Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Nissan Frontier owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed that the valve cover gasket needed to be replaced. Additionally, the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The dealer later called the contact and informed the contact that the bank #1 and #2 cam sensors and the coil packs needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer later called back and stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal sound and upon performing a diagnostic test, the dealer advised that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
On June 30, July 6 and 9th 2021 I was driving down the street at 50 miles p/hr. And the truck just stopped in the middle of the road. No engine just stopped. I called the NHtSAAnd reported this according to the October 28th 2010NHtSA campaign number 10V517000 engine Control Model. It was recalled and supposedly repaired. The person I talked to Kathyrn said that it had been recalled and fixed so it was no longer a recall problem. This vechile is a safety recall and still is, It should be fixed, it was evidently not fixed before.
Truck will turn on once in awhile and I was told it is the ipdm module and that there's a recall on the part. What can I do to get the part sent to me since there is a recall and the mechanic told me that with a recall I can get the part sent to me at no cost to me
Weather turned from rain to icy. South bound on street that overpass interstate. Truck spun around several times first in south bound lane hitting guard rail on west side, went over the curb and median into north bound lane spin again before coming to rest against 4ft high concrete divider on bridge. The driver side air bag is the only one that deployed. My wife was in passenger seat. No other air bags deployed. This truck had dual stage supplemental front air bags and Nissan aabs.. Thankfully our seat belts were probably what protected us from being thrown from the truck. As I stated only the air bag in steering wheel deployed. This should be looked into with all the recalls going on. I had not received any notice about this problem. I went to emergency room the following Tuesday to get xray of chest because of pain. My wife went to her dr also.
I bought my 06 Nissan Frontier with 95000 miles great truck loved it when it got to 118000 miles the radiator messed up causing me to replace the rad and trans flush 500$ two weeks later no reverse one day headed home from work going up lick hill second gear gos out causing me to get rearened then there's 200$ for towing and a smashed up truck just spent 8000 on the truck and can not afford to put 4000 more in it what the hell this is a joke my truck will rot to the ground before I spend 4000 more I hope this is taken care of nobody should have to deal with this now I a piece of just that's not worth 2500 Nissan u suck
While driving down the highway at 60 MPH, my 2006 Nissan Frontier suddenly was running very rough, it decelerated and I only had low gear enough to barely make it off the hwy and out of the way of high speed traffic. No dash/idiot lights came on identifying any problems, there was no warning at all. Truck was towed to Nissan dealership who said the transmission, and radiator, and thermostat all needed to be replaced!! They charged us $5,500. This truck only had 135,000 miles, and was kept in great condition, at time of it's failure. Nissan should be ashamed of making the consumer bear the cost of Nissan's faulty parts!! They are flat out lucky if no one's been injured, or killed due to this failure! Had I been on the interstate as planned the very next day, in this truck, I wonder if I'd be here today. …
While turning to go up hill toward home vehicle suddenly died. Luckily no one was behind me so I put it in park and after hesitation it finally restarted. I took to dealer,wallace Nissan in kingsport, tennessee and they ran ces code. They suggested having right side cam sensor replacement and float in gas tank where it has quit reading at a cost of approximately 700 to 800 dollars. Currently has not been repaired. Ps : I performed the bypass to avoid cross contamination of radiator fluid and transmission fluid myself after reading of all of the problems that has caused.the transmission has a separate cooler; I don't know why it goes through the bottom of the radiator anyway. Current milage is 49,899 which is low miles for a 2006 model. A person should not have to surf the web to know what their vehicle needs when Nissan should be notifying them. …
The transmission on my truck suddenly went out with no warning during my morning commute in heavy traffic on the 202 loop in phoenix. Shifting to a different gear had the same effect as stepping on the gas, which was that the engine revved with no increase or decrease in speed. I had to coast across 4 lanes of fast moving traffic. It was an incredibly dangerous situation. I am told by the Nissan dealership that transmission fluid mixed with coolant and that it was a catastrophic failure. I have received no notices of any kind from Nissan and was shocked to learn that this is a known, commonly occurring defect and that the defect manifests instantaneously and without warning most of the time. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate without warning. In addition, the vehicle slowed down and the contact was able to drive back home. The local dealer was not contacted or made aware of the failure. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the radiator fluid spilled into the transmission. The radiator was replaced; however, the radiator fluid contaminated the transmission and fluid, which caused the transmission to fail. The vehicle was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall and did not offer any additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Highway driving at 55 MPH the engine stalled and stopped in mid-traffic resulting multiple system loss; including power steering. Warning lights that illuminated were service engine soon and, slip. Researching this combination with the associated engine failure shows a minimum failure of the cam shaft sensor and possible interference with engine cooling. Additional research shows that this a recall issue for frontiers. But, when I entered my VIN into your system to check recalls, the reponse is that there are no recalls for this vehicle. That seems in conflict with what is being said about there being a recall and the obvious extreme danger of engine and system failures at highway speeds
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 armada, titan, Infiniti qx56 and model year 2005-2006 frontier, pathfinder and xterra vehicles. The intelligent power distribution module (ipdm) assembly contains an engine control module (ECM) relay that has a diode for electrical current noise reduction.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ECM relay inside the ipdm assembly. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on December 6, 2010. Owners May contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA investigations
Fuel smell and loss of motive power
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has completed its review of a petition dated February 5, 2026, requesting an investigation into model year (MY) 2006 Nissan Frontier vehicles. The petition alleged that the vehicles pose an imminent fire hazard due to a powerful and persistent odor of raw gasoline emanating from the vehicle, indicating a breach in fuel system integrity.
Engine complaints in other Frontier years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Nissan Frontier?
NHTSA has 155 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Nissan Frontier, 25% of the model year's 617 complaints. The component named most often is cooling system › radiator assembly (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Nissan Frontier engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-517 (engine and engine cooling, Oct 28, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Nissan Frontier engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 2 injuries and 1 death to engine & cooling 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.