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 2007 Nissan Frontier owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Symptoms began as random hard shifts, then progressed to a sudden loss of power and high rpms. If the vehicle was turned off and on, the transmission would engage and you could drive a couple hundred feet before it began slipping again. I used this tactic of turning it off and on again to get the vehicle off of the highway. Vehicle has not been sent to shop as of yet. Taking a turn, my Nissan Frontier 2007 suddenly stops right in the middle of the street causing traffic jam, I was lucky enough not to be t-boned with my kids seating on the back. Nissan knew about is but never advised costumers about it to open a recall campaign. Need help with this. Truck was bought brand new at the dealer.
This is known problem you refused to force Nissan to recall. At a minimum Nissan should have been required to notify owners of the problem. They did not. My radiator has failed allowing coolant to mix with the transmission fluid destroying the transmission. I have 96,000 miles on my vehicle. I would have gladly paid out of pocket to replace the defective radiator to save the transmission, but since I was not notified of the problem, now I have to potentially replace the transmission.
Nissan Frontier has been jerking sporadically for a month driving locally at different speeds city or highway. I assumed it was cheap fuel and a needed tune up. I decided to take the truck in for a diagnostic test at Firestone and they were unable to determine the cause or issue of the jerking. Requested diagrams of the engine was unreadable and no help. Firestone recommended I take it to the Nissan dealer. I took the truck to the Nissan dealer and they quoted a $5000 plus repair bill. This seem out of the ordinary for simple jerking and no other symptoms. In addition they had noted on the diagnostic and repair bill some other repairs that obvious needed fixing as good condition. Immediately I knew that the diagnostic test performed was false- the mechanic did not diagnose/test my vehicle correctly and the repair quoted was due to an issue they new about from the start. …
Transmission failed due to coolant intermixing with transmission fluid. This is the second time this vehicle has had catastrophic transmission failure due to a crack in the cooling system. First time was just over the warranty so I was forced to pay a $2500 copay. The vihicle started showing signs of a secondary failure just prior to 100000 miles and when I brought it to the dealer they lied to me and said there was just residual oil in the radiator from the first failure... Now I am past any warranty copay and the transmission is failing at just 100500 miles. That is just two years (less than 18000 miles) after they replaced the radiator and transmission. This is unacceptable that consumers are being forced to pay for a known issue of poor engineering especially when it was supposedly fixed by the dealer with Nissan parts. …
We had just had our oil changed in our Nissan Frontier and had a general check of the vehicle before driving it on a vacation to another state. Everything was in perfect working order. We purchased this vehicle new and it has always been well-maintained. It has 118,000 miles. While driving home less than a week after we left, we noticed that the transmission began slipping and coolant was suddenly leaking from the truck. We also noticed a pink or orange fluid mixed with the coolant. We were >3 hours away from home when this happened. The transmission slippage got worse as we were driving. We were luckily able to make it home and took our vehicle in for service. We found out that this truck has the same problem as other nissans--coolant mixed with the transmission fluid, causing the transmission to suddenly fail. …
When driving my 2007 Nissan Frontier with a 191000 miles and truck starts to slow down, it would down shift rough. Made appt for next day with mechanic. It still being the same day I drove my son to the park and came to a stop , truck down shift was rough again and service engine soon light came on, pushed on gas and truck felt like it lost power. Got to park a block away, turned truck off and it never started again. Towed to a mechanic . $1100 later, mechanic says tow it to the Nissan dealer for a diagnostic because the modular inside the transmission is not working and they can tell what's wrong. I get it towed to Nissan dealer for $90 and $450(3hrs of labor to diagnose truck) later, Nissan said radiator fluid cross contaminated with transmission and ruined it. Also found transmission fluid and engine oil in radiator. So the radiator and transmission needs to be replaced for $6800. …
My Frontier died on 12/6 / on 12/7/2015, I had it towed to the boardwalk Nissan and paid $100 to have the problem diagnosed. I was told the repairs would cost $10,500. The radiator caused the transmission to go out in turn causing the computer panel to burn out. I asked the service adviser was there something I could've done to prevent the problem. He said no, the problem happens. I then had the truck towed home. Now, I find out there was a problem that Nissan should've known about, had they made the repairs to the radiator, my truck would be working today. This makes me angry. It makes me angry that I just paid $317.44 to replace tire sensors that May not have been needed!! The radiator issue resulted in a $417.44 expense that May not have been necessary ($100 for a diagnosis). The truck was parked in front of my house. I attempted to start the car on 12/6/15, it wouldn't start. …
I first began noticing a problem with my 2007 Nissan Frontier when the heater was having trouble heating up the cab as I was driving. At first the problem was intermittent and the heater would warm up for a while and then get cold again. Shortly after that I began to notice a vibration or shuddering at higher speeds as if I was hitting a rumble strip. I began doing some research on the internet and found that this is a very common problem with several Nissan models between 2005 and 2010. I took the truck to the local dealership and they knew immediately what the problem was and what was needed to repair it. The radiator develops a crack that leaks into the transmission and starts tearing up the internals of the transmission. The dealership recommended replacement of both the radiator and the transmission. The cost to do this repair was about $5,100.00. …
The automatic transmission cooler that is internal to the radiator leaked coolant into the automatic transmission causing excessive friction destroying it. Nissan knew of the problem yet failed to warn owners that they could avoid a $6000 repair by replacing the know defective radiator for less than $1000. Nissan offered a prorated warranty extension of up to 10 yrs/90,000 miles (mine is a 2007 with 88934 so not covered) but only covering a small portion of the cost to replace the transmission. Nissan should be punished for failing to warn owners they could have avoided the transmission failure. A manufacture should have a duty to warn consumers in this case. This could cause a safety issue if the failure occurred in a critical situation. In my case the transmission failed when the vehicle was moving on state highway 460 near narrows, virginia.
Transmission was slipping bad, and the coolant was looking brownish red. Transmission fluid was in the radiator and through out both the engine and transmission. When I took it to the dealership to get check-out they said my warranty had expired and that this wouldn't be covered. Would need to replace radiator and transmission.... Costing me $ 2,731.25. Although this is a known fact that Nissan is having a good amount of problems with various Nissan model including my Nissan Frontier. Very unhappy Nissan customer of many years..... Now I'm starting to have timing belt issues which falls under another Nissan Frontier problem. Will have to get fixed at my own expense. My dealership know these things but are not open about these fact. I take my Frontier in for maintenance nothing ever said and never seem to get recall notices either....
Engine complaints in other Frontier years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2007 Nissan Frontier?
NHTSA has 133 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2007 Nissan Frontier, 26% of the model year's 520 complaints. The component named most often is cooling system › radiator assembly (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Nissan Frontier engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2007 Nissan Frontier, though it has 1 recall 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 2007 Nissan Frontier engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
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.