2022 Nissan Frontier Problems: 6 Known Issues

On the 2020-2022 Nissan Frontier, some 2020-2022 Frontier trucks equipped with the 9-speed automatic were recalled because the transmission parking pawl may not engage when the shifter is placed in Park. Owners reported vehicles rolling after being parked, sometimes with no warning other than the truck not being fully secured. This is a direct safety issue because it can lead to unintended vehicle movement.

On the 2022 Nissan Frontier, nissan recalled certain 2022 Frontier (D41) trucks because the mounting bolts for the left-rear seat belt buckle bracket may have been cross-threaded during assembly due to a tooling error, leaving them improperly tightened. A loose or damaged anchorage can break in a crash, causing a loss of seat belt restraint for that occupant. The vehicles do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 207 (Seating Systems), 209 (Seat Belt Assemblies) and 210 (Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages). The practical warning sign owners can notice is a rattle from the rear seat area caused by the loose bolt. Owner notification letters went out on January 27, 2022. This is a manufacturing/assembly defect confined to a narrow build window, not a design fault of the seat belt system.

On the 2022-2024 Nissan Frontier, some owners of 2022-2024 Frontiers report a whine or howl from the rear of the truck. One owner complaint filed with NHTSA says the rear end started to "howl when deceleration occurs," starting as soon as the driver let off the gas, while the truck stayed quiet under acceleration and at steady speed. That owner was not sure whether the noise came from the rear axle or the transmission. A worn propeller-shaft U-joint can also make noise from under the truck. Nissan covered that in a service bulletin for the 2022 Frontier, so have it checked before blaming the axle. We found no Nissan bulletin or recall that names the rear differential for this noise. Treat this as an owner-reported issue, not a confirmed defect with a factory fix.

On the 2020-2023 Nissan Frontier, the nine-speed automatic introduced on the 2020 Frontier (carried into the fully redesigned 2022 D41) draws a large and consistent body of complaints about drivability rather than hard failure: a lag or hesitation from a stop before the truck moves, a jerk or lurch as the transmission decides on a gear, shift shock during light-throttle upshifts, and a distinct hard downshift when decelerating to a stop from moderate speed. Owners describe it as the transmission not knowing what gear it wants. Nissan addressed it through calibration and hardware service bulletins rather than a recall - NTB20-077 covers valve body replacement, NTB21-028 covers delayed acceleration on the 2020 Titan, NTB21-073 covers hesitation and shift shock on 2020-2021 Frontier, and NTB21-086 covers A/T warning lamp illumination. A consumer class action naming the nine-speed in Frontier and Titan trucks has also been filed. This is a separate concern from the parking pawl rollaway recall, which affects the same transmission but is a distinct park-engagement defect.

On the 2022-2023 Nissan Frontier 3.8L V6, owners of the new-generation Frontier have reported intermittent no-start events, extended crank, or occasional stalling tied to control-module logic, battery state sensitivity, or software calibration issues. Complaints commonly describe the truck acting like a weak battery or failing to restart normally despite the battery testing good.

On the 2022-2025 Nissan Frontier, the Frontier's infotainment (AV control) unit can freeze, reboot over and over, or cut out audio. Nissan's recall and service bulletins for 2022 Frontiers fix it with software updates. Nissan recalled 2022 Frontiers built February 28 to March 17, 2022, along with some Titan and Rogue models. It said an internal parameter setting error in the Bosch-supplied unit could make it unstable if the truck was restarted, or a battery terminal was removed, within two minutes of turning the ignition off. Once that happens the unit can keep rebooting, and while it does the backup camera image may not show when you shift into reverse. That is the safety part of the problem. Nissan also issued service bulletins for 2022 Frontiers outside the recall. NTB22-029A (S and SV trims, software below version 424) is a stability and bug-fix update. A later bulletin with the same title, NTB23-018, also covers the 2022 Frontier. NTB21-119A covers PRO-X and PRO-4X trucks that are or were in a rental fleet and reboot every 4 to 5 minutes. On a 2023 truck, one owner reports the radio rebooting to basic settings on cold starts or while driving, sound dropping out, and the source changing unpredictably. Two dealers and a software update did not fix it.