IllustrationENGINE SPUTTERS THEN DIES. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALWAYS ON. AFTER ANALYSIS BY A SHOP, FUEL GAUGE SENDING UNIT IS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. MANY OWNERS OF NISSAN TRUCKS/SUV'S REPORTING THIS DEFECT. *TR
2005 Nissan Frontier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Frontier years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Nissan Frontier are substantially higher than the model-year median of 64.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Frontier years →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
180–25K
5225–50K
9250–75K
12975–100K
156100–150K
32150K+
479 reports with mileage · 53 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 262 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 119 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 106 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports8 fire reports9 injury reports
Fuel System, Gasoline complaints
119 reportsFUEL TANK INDICATOR DOES NOT INDICATE FULL TANK AFTER FILLING FULL; FIRST OCCURRENCE IN JULY 2007; SECOND OCCURRENCE FEB 2009; NOT UNDER WARRANTY SECOND TIME. *TR
2005 NISSAN FRONTIER GAS GAUGE DOSE NOT GIVE PROPER, READINGS DOES NOT READ FULL WHEN TANK IS FILL UP. SEEMS TO READ LOWER AMOUNTS AFTER EACH FILL UP . DON'T WANT TO RUN OUT OF GAS,MUST KEEP TRACK OF MILEAGE. JUST BOUGHT TRUCK IN DEC. OF 08, 28,000 MILES ON IT. *TR
SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. CODE SAYS IT IS A BAD FUEL SENSOR. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH NISSAN FRONTIERS. *TR
UPON REACHING APPROXIMATELY 37,000 MILES ON MY 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER MY GAS GAUGE BEGAN ACTING WILDLY AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF TO INDICATE I HAD A BAD FUEL SENDING UNIT. CODE 0463. THE GAUGE WILL NOT REGISTER ANY FUEL WHEN THE TANK IS FULL OR WHEN IT'S NEAR EMPTY. WHEN THE TANK IS HALF FUEL THE GAUGE SEEMS TO WORK. …
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UPON REACHING APPROXIMATELY 37,000 MILES ON MY 2005 NISSAN FRONTIER MY GAS GAUGE BEGAN ACTING WILDLY AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF TO INDICATE I HAD A BAD FUEL SENDING UNIT. CODE 0463. THE GAUGE WILL NOT REGISTER ANY FUEL WHEN THE TANK IS FULL OR WHEN IT'S NEAR EMPTY. WHEN THE TANK IS HALF FUEL THE GAUGE SEEMS TO WORK. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH IT APPEARS THAT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM AND NISSAN HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THERE IS A PROBLEM VIA SERVICE BULLETIN NTB07-069A. HOWEVER THEY HAVE NOT STEPPED UP TO RECALL THIS KNOWN FAULTY PART. THIS COULD BE A SAFETY HAZARD AND I FEEL THAT NISSAN NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE FUEL SENDING UNITS THEY PU IN MY TRUCK. IT APPEARS THAT MOST OF THESE FAILURES ARE HAPPENING NEAR THE 40K MARK SO NISSAN DOES NOT COVER THEM UNDER NORMAL WARRANTY. VERY CONVENIENT FOR THEM. *TR
SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON WITH A FUEL SENSOR MESSAGE AT DEALERSHIP/AUTO PARTS STORE. NOW THE FUEL GAUGE ISN'T WORKING. *TR
FUEL GAUGE BEGAN READING INACCURATELY AT 35,389 K, WOULD ONLY REGISTER 3/4 WHEN TANK WAS FILLED. INACCURATE READING SUBJECTED OWNER TO CHANCE OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL. VEHICLE RETURNED TO DEALER AND WAS PROMPTLY REPAIRED BY INSTALLATION OF A SENDING UNIT. NO CHARGE TO OWNER. *TR
COMMON PROBLEM. FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT WORK. AFTER PLENTY RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT PLENTY FRONTIER AND XTERRA OWNERS ARE HAVE PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL SENDING UNITS FAILING. STEALERSHIP WANT $400-$500 TO FIX THIS. I DO NOT HAVE MONEY FOR THIS AND DON'T WANT TO RUN OUT OF GAS AGAIN. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED. THEY RECALLED IT…
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COMMON PROBLEM. FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT WORK. AFTER PLENTY RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT PLENTY FRONTIER AND XTERRA OWNERS ARE HAVE PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL SENDING UNITS FAILING. STEALERSHIP WANT $400-$500 TO FIX THIS. I DO NOT HAVE MONEY FOR THIS AND DON'T WANT TO RUN OUT OF GAS AGAIN. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED. THEY RECALLED IT IS AUSTRAILA ON THE NISSAN NAVARA (SAME AS A FRONTIER), BUT I GUESS IT WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE FOR NISSAN TO MAN UP, AND WE WILL HAVE TO PAY. *TR
AFTER FILLING UP MY TRUCK THE FUEL LEVEL NEVER TOOK EFFECT AND THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING THE DEALER WONT HELP AND IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO FIX OUT OF POCKET. *TR
2005 NISSAN FRONTIER: APPARENTLY, MANY NISSANS ARE SHOWING FAULTY FUEL SENDING/LEVEL UNITS (INCLUDING MY OWN). THEY CAUSE THE DRIVER TO HAVE AN NONFUNCTIONAL GAS GAUGE. DUE TO THIS FAULTY FACTORY PART, I RAN OUT OF GAS ON A SIX LANE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR. WITH ALL THE NISSANS ON THE ROAD, I CAN IMAGINE MANY MAY RUN OUT OF …
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2005 NISSAN FRONTIER: APPARENTLY, MANY NISSANS ARE SHOWING FAULTY FUEL SENDING/LEVEL UNITS (INCLUDING MY OWN). THEY CAUSE THE DRIVER TO HAVE AN NONFUNCTIONAL GAS GAUGE. DUE TO THIS FAULTY FACTORY PART, I RAN OUT OF GAS ON A SIX LANE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR. WITH ALL THE NISSANS ON THE ROAD, I CAN IMAGINE MANY MAY RUN OUT OF FUEL IN LESS THAN SAFE SURROUNDINGS. PLEASE DO A RECALL!! *TR
Official recalls
310V517000 · Engine And Engine Cooling
Oct 28, 2010
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE STALLING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
08V690000 · Air Bags:frontal
Dec 29, 2008
NISSAN IS RECALLING 242,720 MY 2005-2009 PATHFINDER, FRONTIER AND XTERRA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN THOSE AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WHICH USE HEAVY CONCENTRATIONS OF ROAD SALT IN THE WINTER, A MIXTURE OF SNOW/WATER AND SALT CAN ENTER INTO THE FRONT CRASH ZONE SENSOR (CZS) HOUSING. IF THIS OCCURS, THE CZS MAY INTERNALLY RUST RESULTING IN A SIGNAL INTERRUPTION. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE RED AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE TO ALERT THE VEHICLE OPERATOR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS ISSUE COULD RESULT IN THE NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAGS IN A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT CZS WITH A REDESIGNED SENSOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 26, 2009. OWNERS IN THE OTHER STATES WILL RECEIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE SENSOR TO 10 YEARS. THESE OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BY MAIL AND WILL RECEIVE A STICKER TO PLACE IN THEIR WARRANTY BOOKLET EXPLAINING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
06V092000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:filler Pipe And Cap
Mar 30, 2006
ON CERTAIN KING CAB TRUCKS, IN A SEVERE SIDE IMPACT CRASH, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT DEFORMATION OF THE VEHICLE'S BODY COULD CAUSE THE FUEL FILLER CAP TETHER TO BE STRETCHED TO THE POINT OF UNSCREWING THE FUEL FILLER CAP.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS MAY RESULT IN A FUEL SPILL WHICH IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL CAP TETHER PIN ASSEMBLY WITH A MODIFIED ONE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 24, 2006. 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
1DP12004 · Transmission Failures
Opened Jun 11, 2012 · Closed Oct 22, 2016
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train; Power Train:automatic Transmission; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm); Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines; Power Train:automatic Transmission:torque Converter
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Additional source detail variants (5)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Power Train:automatic Transmission
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:torque Converter
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Power Train
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.