Transmission hunts between gears at 25-30mph. Downshifts are delayed or hesitates during hard acceleration. Delayed shifting during slow turns.
Nissan Frontier hesitation problems
39 of the 3,369 owner complaints about the Nissan Frontier describe hesitation when accelerating, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 39
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical repair cost reported
- $5,302
- typical mileage
- 91,298
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Jerking 6Fuel gauge 5Transmission failure 4Stalling 4Slipping 3Won't start 2Won't shift 2Harsh shifting 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P0335 1
What owners say
While underway at speeds under 20 mph. Vehicle hesitates and lurches creating a danger when taking off from a stop light. Vehicle may delay acceleration from a stop, which can feel unsafe in traffic and in merging situations.This activity is uncontrollable as the driver has no control and could lead to an accident or injury to pedestrians or other wise. Another problem is rough shifting, hard downshifts and a jerking. There is both an audible clunk and felt responce or "shift shock". Potential safety risk of hesitation or unexpected gear changes may compromise vehicle control. I have reported and visited the Bradenton Nissan dealership. (2 times) to no avail.
lighting is not sufficient for seeing far enough ahead on low beam and high beam is more like regular, when turning there is hardly any lighting within the turn making it dangerous in my opinion. i recommend slowing almost to stop before making a turn especially to the right.also i have had to get my right headlight repaired by nissan within the first 2 months of purchase in july and august of 2024. the right headlight went completely out both times. the lighting on my vehichle is terrible also i notice the breaking is not that great as it takes to long to come to complete stop with normal braking pressure...i also do not like the auto idle when coming to a stop as if you have to accelerate quickly it causes a hesitation. could be bad in an emergency type situation
Since I purchased this vehicle (2024 Nissan Frontier) in October 2023 I have complained to the dealership of a hesitation from a stopped position. The hesitation of a few seconds occurs only if from a stopped position. If at a stopped position and trying to accelerate into traffic there is a few second delay for the vehicle to respond. This delay on several occasions has caused me to nearly have a collision. When brought to the attention of the dealership (twice) I was told the transmission is looking for the proper gear and this is normal. In my experience of driving for over 50 years this is the first car that I have ever had with this condition. In my opinion this is a major safety concern. When I expect the car to move it doesn't. There are no warning lamps illuminated. My safety and the safety of my passengers are at risk with this vehicle. Both my son's drove the vehicle and stated that they also experienced the hesitation. I also googled this condition and found others having the same problem and the dealerships reporting NDF (no defect found) I would appreciate your assistance in this matter.
2024 New Nissan Frontier Pro 4x was purchased on 07/10/2024. On 07/18/2024 I was driving on the freeway and exited coming to the cross street which I needed to make left hand turn on. I was behind one other vehicle, when the street signal turned green for our lane the vehicle in front made its lh turn I waited as another car approached and after it passed I started to make my left hand turn, I felt a hesitation on my speed like the transmission was slipping thinking this isn't right. The very next day again during a turn it happened again this time while a vehicle was approaching from the the opposite direction, my vehicles hesitates during the turn with on coming traffic which could result in an accident. I spoke to the salesman the next day who told me to bring it to the service dept the following day on 07/20/2024. I arrived and the service advisor who was aware of my complaint came out and wanted to drive it. He drove and I was passenger and he was able to reproduce the problem 2-3 times during the test drive all the time explaining to me that this was a transmission shift problem and that the hesitation was due to the transmission trying to find the correct gear either higher or lower and that Nissan is aware of the problem and is working on a solution. Back at the dealership he took the back to have service dept document my complaint, but it comes back as "no problems found at this time, vehicle drives as designed". There were no lights, no warnings, no accidents in the few hundred miles I've driven, but how long until it happens. Myself and or any others with me should not have there life's put in jeopardy due to a transmission shift software problem that the factory is and more than likely was aware of from the beginning. And then the dealership makes no mention of the service advisor duplicating the complaint during test drive on the service ticket but advised me to do this complaint. Now that's customer service (sar)
The Vehicle hesitates when taking of from a stand still of from switching lanes from a stop. The Transmission is trying to switch from a stop causing the Vehicle to have no power of RPM's on the Torque Converter. Very Dangerous. Has almost caused me to have a wreck several times. Have taken the Vehicle to the Nissan Dealership 2 times . Dealership said there was a problem and Nissan has had other complaints but their Engineers does not have a fix. The first time at the Dealership they reprogramed the Transmission . Said that would fix it. The Reprogram was a Recall. Did not fix the issue. Today 06/27/2023 The said there was some complaints in Nissan's data the same as mine. Tech said he test a 2023 Nissan with same transmission ant they mine and it shifted the same. Told them they crazy my is a 2021 2 wheel drive , the one the test drove was 2023 4 wheel drive. Totally different.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was purchased but the contact was offered no assistance. The contact continued driving the vehicle and stated that the vehicle was hesitating and jerking while depressing accelerator pedal. Occasionally, the vehicle failed to start up after several attempts. The contact stated that the vehicle had rolled back while stopped on an incline. The contact reached out to the dealer and was informed that the defect was related to the battery, which the contact disputed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V671000 (Power Train) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer where the vehicle was purchased. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle came to a complete stop and then hesitated to accelerate. Additionally, a burning odor was detected. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with transmission and radiator failure. The transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,700.
Transmission failure due to coolant in trans oil contaminating trans components. Total trans rebuild/replace radiator and trans cooler. 130k miles on vehicle - low miles for a 2008 frontier. The vehicle shuddered, hesitated, would not pick up speed as it should, was having difficulty shifting thru gears as it transitioned from stop to moving, typically around 30-40 MPH under load (accelerating). We have since found out this is a known problem. Expensive repair!
Engine hesitates or stalls on acceleration. When pulling out from a stop engine hesitates to near stall no matter how hard or far you press gas pedal. Extremely dangerous. Intermittent issue, no failure codes when tested. If engine doesn't stall, vehicle is at a stand still even with gas pedal to floor or pumping gas pedal. Is happening all the time, extremely dangerous. Nearly hit by oncoming traffic several times. Dealership has had many reports of same issue, but no solution. I am afraid to drive vehicle.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 22V671000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 22V457000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 102, "transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect. " these vehicles could have a shift cable lock plate that is too brittle and can break. The gear shift lever and the "prndl" indicator may move, but the transmission will not shift out of the park position. Over a period of time, the transmission could shift out of the park position, but the gear indicated on the display may differ from the gear engaged in the transmission.
- Risk
- If the driver selects 'drive' and the transmission is actually in 'reverse', a vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the automatic transmission shift cable lock plate.
Recall number 00V288000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty passenger trucks equipped with automatic transmissions. A securing pin inside the automatic transmission control device assembly can come loose allowing the shift lever to be inadvertently moved out of the park position with the key in the ignition.
- Risk
- This could result in a crash if the parking brake is not engaged.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the automatic transmission control device assembly and replace it if necessary.
Recall number 98V064000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Frontier hesitation
Which Nissan Frontier years have hesitation when accelerating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (9 complaints), 2006 (9 complaints) and 2007 (6 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix hesitation when accelerating on the Nissan Frontier?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $5,302 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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