2009 Nissan Frontier: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 37 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (24% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2023
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 37 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the vehicle overheated and shut off. The failure occurred while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that it took a while for the vehicle to regain full power. The contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle had to be towed after shutting off. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the camshaft and crankshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure however, there was no assistance provided. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2020
“THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO AN ALREADY FILED CLAIM. COMPLAINT # 11331805 CLAIM # [XXX]. DEALERSHIP NEVER INFORMED ME THAT THE WAY TO FIX THE AIRBAG ON MY 2009 NISSAN FRONTIER PRO 4X WAS TO REPLACE EACH PART UNTIL THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY. NISSAN HAS A VERY INTERESTING WAY TO FIX SOMETHING EVEN AFTER THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC TEST. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“The driver air bag light came on. Vehicle was taken to a nissan dealer. It was determined that the air bag module was bad. The dealer informed me that the air bag is a takata. Vehicle is a 2009 frontier pro 4x with 117,000 miles. Contacted nissan and was informed that vehicle mileage and age does not warrant any assistance from nissan in making the repair. There was a recall on takat air bags.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2020
“My airbag warning light is on. My mechanic noticed a recall, campaign id r0807, but the recall only affects vehicles registered in 'salt' states. I live in va but traveled extensively in pa, maryland, dc for work for many years. Since my vehicle is experiencing the failure that the recall was issued for, my vehicle should be covered as part of the recall. The recall should be extended to bordering states to account for frequent travel across state lines.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2020
“My airbag light is flashing and the front air bag crash zone sensor needs to be replaced. There is a recall in effect, but only for vehicles in 'salt' states. My vehicle is registered in va, but I traveled in pa, md, and dc for several years for work, so my vehicle should be covered on the existing warranty recall.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2020
“My control arms are worn and I only have 55,000 miles on my truck. My tires are wearing and the front end pops, and it pulls to the right.”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2019
“Nissan frontiers of are experencing many problems with their emission systems. Evap control values are failing at various mileages. The dealers blame dust in the system. The dealers are charging very high prices to repair the system. Nissan has already changed the evap control vent switch design 3 times. This means they know they have a problem and are refusing to recall the trucks.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · May 2018
“2009 nisan frontier 114k miles same sings as many others vibration when shifting from 3rd to 4th gear start happening in the morning special winter progressively getting worse and now happens all the time.”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2017
“Faulty airbag sensor. Airbag light continuously blinks, diagnostic test revealed center crash zone sensor is faulty. Being told that my vehicle is not included in the recall for the same problem, despite being an included model/year and being driven in an included state.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 0 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SEATS CONTAINING SIDE AIRBAGS. THE HEAVIER SEAT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH FULL DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Remedy: MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH A GARMIN NUVI MODEL 750 NAVIGATION SYSTEM. THE BATTERIES CONTAINED IN THE AFFECTED GPS UNITS CAN OVERHEAT.
Remedy: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY GARMIN TECHNICIANS BY REPLACING THE BATTERY AND INSERTING A SPACER ON TOP OF THE BATTERY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN DIRECTLY AT 1-866-957-1981 OR 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 North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles. The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's airbag cover. Owner letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are PC944, PC945, and PC946.
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2009 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 2009 Nissan Frontier reliable?
NHTSA has 37 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 2009 Nissan Frontier. The most complained-about area is air bags (24% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2009 Nissan Frontier problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 64,000 miles or less.
Does the 2009 Nissan Frontier have open recalls?
5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning equipment. 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.