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2013 Nissan Frontier

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2013 Nissan Frontier do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 64.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

37 reports with mileage · 11 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 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports

Air Bags complaints

15 reports
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113,000 miles · Mar 16, 2026
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor located in front of the radiator had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the Part…

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The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor located in front of the radiator had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the Part Number: 98581-9BD8A; had been on backorder for approximately 6-12 months. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

NHTSA ODI #11724649

Mileage unknown · May 10, 2024
Air Bags

Air bag light will not go off. Afraid will deploy. Dealer no problem just censor. Did not have part to fix.

NHTSA ODI #11588084

Mileage unknown · Dec 13, 2023
Air BagsElectrical SystemSeat Belts

In Summer 2023 driving on uneven country road in Upstate New York hit a pothole and my airbag warning light came on. Then started to flash. Truck is still drivable BUT now The seatbelts no longer lock in place during a sudden stop Did research online Nissan has a Voluntary Service Campaign for this exact issue. Campaign ID P…

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In Summer 2023 driving on uneven country road in Upstate New York hit a pothole and my airbag warning light came on. Then started to flash. Truck is still drivable BUT now The seatbelts no longer lock in place during a sudden stop Did research online Nissan has a Voluntary Service Campaign for this exact issue. Campaign ID P7318 I made appointment with Koeppel Nissan. Had to wait weeks then They canceled my scheduled appointment on September 4 and reschedule for September 12. Probably not safe to drive truck with airbag light on and seatbelt issues. I go to my regular mechanic. He tells me seatbelt retractors do not seem to be working. He tests them by extending seatbelt slowly. Then tugging hard. He said they should lock in place. They do not. He also put a scan tool into OBD port. There are zero codes Nothing showing why airbag light flashing. Informs me there is a 10 year Warranty on seatbelts. He said wait for dealer to do their replacement of air bag diagnostic sensor unit. HE SAID THE AIRBAGS DEPLOY IN STAGES. YOUR LIGHT COMING ON IS FIRST STAGE SECOND STAGE IS SEATBELT LOCKING IN PLACE. Yours did not lock in place but your retractor might have been damaged or a sensor in buckle part of seatbelt related to airbags. On September 12 I bring truck in. The dealer first tries to tell me there is a diagnostic fee of $200. I refuse to pay telling them it is a Nissan Voluntary Service Campaign and seatbelts are under warranty. They agree to waive fee. They call me up an hour or two later said “they are unable to perform recall the software update is no longer available. The problem with seatbelt related to software or sensor unit”. I complain to Nissan of America. The person on phone tells me a manager will call me back and e mail me. Case number 49514132 I have never received a call or e mail from anyone at Nissan regarding this safety issue. Perhaps a full recall is necessary for all affected Vehicles under campaign ID P7318

NHTSA ODI #11559978

Mileage unknown · Aug 21, 2023
Air BagsSteering

I felt like I was loosing control of my steering it was so scary I took my car to the closest service place which was Meineke which was 3 months ago well the same problem is back with my steering wheel and definitely isn't safe. I am reporting this to make sure that there isn't a safety issue I should be aware of on how to reso…

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I felt like I was loosing control of my steering it was so scary I took my car to the closest service place which was Meineke which was 3 months ago well the same problem is back with my steering wheel and definitely isn't safe. I am reporting this to make sure that there isn't a safety issue I should be aware of on how to resolve this

NHTSA ODI #11539819

Mileage unknown · Oct 10, 2022
Air BagsCrash

On a dark road going 40MPH I hit a large deer on Oct 7. The front end of my truck was damaged. Air bag went off but never inflated, and I smelled smoke briefly. I was able to drive home and in the morning I noted there were two quarter size burn holes in the air bag, which probably explains why the bag did not deploy. There…

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On a dark road going 40MPH I hit a large deer on Oct 7. The front end of my truck was damaged. Air bag went off but never inflated, and I smelled smoke briefly. I was able to drive home and in the morning I noted there were two quarter size burn holes in the air bag, which probably explains why the bag did not deploy. There was absolutely no evidence of fire under the hood, in the cab, etc. I understand that some kind of explosive is used to "project" the airbag but it looks like it may have also damaged it. What to do?

NHTSA ODI #11488621

120,000 miles · Feb 26, 2020
Air BagsUnknown Or Other

THE FRONT CRASH ZONE SENSOR IS IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT, THE PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS HAVE ALREADY BEEN RECALLED AND HAD THIS FIXED VIA A RECALL THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED WITH MY 2013 NISSAN FRONTIER

NHTSA ODI #11311623

38,000 miles · Mar 30, 2019
Air Bags

WHILE THE VEHICLE IS RUNNING, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD FLASHES, WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE OR ANY INITIATING FACTOR THAT I CAN DETERMINE. ONE DAY WHEN I TURNED THE VEHICLE ON, THE WARNING LIGHT ALSO TURNED ON. THE LIGHT DOES NOT TURN OFF DURING T…

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WHILE THE VEHICLE IS RUNNING, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD FLASHES, WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE OR ANY INITIATING FACTOR THAT I CAN DETERMINE. ONE DAY WHEN I TURNED THE VEHICLE ON, THE WARNING LIGHT ALSO TURNED ON. THE LIGHT DOES NOT TURN OFF DURING THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS UNDER 40,000 MILES.

NHTSA ODI #11192677

38,258 miles · Jul 19, 2018
Air Bags

TAKATA RECALL. DASH LIGHT FOR AIR BAG FLASHES WHILE DRIVING WITH OR WITHOUT SOMEONE IN PASSENGER SEAT. WHEN STARTING VEHICLE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON AND THEN STARTS FLASHES.DID NOT TAKE TO GARAGE YET.

NHTSA ODI #11112507

9,000 miles · Aug 6, 2017
Air Bags

THE SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOY TOO EASILY IN FRONTIER TRUCKS, ALL WITHOUT NEED OF A CRASH NISSAN WON'T COVER THE DAMAGES UNDER WARRANTY AND REFUSES TO REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO MUST PAY OUT-OF-POCKET FOR REPAIRS. NISSAN DOES HAVE A PROGRAM TO REPROGRAM THE AIR BAG DIAGNOSIS SENSOR UNIT BUT WILL NOT COVER THE REINSTALL OF THE SIDE CURTAIN AI…

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THE SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOY TOO EASILY IN FRONTIER TRUCKS, ALL WITHOUT NEED OF A CRASH NISSAN WON'T COVER THE DAMAGES UNDER WARRANTY AND REFUSES TO REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO MUST PAY OUT-OF-POCKET FOR REPAIRS. NISSAN DOES HAVE A PROGRAM TO REPROGRAM THE AIR BAG DIAGNOSIS SENSOR UNIT BUT WILL NOT COVER THE REINSTALL OF THE SIDE CURTAIN AID BAGS. THE AIR BAGS ARE GOING OFF BECAUSE OF A FALSE READING FROM THE SENSOR UNIT. MY FRONTIERS SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AT 5MPH ON A FLAT SURFACE.

NHTSA ODI #11013084

63,000 miles · Jan 17, 2017
Air BagsSeat BeltsCrashInjury

MY SON HAD AN ACCIDENT, DRIVING AT 65 MPH AND HIT A PARKED CAR ON THE FREEWAY. HE HIT THE WINDSHIELD SO HARD WITH HIS HEAD THAT THE WINDSHIELD HAS A CUP SHAPED DENT EVEN WITH SEAT BELT ON AND DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAGS. I CONTACTED NISSAN, AND WAS DISMISSED. I WAS TOLD BY [XXX], THE PERSON ASSIGNED TO THE CASE BY NISSAN, THAT SINCE …

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MY SON HAD AN ACCIDENT, DRIVING AT 65 MPH AND HIT A PARKED CAR ON THE FREEWAY. HE HIT THE WINDSHIELD SO HARD WITH HIS HEAD THAT THE WINDSHIELD HAS A CUP SHAPED DENT EVEN WITH SEAT BELT ON AND DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAGS. I CONTACTED NISSAN, AND WAS DISMISSED. I WAS TOLD BY [XXX], THE PERSON ASSIGNED TO THE CASE BY NISSAN, THAT SINCE INSURANCE HAD PAID. THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE TO BE DONE. I WILL ATTACH PHOTOS OF THE TRUCK. I FEEL THAT THE AIRBAG AND SIT BELT SHOULD HAVE KEPT DRIVER IN PLACE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10945719

Official recalls

1

14V052000 · Electrical System:wiring:fuses And Circuit Breakers

Feb 12, 2014

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2012 through 2014 Frontier vehicles manufactured from November 28, 2012, through December 17, 2013. In the affected vehicles, a circuit breaker may have been installed incorrectly causing the main wire harness connected to the circuit breaker to face outward, potentially contacting a metal bolt located on the A-pillar.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The bolt may wear through the wire harness covering, resulting in an electrical short which could cause a fire.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the circuit breaker orientation. If the circuit breaker orientation is incorrect, dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.