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.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Nissan Frontier.
What owners report
Owners have filed 44 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 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 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: 44 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
80
2013
48
2014
42
2015
33
2016
44
2017
38
2018
25
2019
28
2020
23
2021
21
2022
112
2023
68
2024
23
2025
11
2026
11
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
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 44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Nissan Frontier, the problems described most are the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (7) and stalling or shutting off (5). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2016 Nissan Frontier?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 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.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 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.