2006 Nissan Frontier: problems, recalls and reliability
7 recalls and 616 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is fuel system, gasoline (27% of complaints); the 2004 and 2008 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2010
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 616 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Whenever I fill ip the tank I get a fuel smell inside the vehicle. I do not overfill the tank and always stop filling when the fuel pump stops the first time. I have not been able to identify a leak and have not seen fuel leaking under the vehicle. The smell is strong for about the first 1/4 tank of use.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Mar 2026
“The truck has been stalling while driving or won't start. The ECM relay was recalled and was taken care of Thursday, February 19. However, the truck still stalls while driving and won't start at times. I've asked Nissan to look at the IPDM to see if there was any consequential damage, but they won't without paying a fee for a diagnostic test. This is a major safety issue that needs to be fixed. The recall was from 2010, but we have only owned the vehicle since 2024 and had no idea about the recall.”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2026
“The truck will start once in awhile has been taken to the shop and they said they ipdm module is the problem and that there's a recall on that part.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“Truck will turn on once in awhile and I was told it is the ipdm module and that there's a recall on the part. What can I do to get the part sent to me since there is a recall and the mechanic told me that with a recall I can get the part sent to me at no cost to me”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2023
“The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2023
“The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2023
“The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier equipped with an aftermarket Angel View rearview mirror from Bulbhead.com, P/N: L22-1722. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle and closing the front driver's side door, the glass mirror detached from the mirror housing and fell to the floor of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure.”Owner report · Equipment · May 2023
“BRITAX E1C199S GROW WITH YOU, CLICKTIGHT The shoulder straps are too low and the head cradle is too high in the harness position. The harness shoulder straps are 2 inches below the red seat-belt guide for the booster. See picture. This is dangerous. See their own pictures on their website of both the boy and the girl who are in dangerous head positions.”Owner report · Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness · Apr 2023
“2 months after purchasing the vehicle (with 98,410 miles) it started to shutter around 40 and 60 mph. At a little over 100,000 miles it began to slip in 5th gear (overdrive). It has been getting worse in the last 1,000s. Both Nissan or the local dealer are willing to offer any financial assistance.”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2021
“The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while pulling out of his driveway, he noticed that the steering wheel was significantly loose. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they were not aware of that failure. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2021
When filing, owners marked a crash in 13 of these complaints and injuries in 13 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 7 campaigns
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2010 TITAN, ARMADA, AND QX56, AND MODEL YEARS 2005 THROUGH 2010 FRONTIER, XTERRA, AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. 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.
Remedy: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 AND MODEL YEAR 2008 FRONTIER, XTERRA AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE MOLDED FUEL TANK SHELLS CAN DEFORM, CAUSING THE FUEL SENDER FLOAT ARM TO CONTACT AN EMBOSSMENT MOLDED INTO THE TANK SHELL CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE TO SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER TANK WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WITH A NEW ONE THAT HAS A MODIFIED FLOAT ARM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN KING CAB TRUCKS, IN A SEVERE SIDE IMPACT CRASH, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT DEFORMATION OF THE VEHICLE'S BODY COULD CAUSE THE FUEL FILLER CAP TETHER TO BE STRETCHED TO THE POINT OF UNSCREWING THE FUEL FILLER CAP.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL CAP TETHER PIN ASSEMBLY WITH A MODIFIED ONE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 24, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
CERTAIN HOPKINS AFTERMARKET TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL CONNECTION HARNESSES SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES WHICH ARE LISTED ABOVE. THE INTERNAL PART NUMBERS WITHIN HOPKINS ARE: 1010476025, 1040376025, 1110476025, 1170376025, 1290376025, 1010476035, 1040376035, 1110476035, 1170376035, AND 1290376035. A WIRE MAY HAVE BEEN PLACED IN AN INCORRECT POSITION IN THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HOUSING. THIS RESULTS IN AN INCORRECT ROUTING OF WIRES BETWEEN THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER AND THE TOWING VEHICLE WIRING SYSTEM.
Remedy: HOPKINS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE ORIGINAL HARNESS WITH A REVISED HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 17, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT HOPKINS AT 800-835-0129.
CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
NISSAN IS RECALLING 242,720 MY 2005-2009 PATHFINDER, FRONTIER AND XTERRA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN THOSE AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WHICH USE HEAVY CONCENTRATIONS OF ROAD SALT IN THE WINTER, A MIXTURE OF SNOW/WATER AND SALT CAN ENTER INTO THE FRONT CRASH ZONE SENSOR (CZS) HOUSING. IF THIS OCCURS, THE CZS MAY INTERNALLY RUST RESULTING IN A SIGNAL INTERRUPTION. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE RED AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE TO ALERT THE VEHICLE OPERATOR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT CZS WITH A REDESIGNED SENSOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 26, 2009. OWNERS IN THE OTHER STATES WILL RECEIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE SENSOR TO 10 YEARS. THESE OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BY MAIL AND WILL RECEIVE A STICKER TO PLACE IN THEIR WARRANTY BOOKLET EXPLAINING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2006 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Frontier by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Nissan Frontier reliable?
NHTSA has 616 owner complaints and 7 recall campaigns on record for the 2006 Nissan Frontier. The most complained-about area is fuel system, gasoline (27% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2006 Nissan Frontier problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 80,000 miles or less.
Does the 2006 Nissan Frontier have open recalls?
7 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning engine and engine cooling. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.