NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 78 owner complaints for the 2012 Nissan Frontier.
Recalled components: electrical system, suspension, and engine and cooling. Most-described problems: shifter errors or getting stuck in gear and the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (10 complaints, 13% each). Most-reported area: air bags (23 complaints, 29%; median mileage when it happened: 46,200).
More complaints than a typical Frontier year
The 2012 drew 19 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.
In the affected vehicles, a circuit breaker may have been installed incorrectly causing the main wire harness connected to the circuit breaker to face outward, potentially contacting a metal bolt located on the A-pillar.
Risk: The bolt may wear through the wire harness covering, resulting in an electrical short which could cause a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the circuit breaker orientation. If the circuit breaker orientation is incorrect, dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2012 through 2014 Frontier vehicles manufactured from November 28, 2012, through December 17, 2013.
These vehicles may have been equipped with front wheel hubs that may not meet the design hardness specifications. A wheel hub that was manufactured below hardness specification may wear prematurely and eventually crack.
Risk: If the vehicle is driven in this condition, the wheel hub may break, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replaced the left and right side front wheel hub assemblies free of charge. The safety recall began on October 22, 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra two-wheel drive vehicles manufactured from June 19, 2012, through July 12, 2012.
Some of the bolts that connect the engine oil cooler and the engine oil filter to the engine in these vehicles may have been manufactured to below specification strength. As a result, the bolt may break at the oil filter attachment point and can cause an engine oil leak.
Risk: If there is an engine oil leak, the engine oil pressure would drop and the engine could seize, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector bolts free of charge. The safety recall began on january 30, 2012. 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 2011 infiniti fx, model year 2012 infiniti m, model year 2011-2012 nissan frontier, model year 2011-2012 nissan xterra, model year 2011-2012 nissan pathfinder, and model year 2012 nissan nv vehicles.
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 investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2012 Nissan Frontier.
What owners report
Owners have filed 78 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Frontier. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Median 46,200 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Powertrain20 · 26%
Median 32,200 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Engine12 · 15%
Body structure7 · 9%
Most named: body (3)
Electrical system6 · 8%
Seat belts5 · 6%
Speed control5 · 6%
Unknown or other9 · 12%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Nissan Frontier recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2012 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 2012 drew 19.
Owner complaints
2012: 78 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
2012: 3 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 78 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Nissan Frontier, the problems described most are shifter errors or getting stuck in gear (10), the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (10), and stalling or shutting off (5). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2012 Nissan Frontier?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2012 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.