1999 Nissan Frontier problems & reliability
78 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Nissan Frontier, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
6 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Nissan Frontier vehicles were involved in 11 fatal crashes with 6 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tires → | 19 | 24% |
| Air Bags → | 17 | 22% |
| Power Train → | 12 | 15% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 10 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | 9% |
| Fuel System, Other | 5 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 6% |
| Suspension | 4 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 80,000 miles (middle 50% between 60,078 and 109,115 miles), based on 25 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 1999 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the sending unit and fuel pump. The vehicle was…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Aug 7, 2023
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 nissan frontier. While the contact was at a stop sign and attempting to turn out of a parking lot, another vehicle slammed into the front of his vehicle at approximately 40 mph. Neither of the frontal air bags deployed. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 4, 2019
“Truck started dying randomly. Finally it died and would not restart. The truck was diagnosed with having no fuel pressure. I found out that there was a recall on the truck (ntb04-062c) that could cause the fuel pump to stop working. I verified with nissan over the phone that the truck was definitely involved in the…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Mar 30, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
76 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Nissan Frontier. The 10 most recent:
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB08-097L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2023
SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or…
NTB23-053 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
12 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These…
NTB23-049 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 27, 2023
INTELLIGENT KEY REPLACEMENT OR SWAPPING BETWEEN VEHICLES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB16-003C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2023
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-028H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2023
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB09-081J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2023
WHEEL BEARING COLLISION DAMAGE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB10-126C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2023
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB08-097K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2023
STRUT AND SHOCK ABSORBER REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB99-001F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 7, 2021
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1999 Nissan Frontier has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Nissan Frontier?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 80,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.