This is a nine speed transmission which basically shifts up each gear every 5 to 6 MPH until you hit 9th gear about 52 MPH. The transmission will not shift to next gear fast enough causing the vehicle to be very slow. The transmission has to go through 5 gears to get to 30 MPH. Each gear shifts at 1650 to over 2000 RPM before it will shift to next gear. If the air conditioning is running the least amount of RPM's is over 2000 or higher to shift up to next gear. At 2000 RPM's the engine has very little torque needed from the transmission due to the 3.692 axle ratio and sounds like the engine is revving higher than it should be. If you don't relax on the gas pedal it will stay in that gear and just rev the RPM's in the gear it is in, until you let off the gas pedal for it to shift up. If you need high acceleration at low speeds it just won't shift up to next gear. I have almost been rear ended many times trying to get onto an expressway or accelerating from a red light to get up to posted speed limit. If you have 5 gears to get to 30 MPH then they have to shift at low RPM's (1250 to 1500 RPM"s) and as fast as possible to get the speed of the vehicle up quickly. The transmission has engine braking and will decelerate through each gear. If you are slowing the truck with foot off the brake and then accelerate the driveshaft and rear end will clunk so you have to be gentle with the pedal to prevent loud clunking noises. It will clunk back into first gear at times when braking to stop the vehicle. It is unsafe to drive when getting up to posted speed is crucial.
Nissan Frontier won't shift problems
43 of the 3,369 owner complaints about the Nissan Frontier describe stuck in gear or won't shift, most of them for the 2012 model year.
- owner complaints
- 43
- worst model year
- 2012
- typical repair cost reported
- $5,000
- typical mileage
- 77,515
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 6Check engine light 5Jerking 3Harsh shifting 3Overheating 2Hesitation 2Warning lights 1Shudder 1
What owners say
The 9 speed automatic transmission suffered a catastrophic internal failure (codes PO893 and PO876), forcing the vehicle into limp mode. The vehicle loses propulsion unexpectedly in traffic, and the transmission risk complete mechanical lockup while driving. The vehicle is unsafe to operate on public roads, creating a severe crash hazard.06
Purchased new 12.12.25, drove 3 miles and heard clunk in transmission, went into limp mode at mile 23. Flatbed back to dealer, they replaced Solenoid valve and said was good to drive. Drove away and still have loud clunk in transmission on downshifting. 1.5.26 Dealer still has vehicle, no resolution
Vehicle gears down for no reason, then gets stuck in that gear. I have tried to manually shift it when it does this, but it still will not shift gears.Takes off in 2nd gear very often.
On 8/26/23, I came upon a red light and stopped. Vehicle immediately would not go into gear, all dash lights and check engine light were flashing, and fan motors were running loudly. Error message said automatic transmission error. The vehicle could not be turned off for approx. 10 minutes. Had to push the vehicle off of the roadway. I was able to restart the vehicle after 2 hours. On 8/28,23, the exact same thing happened and I was stuck in the lane of traffic. All dash lights and check engine light were flashing. Error message said automatic transmission error. Would not go into any gear. The vehicle could not be turned off for approx. 10 minutes. I had the vehicle pulled out of the roadway, then towed to dealership on 8/28/23. The dealership contacted me on 8/29/82 and stated they could not duplicate the error and there was nothing else they could do at that time. My concern is that this happens again in a more dangerous setting.
Tl* the contact owns a 2019 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle went into limp mode. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal to the floor and the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle was taken to two separate dealers, including the quaker lane nissan located at 885 quaker ln west warwick, ri 02893, where the technician performed a road test with the contact but was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 9,337.
Vehicle won't shift right. Was on highway when it wouldn't go very fast or shift. Only 5 miles from home, I took it home and checked the radiator cap, it is full of pink frothy anti freeze and oil. (milkshake)
Transmission won't go into gear forward or reverse at times. When driving on the road transmission won't shift out of 3rd gear into over drive, after topping a hill and going back downhill. Truck will do a jerking motion when pulling out from a stop. On interstate i81 truck speed was 50-55 MPH the RPM's was 6,000 and the RPM's would not shift into higher gear. When it did shift it was a very hard shift. It has been going on since the day I bought this truck brand new. I have had it to the dealership numerous times and they can not find out what it is. The truck doesn't through a code, so they can't work on it till it does. I pull a small pop up camper at times and it acts up more when the truck is under stress. I have where the nissan dealership has seen the truck and their comments. They did offer me an extended warranty till 2020. I don't feel safe driving the truck on the road and especially when my family in the truck. I only have a little over 23,000 miles on the truck as to date. Nissan denied my request for another truck because they said my claim falls outside the time period for filing claims. I have the repair paper work and letters from the nissan group.
Transmission went into limp mode leaving driveway. Cleared by shutting off & restart. Did this twice then would not reset. Took to shop & diagnosed contaminated tranny fluid & ruined transmission. One part replaced was nissan oem TCM. Three months after rebuild same thing happened on highway but could not clear limp mode. $400 tow to shop but they said all tested and passed, reset codes. Happened again on highway and drove to nissan dealer in flagstaff. They diagnosed lack of communication with TCM and said it would happen again, and to get to shop for diagnosis without turning off the engine. The third time this happened on highway drove slow in limp mode back to orignial shop that rebuilt transmission. Transmission shop after diagnostic said oem TCM failed. Avondale nissan supplied shop with new TCM but only after failed TCM was returned. Total expenses over $7000 and loss of vehicle use for 10 days when transmission was rebuilt and 26 calendar days second time due to difficulty in shop determining exactly what failed because nissan said TCM not prone to failure history.
The vehicle would not shift into drive from neutral. After a few minutes of holding it in drive, I managed to get it to move forward. Then, I could not get it out of drive. It only moved forward. The problem fix is described in this youtube video perfectly. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf-qfaasmwo it was extremely scary to leave my vehicle running for fear I could not move it again and the what if this part malfunctioned in traffic while down shifting into 3 2 or 1. Which is what caused mine to stick behind drive. It was the loose screw that allowed the part to bind.
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 won't shift
Which Nissan Frontier years have stuck in gear or won't shift problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2012 (10 complaints), 2007 (9 complaints) and 2006 (6 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix stuck in gear or won't shift on the Nissan Frontier?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $5,000 (median of 10 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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