2006 Nissan Frontier Problems, Recalls & Reliability
836 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Nissan Frontier, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Fuel system leads the reports, typically around 60,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2006 Nissan Frontier sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1999, 2003–2004, 2009–2017, 2019–2020.
Avoid
Where 2006 sits among all Frontier years
What owners report
“Sensor for the fuel pressure sets off "check engine soon" light.this sensor is tied in with the fuel gauge,leaving the driver with inaccurate fuel readings!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Frontier
“Radiator cracked and leaked coolant into my transmission, killing the transmission.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Frontier
“Cross contamination coolant and transmission . Vehicle will not start. Was perfectly fine one month ago when took it to nissan for service”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Frontier
“Radiator has a crack internally and is leaking fluid in to the transmission. Cost is $3000 to fix.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Frontier
“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…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Frontier
“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 to NHTSA, 2006 Frontier
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 743 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 85,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 51,000 and 112,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
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…
Fix: 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…
Fix: 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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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.…
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,…
Fix: 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,…
Fix: 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.
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.
Fix: 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.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a Petition dated February 5, 2026, requesting an investigation into model year (MY) 2006 Nissan Frontier vehicles. The Petitioner alleges that the vehicle poses an imminent fire hazard due to “[a] powerful and persistent odor of raw gasoline” that…
Model years named: 2006
Technical service bulletins
99 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2006 Nissan Frontier. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2006 Frontier TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2006 Nissan Frontier reliable?
The 2006 Nissan Frontier drew 836 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2006).
What are the most common 2006 Nissan Frontier problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Nissan Frontier are fuel system (242 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (222), and engine (156).
At what mileage do 2006 Nissan Frontier problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Nissan Frontier problems around 85,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 51,000 and 112,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Nissan Frontier have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Nissan Frontier. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.