2022 Nissan Frontier Transmission Problems

24 owners have reported transmission & drivetrain problems with the 2022 Nissan Frontier to NHTSA — 21% of all 112 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 1,000 miles. That ranks #6 of 29 Frontier model years for transmission complaints (a typical year has 8). 2 related recalls have been issued.

24complaints
1ktypical miles
2related recalls
4crashes
0fires
0injuries

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    583%
  • 25k–50k
    00%
  • 50k–75k
    00%
  • 75k–100k
    00%
  • 100k–150k
    00%
  • 150k+
    117%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2022 Nissan Frontier owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact called on behalf of her husband who owns a 2022 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while her husband was in park, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into a parked vehicle in front of them, and that vehicle crashed into another unattended parked vehicle in front of that. The contact's vehicle went over the curb when it crashed into the vehicle in front of them. The contact stated her husband felt as if he was being pushed. The driver was pressing on the brakes, but the vehicle continued to move forward. There was an unknown yellow light that illuminated. There were no air bags deployed. The contact and husband approached the nearby house and were informed of the accident. The neighbor contacted the police. The police arrived on the scene and filed a report. There were no injuries. There were no medical treatments on the scene. …

2,000 miles · Jul 2022 · crash

The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving uphill, the vehicle vibrated. The contact stated that the vibration increased as the contact decelerated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission parking pawl and the transmission control module had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the dealer advised that the clutch might need to be repaired, but the contact advised the dealer to wait until the clutch displayed signs of failure. The contact stated while driving four months after the vehicle was repaired, the vehicle vibrated when the RPMs decreased, and the vehicle operated as intended when the RPMs increased. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the transmission fluid was replaced, but the failure persisted. …

180,000 miles · Jun 2025

On June 29, 2022 My 2022 Nissan Frontier was parked drive in front of garage door. I arrived home for lunch and parked my cab farm tractor in yard under shade tree to keep cool while I was inside my home. When I came back to leave my tractor had Frontier truck sitting against front tire of my tractor, the truck had moved 25 yards for no reason. The truck had made slight contact with tractor bumper with tail light lense laying in yard, the trailer ball had also struck tractor tire and prevented hard impact. I went in garage and obtained key fob and found truck still in park. I tested truck and all functions were normal as they were 6 weeks ago when I purchased new. Key was not in truck and no one else had access in the 15 minutes I was inside. The parking brake was not used by wife when she parked, but it was in park. Mileage was 2550 . …

Jun 2022 · crash

I was on a gravel road that was nearly level to very slightly up hill. Upon passing some branches that were hanging partially over the road, I decided to trim them so they would not cause me trouble on my way back. I put vehicle in REVERSE and backed up maybe 20', shifted into PARK, got out (left vehicle running), opened the rear door to get clippers and closed it. Walked to the bush maybe 15' to rear of vehicle and clipped a couple small branches and I suddenly heard gravel noise and looked up to see my truck moving FORWARD on its own. I immediately ran after it and it veered left, left the road, proceeded down a hill and crashed into a small tree! This vehicle was a part of the Nissan Parking Pawl recall. I had the needed repairs done by Nissan on April 11th 2023. The vehicle malfunctioned!! Problem has not been reproduced. There has been no inspection by anyone at this time. …

May 2023 · crash

The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the sticker that displayed the features showed that the vehicle was equipped with an Intelligent Forward Collision Warning System; however, the system occasionally failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that while the cruise control feature was activated on a hill, the vehicle downshifted the vehicle decelerating. The contact became aware of TSB: NTB 22-082a (Service Information for Brake Switch Adjustments for DTC C1142 and/or C1116 Stored). The contact also learned that the transmission control module needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the TSB. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3.

0 miles · Apr 2022

The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V457000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted to park(P) however, the vehicle rolled backward. The contact applied the parking brake to park the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

1,000 miles · Jul 2022

The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she exited the vehicle to place some items in the truck bed however, the vehicle started to rollaway at approximately 2 MPH. The contact stated that her husband jumped back into the vehicle and used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V457000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 195.

0 miles · Jul 2022

The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving approximately 38-40 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle experienced a hard downshift. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop in inclement weather, the rear tires were slipping. The contact was able to continue driving. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

0 miles · Aug 2022

Went on vacation 9-11-22, at the cabin neighbor call said the truck had rolled back into garage causing hood damage, received no notice at transmission recall, then it happen9-13-22 at place of employment lucky no one was injured. Transmission all of sudden start hunting for gear having hard time at highway speeds want to shift down 7th gear, AEB LOCK THE BRAKES UP WHEN NOTHING was in front of around the vehicle fortunately night time vehicle unsafe dealer has no parts to fix it, lemon vehicle

Sep 2022 · crash

On 8/26/23, I came upon a red light and stopped. Vehicle immediately would not go into gear, all dash lights and check engine light were flashing, and fan motors were running loudly. Error message said automatic transmission error. The vehicle could not be turned off for approx. 10 minutes. Had to push the vehicle off of the roadway. I was able to restart the vehicle after 2 hours. On 8/28,23, the exact same thing happened and I was stuck in the lane of traffic. All dash lights and check engine light were flashing. Error message said automatic transmission error. Would not go into any gear. The vehicle could not be turned off for approx. 10 minutes. I had the vehicle pulled out of the roadway, then towed to dealership on 8/28/23. The dealership contacted me on 8/29/82 and stated they could not duplicate the error and there was nothing else they could do at that time. …

Aug 2023

Related recalls

Power train › Automatic transmission

NHTSA recall 22V-671 · Sep 7, 2022 · 197,230 vehicles

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Titan, 2020-2022 Frontier, and 2023 Z vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.

Remedy: Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicle. Dealers will perform the applicable repairs below, free of charge: Model Year 2020-2022 Frontier vehicles: reprogram Transmission Control…

Power train › Automatic transmission

NHTSA recall 22V-457 · Jun 24, 2022 · 180,176 vehicles

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Frontier and Titan vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.

Remedy: Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicle. Dealers will replace the transmission parking pawl pin, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2022.

Transmission complaints in other Frontier years

’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’2691226877132622202225481592066536271252413623
Transmission complaints per model year, Nissan Frontier.

Frequently asked questions

How common are transmission problems on the 2022 Nissan Frontier?

NHTSA has 24 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2022 Nissan Frontier, 21% of the model year's 112 complaints.

Is there a recall for 2022 Nissan Frontier transmission problems?

Yes — NHTSA recall 22V-671 (automatic transmission, Sep 7, 2022); NHTSA recall 22V-457 (automatic transmission, Jun 24, 2022). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

At what mileage do 2022 Nissan Frontier transmission problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 1,000 miles, and 83% before 25,000 miles.

Is it dangerous?

Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.