Selling a dead or worn-out Nissan Frontier

Whatever year yours is, a finished Frontier can be sold as it sits. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Three Frontiers in 28 years

D22, 1998-2004. The Frontier replaced the D21 Hardbody in 1997 and was built at Smyrna, Tennessee. The 1998 base truck had a 143-horsepower 2.4-liter four and a five-speed manual. A 3.3-liter V6 came for 1999, and the Crew Cab went on sale in May 1999 as a 2000 model. Automatics had four speeds.

D40, 2005-2021. A larger truck built around a 265-horsepower 4.0-liter V6 from Nissan's engine plant in Decherd, Tennessee. The base King Cab with two-wheel drive could have a 2.5-liter four. Transmissions: a five-speed automatic, a six-speed manual with the V6, or a five-speed manual with the four. Assembly moved from Smyrna to Canton, Mississippi, in 2012. For 2020 and 2021 a 310-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 and a nine-speed automatic replaced the old pair.

D41, 2022 on. Nissan unveiled it on February 4, 2021 as the first Frontier designed for North America only. Canton began building it in July 2021, with the same 3.8-liter V6 and nine-speed.

Known problems by generation

D22 trucks: water and rust

Three D22 recalls come down to corrosion.

• 02V299, November 2002, 143,000 vehicles. On 2001-2003 Frontiers the ABS sensor can let water into the rear axle housing. The axle corrodes inside and the wheel bearing can fail.
• 04V230, May 2004, 586,196 vehicles. On 1999-2003 Frontiers with the V6, the plastic around the fuel pump terminal can crack. The terminal corrodes, and the engine can stall or not start at all.
• 10V554, November 2010, 500,552 vehicles. On 2002-2004 Frontiers, corrosion in the lower steering column joint can get bad enough that the shaft breaks.

Complaints on 2000-2008 trucks mention rust or corrosion 140 times.

2005-2010: coolant and the automatic

On the 2005-2007, 408 of the power train complaints mention the radiator, coolant, the cooler or antifreeze. Nissan's 2012 bulletin, WBI12-028, gives the cause: on a small percentage of trucks an internal crack forms in the radiator's oil cooler tube, and engine coolant leaks inside it.

There was no recall. Nissan extended the radiator warranty instead, on every 2005-2010 Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra with an automatic, lengthening coverage that already ran 8 years or 80,000 miles out to a full decade or 100,000 miles. Past 8 years the owner paid a $2,500 share, and past 9 years, $3,000. The extension paid for damage the leak did to the transmission, but the transmission's own powertrain coverage stayed at 5 years or 60,000 miles. Every one of these trucks is now beyond 10 years.

2005-2008: gauges, stalls and air bags

Of the 1,669 complaints on 2005-2007 trucks, 425 carry a fuel-system tag, and 343 talk about the fuel gauge, the fuel level or the sending unit. Recall 10V075 (March 2010, 80,689 vehicles) accounts for some of it on 2006 and 2008 Frontiers. The molded tank shell can deform until the float arm touches it, and the gauge can show about a quarter tank on an empty one.

Recall 10V517 (October 2010, 747,480 vehicles) covers 2005-2006 Frontiers whose power distribution module holds an engine control relay that can fail and stall the engine. Recall 08V690 (December 2008, 242,720 vehicles) applies to 2005-2009 Frontiers first sold, or now registered, in cold-weather states, where the front air bags may not deploy. From 2009 through 2016, air bags are the component named most in Frontier complaints every single year.

2020 on: the nine-speed and the new truck

The parking pawl in the nine-speed automatic may not engage when the shifter is in Park, so the truck can roll away. Nissan recalled 2020-2022 Frontiers for it twice, as 22V457 in June 2022 and 22V671 in September 2022. The 2022, first year of the D41, drew 112 complaints and 6 recall campaigns. On 5,929 trucks from 2024, recall 24V479 covers a front right lower ball joint made oversized, which can corrode and separate.

No Frontier recall tells owners to stop driving the truck or to park it outside.

Frontier complaints and recalls, year by year

These Frontier counts use NHTSA's downloadable databases as they stood on October 10, 2026. Quieter years are grouped. A row's recall count is the distinct campaigns for its years; one campaign can appear in several rows, so the column totals more than the Frontier's 39. Crashes and fires are what owners reported in those complaints.

All told, Frontier complaints report 157 crashes, 46 fires, 126 injuries and 6 deaths.

Fix it or sell it?

Nobody we could cite publishes repair prices for these faults. Weigh it this way instead.

A 2005-2010 automatic that has failed. The radiator leak is the documented pattern, so ask the shop about it. Nissan's coverage for it has ended on every truck, which leaves the bill with you. Put the shop's quote on paper, then check what a running Frontier like yours sells for. Our bad transmission guide helps with that comparison.

A gauge that lies on a 2006 or 2008. Check recall 10V075 by VIN before paying for a sending unit.

A rusty D22. Look for recall 10V554 on the VIN first. A steering shaft that can break is a safety failure, not cosmetic rust.

It won't start at all. On a 2005-2006, recall 10V517's relay is worth ruling out. Our non-running car guide covers the rest.

Selling your Frontier whole

To get an offer, have the year, the cab style, four-cylinder or V6, two- or four-wheel drive, and the mileage. Then say plainly what's wrong with it. You can ask online or call (877) 421-6008.

Tell us where the truck sits and whether it rolls. Leave the bed, tailgate, wheels and catalytic converter on it, because missing parts change the offer, and take your tools out of the bed. Whoever hands over the truck needs the title and an ID. Plate rules vary by state; after you sell explains them. If the title is missing, see selling a junk car with no title.

Older Nissan pickup? See the Hardbody. Bigger one? See the Titan.