NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 59 owner complaints for the 2010 Nissan Frontier.
Recalled components: air bags, equipment, child seats, and suspension. Most-described problem: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (12 complaints, 20%). Most-reported area: air bags (19 complaints, 32%).
More complaints than a typical Frontier year
The 2010 drew 18 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 16 for a typical Frontier year.
Years to avoid: 2022 and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment.
Risk: A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's airbag cover. Owner letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are PC944, PC945, and PC946.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles.
The batteries contained in the affected gps units can overheat.
Risk: Overheated batteries could result in a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners and the repairs will be performed by garmin technicians by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the battery free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2010. Owners may contact garmin directly at 1-866-957-1981 or nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
Nissan is recalling certain vehicles that were equipped with a garmin nuvi model 750 navigation system.
NHTSA listing: FRONTIER.
Child seats
Aug 12, 2010
tether · connector/clip
Fails federal standard 225 (child seat anchorages)
These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." The weld between the tether anchor and the seat gusset bracket is out-of-specification. As a result, and based on nissan's engineering judgment, the tether anchor could separate from the seat when tested under the conditions required by the standard.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the tether anchorage could separate from the vehicle seat increasing the risk of injury to an occupant in a child seat that uses the tether anchor.
The fix and full notice
Fix: The seat gusset containing the tether anchorage will be replaced with a new one free of charge. The safety recall began on august 30, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan's recall campaign number is pc060. or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2010 nissan frontier king cab vehicles manufactured from june 10, 2010 through june 26, 2010.
The lower control link assembly has two cylindrical collars forming the inboard attachment points to the chassis. Due to an improper welding process some collars may contain welds that do not meet strength specifications.
Risk: If the collar weld separates, the vehicle handling will deteriorate, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on may 20, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2010 titan, armada, qx56, frontier, xterra, and pathfinder vehicles manufactured from november 19, 2009 through march 3, 2010.
NHTSA listing: FRONTIER.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA also lists 2 equipment recalls for parts sold for this vehicle, not the vehicle itself: Equipment (MARATHON SEAT COVERS, INC., 10E-043); Suspension: front, control arm, lower arm (NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC., 10E-019).
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2010 Nissan Frontier.
What owners report
Owners have filed 59 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Frontier. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Nissan Frontier recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2010 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2022 Frontier drew the most (88) and the 2010 drew 18.
Owner complaints
2010: 59 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Frontier
Model year
Complaints
2010
59
2011
64
2012
78
2013
48
2014
42
2015
33
2016
43
2017
38
2018
25
2019
28
2020
23
2021
19
2022
112
2023
66
2024
22
2025
8
2026
9
Safety recalls
2010: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Frontier
Model year
Recalls
2010
4
2011
1
2012
3
2013
1
2014
2
2015
0
2016
1
2017
1
2018
2
2019
1
2020
2
2021
2
2022
6
2023
1
2024
3
2025
3
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 59 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2010 Nissan Frontier, the problems described most are the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (12) and shaking, shuddering or vibration (7). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2010 Nissan Frontier?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2010 Nissan Frontier.
How do I check if my Frontier has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Oct 2, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: FRONTIER.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.