I purchased a pre-owned certified vehicle in June of 2025 it was a 2023 model with approximately 23k miles on it. In August of 2026 I was driving on the interstate and the vehicles warning lights came on and the vehicle shut down completely at a speed of 70 mph. The safety flashers quit working along with the headlights leaving the vehicle totally dark on a remote section of Interstate at night. I had the vehicle towed to a Nissan dealership and I was sent a video of what happened from the certified Nissan technician. I can provide the link to the video upon request. The technician stated in the video that the muffler had developed a very large hole in it and the heat from the exhaust coming from the hole melted the vehicles wiring harness. I feel this is a very dangerous situation as it could cause a vehicle to catch fire. It also caused the emergency lights to not work and all of the other vehicle systems stopped working. I did some research online and found that this is a well documented issue with this make and model of vehicle. The manufacturer has even went as far as offering an additional heat shield for purchase which I only recently found out about. 1. I have the old exhaust system available for inspection. 2.The vehicle could of caught fire of we could of been hit by another vehicle since it was night time and the lights quit working. 3.I am unsure but there are many well documented cases available from a simple online search. 4. Just the service center. 5.It was sudden and there were no warnings and the vehicle had passed a certified inspection 11 months prior with nothing noted.
Nissan Frontier fire or smoke problems
34 of the 3,366 owner complaints about the Nissan Frontier describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 34
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical mileage
- 50,000
By model year
- 20233
- 20222
- 20191
- 20171
- 20161
- 20151
- 20133
- 20112
- 20101
- 20081
- 20071
- 20062
- 20054
- 20042
- 20031
- 20021
- 20016
- 20001
Often reported together
Overheating 3Loss of power 3Stalling 2Check engine light 2Won't start 1Wipers 1Warning lights 1Transmission failure 1
What owners say
In a no fault accident, I was passenger. When the collision happened, I was wearing seatbelt, and then I was up in the dash/ windshield, there were flames, smoke. The airbags had "exploded" The seatbelt was hanging out of the passenger door after I exited. Still dangling out the door where it did not retract. I busted the windshield with my head, concussion, four teeth porcelain knocked out of them, and many other problems. It's very scary , I want this to please be investigated because I don't want anyone else to have to go through this.
We were travelling in our Nissan Frontier. It started running poorly and smoke began pouring out from under the hood. We jumped out and soon the entire front end was engulfed in flames. It was a total loss.
On July 14, 2023 at approximately 07:15 am, my 2022 Nissan Frontier SV caught on fire. I got home from work at approximately 07:05 am. There were no signs of a possibility of a fire. The front left corner of the truck was destroyed along with other things that melted from the fire. The damage at this time is approximately $27,000. The truck is being investigated as a thermal incident through Nissan USA. They say it will take approximately 8 weeks to finish. At this time it is unsure as to the cause of the fire. You will also see a picture of warning lights from May 10, 2023. I was told not to worry about them because the front sensor was probably wet. Nissan could not trace a problem code.
Caught fire after minor car accident. Impact to left front fender, minimal damage to body.
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while the vehicle was in the driveway, the vehicle started smoking causing the vehicle to burst into flames. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was not filed. The dealer was contacted, and they advised to contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted, and they stated they were going to reach back out to the contact. The failure mileage was 105.
About a year ago my sunroof was acting like it didn't want to close, I haven't opened it since, then a few months after that, it kept blowing fuses by the glove box that controls the interior lights, cargo lights and trailer hitch, then last week, I thought my truck was going to burn to the ground when I was driving down my mothers driveway. Smoke came in between the windshield and dash and filled the cab up very quickly. I put the truck in park, turned it off and ran away from the vehicle thinking it was going to blow up. I rolled all the windows down to let the smoke out. After 10 minutes, checking under the hood, under the vehicle, I did not see any flames. When I got back in the truck to drive it home, the windows would not roll up and the interior lights would not work and the airbag light is flashing on and off and won't stop and it smelled horrible of something electrical.
In motion, pulling into parking stall, when something started to smell like it was on fire, started to see flames coming from motor. Car caught on fire. Police case #19-0773 *dt *dt
While driving on a county highway, the engine caught fire for no apparent reason resulting in the total loss of the vehicle. Engine compartment was completely destroyed. About 2100 miles on odometer, speed at time of fire was about 30 MPH. I had been driving about 5 minutes, just long enough for the engine to warm up. I checked the oil about 1 week prior to the fire and reading was normal. No problems starting the vehicle and it was running normally until the flames erupted from under the hood. No injuries or other property damage.
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 nissan frontier. While the contact's son was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and crashed into a jersey wall. The driver was trapped inside the vehicle when it suddenly burst into flames. As a result, the contact's son passed away. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and deemed a total loss. The dealer was not contacted to determine the cause of the engine power failure. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 10v517000 (engine and engine cooling) several months after the collision. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was unknown. *tt
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Nissan NV200, Sentra, NV3500 Van, NV3500 Bus, NV200 Taxi, NV1500, NV2500 Van, Chevrolet City Express, 2017-2018 Frontier, Versa Note, and Versa Sedan vehicles that have a mechanical (physical) key ignition system. In these models, over time, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
- Risk
- If the vehicle stalls, it can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production information on the ignition switch, and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑867‑7669.
Recall number 18V551000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: front underhood
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016 Frontier V6 vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to March 7, 2016. The starter motor wire harness may have been installed in an incorrect position, allowing the starter harness terminal to contact the heat shield and result in an electrical short.
- Risk
- An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reposition the starter wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 16V181000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 14V052000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Frontier fire or smoke
Which Nissan Frontier years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (6 complaints), 2005 (4 complaints) and 2013 (3 complaints).
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