Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the transmission, electrical, and brakes. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2020Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2020 Nissan Frontier: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/2
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2020 Nissan Frontier. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 4WD, RWD | 19–20 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2020 Nissan Frontier, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Trucks roll away with the shifter in Park. This is the main pattern, and 3 of the 10 complaints involve a crash, with 1 injury. Owners report hitting a garage door, a fence, an RV and a tree stump. Several say dealers had no parts for a recall repair, and one says the rolling came back after dealer visits. Other reports describe jerky takeoffs at low speed, hesitation, no-start conditions, the transmission dropping into neutral with warning lights on, and a driveshaft that came apart with violent shaking.
Dashboard lights are too dim to read the speedometer in one report, starting almost from new, and the dealer offered no help. In another, the alternator failed at 79,000 miles. The engine kept running but the cooling fans shut off, and the engine overheated during diagnosis. Only 2 complaints are on file, so there is no repeat pattern yet. Neither report involves a crash or injury.
The brakes grind loudly or apply on their own at highway speeds. Both complaints come from trucks at roughly 55,000 to 59,834 miles. For the grinding, an independent shop and then the dealer replaced the brake pads, but the noise came back. In the other case, the brakes kept slowing the truck unexpectedly even after the dealer replaced the front and rear brake assemblies. No crashes or injuries are reported.
Excerpts from complaints Frontier owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The truck is jerky during low speed take offs. It also died off during acceleration and then surged all of a sudden recently. It is now in the repair shop being diagnosed for an electric transmission control warning light. It would not start.
Filed with NHTSA, April 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2020 ranks third for owner complaints among 5 Frontier years, close to the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Recall repairs are free at any Nissan dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Titan, 2020-2022 Frontier, and 2023 Z vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.
Risk: A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicle. Dealers will perform the applicable repairs below, free of charge: Model Year 2020-2022 Frontier vehicles: reprogram Transmission Control Module (TCM) Model Year 2020-2022 Titan vehicles: reprogram TCM and Engine Control Module (ECM) Model Year 2023 Titan vehicles: reprogram TCM Model Year 2023 Z vehicles: reprogram TCM. Owner notification letters were mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Frontier and Titan vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.
Risk: A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicle. Dealers will replace the transmission parking pawl pin, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22A2 R22A3.
Cars shoppers compare with the Nissan Frontier, with their own 2020 checklists.
2020 owner complaints, side by side
