2020 Nissan Frontier power train problems
12 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2020 Nissan Frontier — 52% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Crank bolt snapped causing me to loose power steering, a part failed that shouldn't have .I have the bolt looks like in was cracked when they put it together, it was only on by about three threads, my mechanic and the one from nissan said they'd never seen one come apart before,lucky I wasn't on…”
filed Jul 10, 2026
“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…”
filed Jun 29, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can…Campaign 22V671000 · Sep 7, 2022
- Transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can…Campaign 22V457000 · Jun 24, 2022
Related service bulletins
9 SPEED A/T VALVE BODY (CONTROL VALVE TCM) REPLACEMENT This bulletin is no longer active. Please discard previous versions of NTB20-077.
NTB20-077A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2024
Power Train problems in other Frontier years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Frontier | 6 | 32% |
| 2023 Frontier | 12 | 19% |
| 2022 Frontier | 24 | 22% |
| 2019 Frontier | 7 | 25% |
| 2018 Frontier | 2 | 8% |
| 2017 Frontier | 6 | 16% |
| 2016 Frontier | 3 | 7% |
| 2015 Frontier | 5 | 15% |
| 2014 Frontier | 6 | 14% |
| 2013 Frontier | 6 | 13% |
| 2012 Frontier | 20 | 26% |
| 2011 Frontier | 9 | 14% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2020 Nissan Frontier
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.