IllustrationTHE VEHICLE FRONT AIRBAG LIGHT CONSTANTLY FLASHES FOR NO REASON. IT BLINKS WHILE STATIONARY OR IN MOTION. IT WAS RESET BY THE NISSAN SERVICE TECH, BUT STARTED FLASHING AGAIN AFTER 5 MINUTES ON THE HIGHWAY.
2011 Nissan Frontier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2011 Nissan Frontier do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 64.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Frontier years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
170–25K
925–50K
850–75K
675–100K
5100–150K
5150K+
50 reports with mileage · 14 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
16 reportsSIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A SMOOTH COUNTY ROAD WITHOUT A COLLISION AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. DRIVER ONLY IN THE VEHICLE, EARS ARE RINGING. HAD TO CUT THE AIR BAGS TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. IN DRIVE WAY, UNUSABLE AT THIS POINT. SEAT BELT RETRACTORS ACTIVATED SO CANNOT USE SEATBELT AT THIS P…
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SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A SMOOTH COUNTY ROAD WITHOUT A COLLISION AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. DRIVER ONLY IN THE VEHICLE, EARS ARE RINGING. HAD TO CUT THE AIR BAGS TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. IN DRIVE WAY, UNUSABLE AT THIS POINT. SEAT BELT RETRACTORS ACTIVATED SO CANNOT USE SEATBELT AT THIS POINT.
THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS LIT AND WILL NOT RESET. I AM NOT SURE IF THE AIRBAG IS OPERATING CORRECTLY OR NOT. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN A COLLISION OR ANY OTHER DAMAGE. *TR
GOING DOWN BACK ROAD, HIT A DEPRESSION, THE TRUCK NATURALLY ROCKED A BIT FROM SIDE TO SIDE, SIDE AIRBAGS (PASSENGER AND DRIVER) SUDDENLY DEPLOYED W/A HORRENDOUS LOUD BANG, SCARING ME HALF TO DEATH A LONG W/MY LEFT EAR RINGING. RIDICULOUS THAT IT IS THAT SENSITIVE IN A 4X4 TRUCK THAT THEY ADVERTISE NAVIGATING ROUGH CONDITIONS. I …
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GOING DOWN BACK ROAD, HIT A DEPRESSION, THE TRUCK NATURALLY ROCKED A BIT FROM SIDE TO SIDE, SIDE AIRBAGS (PASSENGER AND DRIVER) SUDDENLY DEPLOYED W/A HORRENDOUS LOUD BANG, SCARING ME HALF TO DEATH A LONG W/MY LEFT EAR RINGING. RIDICULOUS THAT IT IS THAT SENSITIVE IN A 4X4 TRUCK THAT THEY ADVERTISE NAVIGATING ROUGH CONDITIONS. I TRULY HOPE THIS DOES NOT END UP COSTING ME AND THAT NISSAN STEPS UP TO THE PLATE AND MAKES THIS RIGHT. 2 OTHER VERY SIMILAR REPORTS ON THIS SITE. *TR
MYSELF AND THREE KIDS AND DOG HAD BEEN ON A MILD 4 WHEEL DRIVE ROAD HAVING A LITTLE COOK OUT AND HIKE. WE WERE COMING HOME ON A SMOOTH MAINTAINED COUNTY ROAD GOING AND COMING TO STOP BY A STREAM. I THINK MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, WE WERE MAYBE GOING 20 MILES AN HOUR WHEN MY SIDE AIRBAGS EXPLODED. SEAT AIR BAGS AND FRONT AIRBAG…
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MYSELF AND THREE KIDS AND DOG HAD BEEN ON A MILD 4 WHEEL DRIVE ROAD HAVING A LITTLE COOK OUT AND HIKE. WE WERE COMING HOME ON A SMOOTH MAINTAINED COUNTY ROAD GOING AND COMING TO STOP BY A STREAM. I THINK MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, WE WERE MAYBE GOING 20 MILES AN HOUR WHEN MY SIDE AIRBAGS EXPLODED. SEAT AIR BAGS AND FRONT AIRBAGS FORTUNATELY DID NOT EXPLODE. I RECEIVED MILD BURNS AND BRUISES ON MY FACE. MY 6 Y.O. RED, HURT ON HIS CHEST. 11 Y.O. LOST HIS HEARING TEMPORARILY AND RED STINGING EAR. OTHER CHILD, 8, UNINJURED AS SHE WAS BENDING OVER PUTTING ON HER SHOES AS WE WERE COMING TO A STOP, BUT IS AFRAID TO SIT UP STRAIGHT IN A CAR NOW. WANTS TO LAY DOWN ON THE SEAT ALL THE TIME. WE HAD TO CUT OURSELVES OUT OF THE VEHICLE WITH OUR JACK KNIVES. WE HAD NO CELL PHONE SERVICE AND HAD TO DRIVE HOME 45 MINUTES WITH NO SEAT BELTS AND THEY LOCKED UP. I CAN NOT EVEN START TO DESCRIBE HOW SCARY IT WAS. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT IT. 2011 NISSAN FRONTIER WITH A 6 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THEY ARE TRYING TO GET OUT OF FIXING IT. NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HOW THIS CAN BE. NISSAN IS NOW LOOKING IN TO THE 'LITTLE BROWN BOX'. WE ARE LOOKING FOR HELP. *KB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 NISSAN FRONTIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WHENEVER A PASSENGER WAS OCCUPYING THE SEAT AT A WEIGHT OF 100 POUNDS OR LESS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 NISSAN FRONTIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WHENEVER A PASSENGER WAS OCCUPYING THE SEAT AT A WEIGHT OF 100 POUNDS OR LESS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,000. UPDATED 07/08/11*LJ UPDATED 07/20/11
Official recalls
123V067000 · Air Bags:frontal
Feb 10, 2023
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the drivers 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.