19 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports3 fire reports5 injury reports

Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints

2 reports
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Mileage unknown · Dec 16, 2011
Service Brakes, HydraulicVehicle Speed Control

AS I APPROACHED A STOP SIGN ON A SECONDARY PAVED HIGHWAY ENTERING A PRIMARY HIGHWAY, THE ABOVE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SKID ON A THIN LAYER OF GRAVEL LAID DOWN ON THE BLACKTOP FOR RECENT ICE AND SNOW CONTROL. THE ROAD WAS CURRENTLY CLEAR AND DRY. I APPLIED THE BRAKES WHICH WENT HALFWAY TO THE FLOORBOARD WITHOUT ANTILOCK ACTION. CONC…

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AS I APPROACHED A STOP SIGN ON A SECONDARY PAVED HIGHWAY ENTERING A PRIMARY HIGHWAY, THE ABOVE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SKID ON A THIN LAYER OF GRAVEL LAID DOWN ON THE BLACKTOP FOR RECENT ICE AND SNOW CONTROL. THE ROAD WAS CURRENTLY CLEAR AND DRY. I APPLIED THE BRAKES WHICH WENT HALFWAY TO THE FLOORBOARD WITHOUT ANTILOCK ACTION. CONCURRENTLY THE ACCELERATOR MAINTAINED THE CURRENT SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES PER HOUR. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED THROUGH THE STOP SIGN ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH AN ONCOMING VEHICLE FROM THE LEFT MOVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR. WITHOUT CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE IT CONTINUED ON ITS OWN ACROSS THE PRIMARY HIGHWAY MISSING THE REAR OF THE ONCOMING VEHICLE BY A FOOT OR TWO. THE OTHER DRIVER APPEARED NOT TO BE AWARE OF MY INABILITY TO STOP AND POSSIBLY DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO VEHICLES IN THE OPPOSITE LANE COMING MY DIRECTION AND I SPEEDED UP TO CLEAR THE HIGHWAY AND CONTINUE ON THE SECONDARY ROAD. AT THAT POINT MY VEHICLE FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. THE BRAKES WORKED AGAIN AND THE ACCELERATOR APPEARED TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. IN ESSENCE, FROM THE POINT OF THE SKID, MY VEHICLE DROVE ITSELF ACROSS THE HIGHWAY. ANTILOCK DID NOT ENGAGE AND THE ACCELERATOR APPEARED TO SIMULTANEOUSLY MALFUNCTION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10440131

109,000 miles · Feb 18, 2011
Service Brakes, HydraulicCrash

NISSAN 2004 FRONTIER XE BRAKES FAILED WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING A COLLISION INTO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX ENTRY SIGN MADE OUT OF CEMENT BLOCKS. THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS. IF THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAIRABLE, A SERIOUS CONCERN FOR DRIVER AND PASSENGER SAFETY DUE TO THE HIGH PROBABILITY OF REPEATED BRAKE FAILURE.…

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NISSAN 2004 FRONTIER XE BRAKES FAILED WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING A COLLISION INTO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX ENTRY SIGN MADE OUT OF CEMENT BLOCKS. THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS. IF THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAIRABLE, A SERIOUS CONCERN FOR DRIVER AND PASSENGER SAFETY DUE TO THE HIGH PROBABILITY OF REPEATED BRAKE FAILURE. A TOTAL BRAKE SYSTEM REPAIR HAD BEEN DONE BY A REPUTABLE REPAIR SHOP APPROXIMATELY ONE AND ONE-HALF YEARS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. *LN

NHTSA ODI #10383185

Official recalls

1

10V554000 · Steering:column

Nov 11, 2010

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2004 FRONTIER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 9, 2001 THROUGH OCTOBER 20, 2004, AND MODEL YEAR 2002-2004, XTERRA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 9, 2001, THROUGH JANUARY 6, 2005. OVER TIME CORROSION MAY FORM IN THE LOWER STEERING COLUMN JOINT AND LIMIT MOVEMENT OF THE JOINT. THE LIMITED MOVEMENT OF THIS JOINT MAY CREATE EXCESSIVE LOAD ON THE LOWER STEERING COLUMN SHAFT. IF THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO BE DRIVEN IN THIS CONDITION, IT MAY LEAD TO CRACKING OF THE SHAFT DURING LOW SPEED MANEUVERS THAT REQUIRE LARGE STEERING INPUTS.

Consequence & remedy

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.