Nissan Frontier by Model Year: Problems, Recalls and MPG

Every Nissan Frontier model year since 2016: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash tests.

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Sep 27, 2026

Every model year since 2016 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 21 mpg combined, arrived in 2016.

Complaints in each year's first three years

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2022 Frontier Most reported: forward collision avoidance	88	111	6
2023 Frontier Most reported: electrical system	52	66	1
2016 Frontier Most reported: air bags	17	43	1
2017 Frontier Most reported: fuel and propulsion system	17	38	1
2018 Frontier Most reported: electrical system	12	25	2
2021 Frontier Most reported: electrical system	11	19	2
2019 Frontier Most reported: powertrain	7	28	1
2020 Frontier Most reported: powertrain	7	23	2

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	1	8
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	3	8
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	3	22
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	1	66
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	6	111
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	2	19
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	2	23
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	1	28
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	2	25	Not rated
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	1	38
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	1	43	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2022: 111 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Frontier
Model year	Complaints
2016	43
2017	38
2018	25
2019	28
2020	23
2021	19
2022	111
2023	66
2024	22
2025	8
2026	8

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 20 to 21 mpg (every year from 2016 to 2026); highest in 2016.

2026: gas 21 mpg

Show as a table

Nissan Frontier best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2016	21
2017	21
2018	21
2019	21
2020	20
2021	20
2022	20
2023	21
2024	21
2025	21
2026	21

Questions

Which Nissan Frontier years have the most problems?

A typical Nissan Frontier year drew only 14 owner complaints in its first three years (the range is 7 to 88), too few to rank the years fairly. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Nissan Frontier years have the most recalls?

The 2022 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (6), then the 2025 (3). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2016 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Nissan Frontier problems?

Of the 391 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2016 to 2026 models, the areas named most are electrical system (23%), powertrain (21%), and brakes (14%). One complaint can name more than one area. The recalls and problems page for each year breaks this down further.

Which Nissan Frontier year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 21 mpg combined, first reached by the 2016 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.