Powertrain, engine, and steering issues are among the main causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The Nissan Frontier is a mid-size truck that is regarded as a hard worker that people can rely on. It’s well priced and has what the manufacturer says are “standout safety features.” But when the truck has transmission issues, suddenly increases in speed, loses power steering functionality, or literally bursts into flames, owners can’t be blamed for wondering how safe their new Frontiers really are.
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There aren’t a lot of complaints that owners of the 2023 Nissan Frontier have lodged with the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) – yet. But those lodged in December and January 2023 are enough to cause concern.
The components and systems that are implicated in complaints are the engine, forward collision avoidance, powertrain, seats, steering, and vehicle speed control. The complaints are also very varied.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Engine | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Seats | |
| Steering |
The engine is the heart of any car. It needs lots of other components to work properly, but if it fails, you’re going nowhere! So, when the Florida owner of a 2023 Frontier discovered his truck burning up in his driveway, he was beside himself. The Frontier had only 105 miles on the clock and there had not been any previous problems.
According to the complaint, which was lodged as an engine issue, “the vehicle started smoking causing the vehicle to burst into flames.” Fortunately, the fire department was able to extinguish the fire.
When the dealer was contacted, they advised that the manufacturer should be contacted. The manufacturer was contacted, but the NHTSA was told that “they were going to reach back out to the contact.”
No solution or remedy was suggested.
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When the powertrain of any car malfunctions, owners become concerned – with reason. The powertrain works hand-in-hand with the engine.
An owner from Texas reports transmission issues in a complaint. He states that he feels “very unsafe while driving this truck.” This is because it jerks while “trying to find gears. between 0 mph and 30 mph.” This also happens when stopping at stop signs and lights. And it isn’t just the transmission that is the issue. “The power driver seat moves by itself when driving. I always have to move the seat and adjust when driving. When I get back into the truck the seat is not in the same position.”
This is surely not normal?
Another powertrain-related complaint from an owner in Pennsylvania states that sudden increases in speed may be a safety issue. The complaint states that when leaving Nissan with less than 200 miles on the clock, problems emerged. While using “intelligence cruise control, set at 70 mph,” the driver drove up to a vehicle going 60 mph.
“The system slowed my vehicle down to 60 mph. When I was able to move into the passing lane, my vehicle down-shifted hard going to 6,000 rpm’s. My truck surged in mph until it caught up with the set speed. The amount of down shift is excessively too much, this happens on small hills and the rpm’s go to around 4,500 rpm’s.”
As a matter of interest, both these complaints stated that forward collision control was also an issue.
So, your engine is good and the powertrain of your Frontier is working well. But what about steering functionality?
An owner from Texas with a Frontier that only had 6 miles on the clock states in an NHTSA complaint that “while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated.” According to the complaint report, the power steering gradually responded when it got above 40 mph.
“The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the failure was because the vehicle was new.” So, if your Frontier is new, you shouldn’t worry too much about steering failure?
Do you think that your 2023 Nissan Frontier may be a lemon? If you do, don’t just think about it. Do something about it. Every year automakers, including Nissan, replace, buy back, or pay cash settlements to thousands of vehicle owners who find they have bought lemons.
But it doesn’t just happen. You need to take action. Lemberg Law has a lot of experience dealing with lemon law vehicle cases. If you would like us to assess your 2023 Nissan Frontier problems free of charge, call our Helpline or fill out a contact form. Don’t worry about costs. The law says that Nissan must pay the legal bill.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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