Get my offer

Selling a junk Nissan Frontier

Any Frontier sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

Step 1 of 3 · Your car

Your car and location

Free · No obligation · We name the buyer before sharing your number

What owners report about the Nissan Frontier

NHTSA has 4,333 owner complaints on file for the Nissan Frontier, model years 1998 to 2022, the 104th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (977, 23%), fuel system (759, 18%), engine (334, 8%). 211 complaints involved a crash, 59 a fire, and 84 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 82,000 miles. The 2006 model year has the most complaints (838). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Nissan Frontier by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1998146Tires1405110,161
1999106Tires100582,500
2000224Tires206683,500
2001155Fuel system138781,850
2002152Fuel system132870,000
200392Fuel system112770,000
200489Transmission and drivetrain106478,900
2005750Transmission and drivetrain1112692,861
2006838Fuel system233785,500
2007699Transmission and drivetrain90286,128
2008187Transmission and drivetrain24689,212
200944Air bags12564,000
201076Air bags30649,500
201184Air bags51153,550
2012100Air bags70345,600
201365Air bags81130,000
201450Air bags51251,000
201548Air bags21036,400
201656Air bags63135,267
201745Fuel system71128,500
201829Electrical system002—
201939Transmission and drivetrain331—
202034Transmission and drivetrain302—
202129Electrical system302—
2022196Driver assistance2236—

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Nissan Frontier recalls

NHTSA lists 40 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for lights (6), transmission and drivetrain (4), fuel system (4). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2008 model year, air bags (campaign 23V067000, Feb 2023): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles. The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach d…
  • 2022 model year, driver assistance (campaign 22V772000, Oct 2022): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2022 Titan, Titan XD, Frontier, and 2021-2022 Rogue vehicles. The in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system may continuously reboot when the vehicle is restarted, which…
  • 2020 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 22V671000, Sep 2022): 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…
  • 2022 model year, driver assistance (campaign 22V527000, Jul 2022): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rogue, 2022 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Titan rental vehicles. When the Sirius XM subscription is set to "Not Subscribed," it may cause the infotainment he…
  • 2020 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 22V457000, Jun 2022): 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.

What a Nissan Frontier is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Frontier on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

Guides for selling this car

Other Nissan models

All Nissan models · All makes · Cash for junk cars by state

Questions people ask

What is a junk Nissan Frontier worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Frontier gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Nissan Frontier that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Nissan Frontier?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Nissan Frontier numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.