The light turned green. The truck got up to fourth gear and slipped all the lights on the dash lit up so I took it to the first transmission shop where they said transmission just went out at 75,140 miles pretty much the exact mileage for my first service according to the book in the glove box I took it to Nissan dealership where they said it was the shift selector needed to be changed for a total of $1600. I had it done. I drove it a half a mile down the road and it did it again. They said they drove it over 14 miles with no problem but my odometer says different now they’re telling me I need a new transmission for $9214.03. I’ve done a lot of research and googled other people having the same problem. I called Nissan corporation they offered to pay 60% for a new transmission. This tells me they know something is wrong with it. After taxes I will have spent over $11,800 for a new transmission at 75,000 miles. This should not have happened.
Nissan Frontier slipping problems
98 of the 3,366 owner complaints about the Nissan Frontier describe transmission slipping, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 98
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical repair cost reported
- $4,500
- typical mileage
- 104,000
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 20Overheating 10Stalling 8Loss of power 6Harsh shifting 5Shudder 4Jerking 4Check engine light 4
Trouble codes mentioned
P1754 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving approximately 3 MPH and reversing(R) out of a parking spot, the messages "Key Malfunction" and "Crash Detected" were displayed. The contact pulled over and attempted to turn off the vehicle; however the vehicle failed to turn off. Additionally, when the contact shifted to park(P) the gear shift indicator failed to indicate that the transmission was in park(P). The contact attempted to shift to drive(D), and the vehicle failed to move forward. The contact stated that a passerby helped to turn off the vehicle by disconnecting the battery terminals. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, and it was determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the same messages were displayed, and the transmission slipped out of gear. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer who cleared the codes and stated that the battery was in good condition. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failures reoccurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
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 truck is giving false data for gas mileage the truck is reading a lot higher gas mileage than I'm actually receiving my truck on average gets 15 miles a gallon but the truck itself States is getting 19 to 20mpg. The truck started receiving poor gas mileage after they did the TCM update to the truck in October 2022. I have an app that tracks my gas mileage and it shows the truck getting a lot less MPG than what the computer on the truck indicates. On average there's about a 4 to 5 mile per gallon deviation from reality versus with the truck indicates. The truck used to get 18 to 20 miles per gallon when I 1st purchased it in May but after the TCM update in October it no longer even gets close to 17 miles a gallon which indicates on the sticker. Full disclosure I drive 95% in the city only. Transmission shifting issues. When I drive the transmission lags has weird shifting characteristics when the transmission is cold I was able to reproduce this on a brand new Nissan frontier that had the TCM update. The truck has a slipping issue of not wanting to go under its own power when driving from a stop sign or stop light the truck acts like it doesn't want to move when you give it fuel. Talking with the service adviser at Nissan Dealership I am not the 1st person to complain about this issue. All the problems that I am discussing happened after the tcm update. I've tried calling Nissan directly and I get nowhere but the run around no one wants to take responsibility for the update issue and I've even had a long conversation with their specialist who took my vehicle out and proving to them that I was getting poor gas mileage and weird shifting characteristics and still they have yet to resolve my issue or offer a solution to my issue.
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving approximately 38-40 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle experienced a hard downshift. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop in inclement weather, the rear tires were slipping. The contact was able to continue driving. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
Transmission fluid cooler integrated in the radiator that allowed engine coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid causing damage to the transmission. Radiator had to be replaced along with flushing out of the trans fluid at a service station costing a few thousand of dollars. Months later the check engine light went on and found out that the transmission is slipping caused by the fluid contamination.
Symptoms began as random hard shifts, then progressed to a sudden loss of power and high rpms. If the vehicle was turned off and on, the transmission would engage and you could drive a couple hundred feet before it began slipping again. I used this tactic of turning it off and on again to get the vehicle off of the highway. Vehicle has not been sent to shop as of yet. Taking a turn, my Nissan Frontier 2007 suddenly stops right in the middle of the street causing traffic jam, I was lucky enough not to be t-boned with my kids seating on the back. Nissan knew about is but never advised costumers about it to open a recall campaign. Need help with this. Truck was bought brand new at the dealer.
I bought the 2007 nissan frontier off a dealership as a used vehicle with no warranty. One week later the transmission started to slip, the following week the slippage was worse until it lost power and it left me stranded in a parking lot. I took it to my mechanic and he said that it's a possibility that the transmission computer had gone out and it would be close to $5,000 dollars to replace the transmission. The transmission fuse keeps blowing out once the truck is started. The mechanic said it could be a possibility that it was cross contamination since nissan was known for faulty radiators. So I'm stuck with a truck payment through a loan with a transmission out and I can't even drive it. There are thousands and thousands of complaints online from people having the exact same issue.
Transmission started slipping and then lost reverse.and finally just kept slipping and wouldn't move more than a few hundred feet ,and would turn off and wouldn't restart until the transmission cooled off,and when it restarted the idle or tachometer would jump into the red line area even though the truck wouldn't drive past 20 MPH. Coasting on the freeway I would pull to the side and have cars drive around mr while trying to push it off the shoulder,looking for an off ramp to go to the nearest transmission shop I could find..secondly I had to replace my fuel sender and or. My fuel pump I t went out when I was driving down the freeway thinking I had a half a tank when actually it was on empty ..so I really never knew how much fuel it had until I got it fixed at sam's automotive in beaumont ca .92223 and sam has returned and sold the business so I have no receipt only remembering it costs between 500 and 100 dollars .. And yes I checked and it too had a recall and I was never notified
Transmission started slipping and then lost reverse and finally just kept spinning and wouldn't move more than a few hundred feet and would turn off and not restart till transmission cooled off ..and when it would restart the idle or tachometer would accelerate into the red line area while coasting on the freeway heading to nearest transmission shop I could find off freeway
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 slipping
Which Nissan Frontier years have transmission slipping problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (33 complaints), 2007 (26 complaints) and 2006 (19 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix transmission slipping on the Nissan Frontier?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,500 (median of 28 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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