Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.
AVOIR's read: a solid ownership case with specific caveats below.
Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Nissan Frontier, and it carries 1 recall. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.
| Area | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power train | 5 | 18% |
| Air bags | 3 | 11% |
| Service brakes | 3 | 11% |
| Structure | 2 | 7% |
| Unknown or other | 2 | 7% |
| Electrical system | 2 | 7% |
| Back over prevention | 1 | 4% |
| Engine | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown or other | 1 | 4% |
| Air bags | 1 | 4% |
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.
I was attempting to drive my Frontier on Christmas day 2025 when several lights appeared on the dash. I also noticed my speedometer no longer functioned. I returned home immediately. Two days later, I took it in to a loc
NHTSA complaint: Service brakes
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was gray and then blank. There was no
NHTSA complaint: Back over prevention
We have three 2019 Nissan Frontier pickups in our fleet that have all recently had the same problem. A engine valve misfire on cylinder 3 on all three trucks. This has caused the trucks to shake, idle rough, and have los
NHTSA complaint: Engine
Heater does not warm up. Ran the truck for an hour and no heat to defrost windshield. This also occurs while driving and the defroster won't clear the windshield, and have to resort to using a rag. Looked for possible
NHTSA complaint: Unknown or other
In a no fault accident, I was passenger. When the collision happened, I was wearing seatbelt, and then I was up in the dash/ windshield, there were flames, smoke. The airbags had "exploded" The seatbelt was hanging out o
NHTSA complaint: Air bags
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while an independent mechanic was performing an oil change on the vehicle, the contact was informed that the front passenger's side axle housing mount was
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
When the auto is idle, there is no heat, it blows cold air. It only blows heat while in motion. Upon research, uncovered an extensive amount of information that indicates this is and has been a problem in most Nissan v
NHTSA complaint: Unknown or other
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the infotainment system was inoperative; the contact had to restart the infotainment system several times for the infotai
NHTSA complaint: Electrical system
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2019 Nissan Frontier. Recalls are free to have fixed at a franchised dealer regardless of who owns the car now, but only if they were never done, so check the VIN of the specific car rather than trusting the model.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additio
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners
| Reliability raw | 90 | excellent |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity est. | 82 | excellent |
| Maintenance | 83 | excellent |
| Depreciation | 82 | excellent |
| Performance | 71 | good |
| Efficiency | 32 | below average |
| Safety | 73 | good |
Percentile ranks against other pickup trucks in the catalog.
What stands behind each score for this car:
Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and power train is the most reported area with 5 of them (18%). There is 1 recall on record. Check any specific car against its VIN before buying.
AVOIR scores its reliability 90/100 (excellent) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.
AVOIR scores its longevity 82/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2019 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.
AVOIR's read: worth a look, because a solid ownership case with specific caveats below. Its overall ownership score is 78/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.
Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.