Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Nissan Frontier owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Firestone/Bridgestone, wilderness at, p215/65r15, dot#w2zfnna377. Tire sidewall blew out while driving at 70 MPH on the interstate. Vehicle ended up on the side of the road. The consumer indicated that nothng was hit to cause the tire to blowout. The tire pressure was checked before the trip. It was also check 30 min prior to the blowout becuase the consumer felt a vibration n the steering wheel. Both times the pressure was normal.
While driving 45 MPH, the consumer had just went around a curve when the left rear tire blew, she lost control of vehicle, hit a sign and then flipped over. The frontal air bags failed to deploy. The driver and passenger were injured.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Nissan Frontier. The vehicle has Firestone wilderness, size p215/65r15 tires. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise and the vehicle jolted. He pulled the vehicle off the road and noticed tread separation on the tires. He stated that the mud flap, support brackets, and gas line medal nozzle were missing. Firestone was notified of the tread separation. The current mileage was 123,000 and failure mileage was 123,000. Updated 12/12/2007 updated 12/12/07
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Nissan Frontier pickup, equipped with cooper discoverer ht tires, size lt235/70/r15. The contact stated that the tread exhibited a bulge and was causing tread separation. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the tires were found in very bad conditions. The mechanic advised the contact that the tires were not safe to drive on. The current and failure vehicle mileage was 115,000. The current and failure mileage of the tires was 11,000.
I was travelling on the florida turnpike near orlando at 70mph when the steering wheel began to shake. I began to slow down, but the shaking became more violent. Suddenly, without warning, there was a terrific bang, the sound of tearing metal and the car began to fishtail. I was able to slow the vehicle and pull on to the shoulder. When I exited the vehicle I saw that the front, left tire had lost its tread. This incident caused $1500+ *akdollars of damage to the vehicle. It cost me $250 deductible and I also had to buy a new set of tires. I have pictures of the damaged tire. I went to a Firestone dealer with the damaged tire and he told me that they wouldn't do anything because the tire had more than 30,000 miles on them. Am I entitled to recover the deductible I paid from Firestone???( dot number: tire size: p215/65r15 )
While refueling I noticed 3-4 or more places on the tire where thumbnail size chunks of rubber have come off of the tread.been to 1 Firestone retailer & 1 Firestone mastercare tire & service center company owned store. No one will help. Just keep getting run around & told to go to another store or call someone else. Made a dozen or more phone calls & visited two places as previously mentioned & still no help. I've also called the [phone] number. They just refer me back to a local store that I've already been to. Can you help?( dot number: w2vfnna178 tire size: p215/65r15 )
Series of cracks encircling all four tires between the wall and the treads. Also visible bulges appeared on two of the tires after just two hours of interstate travel. Attempts to contact Nissan and fire stone were unproductive. Nissan said tell Firestone. No answer at number given for Firestone. These tires were blow outs waiting to happen. Replaced tires before failure. We have stored the tires for inspection/recall/reimbursement. (tiresize: 215/65r15)( dot number: tire size: 215/65r15 )
What is a "counter balanced tire?" Nissan had to replace my original tires. It took them 22,000 miles to figure out the tires were defective. Wayne sims a service advisor at peltier, kept speaking of counter balanced tires, I have never heard of this. With this Firestone scare, I'm afraid there are other sizes that have a problem and Nissan knows about it. With only 2000 characters, I can't type everything I need to..( dot number: w2vf tire size: p215/65r15 )
While driving, consumer stated that the left rear Firestone wilderness ht (p195/75r14 dot# wzkanna128)tire blew out, as the vehicle spun around, the other 3 Firestone wilderness ht (p19575r14 dot # wzkanna1z8) tires delayered apart and flattened out causing the vehicle to slam into a guardrail, vehicle had over $3300 dollars worth of damage, one person was damaged in the accident.
Pe00 020; consumer was traveling about 65mph on highway and heard rubber hitting up against vehicle. Left rear tire tread separated. He pulled over and changed the tire. Tires were Firestone wilderness #at, size p156516 r15. There were no injuries. Firestone wilderness at p215/65/r15
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Frontier years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1998 Nissan Frontier?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1998 Nissan Frontier, 19% of the model year's 129 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Nissan Frontier wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 1998 Nissan Frontier, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Nissan Frontier wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 115,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.