The starter motor wire harness may have been installed in an incorrect position, allowing the starter harness terminal to contact the heat shield and result in an electrical short.
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reposition the starter wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016 Frontier V6 vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to March 7, 2016.
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.
What owners report
The areas named in the 43 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Frontier. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Air bags10 · 23%
Engine8 · 19%
Fuel and propulsion system8 · 19%
Body structure4 · 9%
Most named: body (4)
Brakes3 · 7%
Powertrain3 · 7%
Electrical system2 · 5%
Unknown or other9 · 21%
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 2016 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 2016 drew 17.
Owner complaints
2016: 43 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
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
Safety recalls
2016: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Frontier
Model year
Recalls
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Nissan Frontier Crew Cab PU/CC 4WD
Rollover risk 19.8%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Nissan Frontier Crew Cab PU/CC RWD
Rollover risk 21.2%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Nissan Frontier King Cab PU/EC 4WD
Rollover risk 19.8%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Nissan Frontier King Cab PU/EC RWD
Rollover risk 21.2%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2016 Frontier problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: air bags (10), engine (8), fuel and propulsion system (8). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
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.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
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.