2008 Nissan Frontier Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 54 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2008 Nissan Frontier, 40% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 95,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “transmission fluid” (22% of reports).
- 54power train complaints
- 95,500median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $7,050typical repair cost reported by owners
- 14%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Transmission fluid: mentioned in 12 of 54 complaints (22%)
- Engine coolant: mentioned in 6 of 54 complaints (11%)
- Rear axle: mentioned in 6 of 54 complaints (11%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2008 Nissan Frontier at $7,050, and half of them between $5,600 and $7,800.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2015–2019), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 46 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 54 complaints, 1 a fire.
Nissan Frontier power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Frontier | 3 | 27% | — |
| 2025 Frontier | 2 | 22% | — |
| 2024 Frontier | 6 | 27% | — |
| 2023 Frontier | 13 | 20% | 24,500 |
| 2022 Frontier | 24 | 21% | 598 |
| 2021 Frontier | 5 | 25% | 99,172 |
| 2020 Frontier | 12 | 52% | 28,000 |
| 2019 Frontier | 7 | 25% | 9,337 |
| 2018 Frontier | 2 | 8% | 16,000 |
| 2017 Frontier | 6 | 16% | 4,200 |
| 2016 Frontier | 3 | 7% | 35,000 |
| 2015 Frontier | 5 | 15% | 20,000 |
| 2014 Frontier | 6 | 14% | 17,250 |
| 2013 Frontier | 6 | 13% | 30,801 |
| 2012 Frontier | 20 | 25% | 32,215 |
| 2011 Frontier | 9 | 14% | 54,000 |
| 2010 Frontier | 15 | 25% | 54,319 |
| 2009 Frontier | 8 | 22% | 96,000 |
| 2008 Frontier | 54 | 40% | 95,500 |
| 2007 Frontier | 222 | 43% | 108,000 |
| 2006 Frontier | 220 | 36% | 103,100 |
| 2005 Frontier | 262 | 49% | 102,118 |
| 2004 Frontier | 13 | 20% | 72,500 |
| 2003 Frontier | 7 | 9% | 56,000 |
| 2002 Frontier | 7 | 6% | 121,750 |
| 2001 Frontier | 8 | 6% | 125,000 |
| 2000 Frontier | 26 | 14% | 119,179 |
| 1999 Frontier | 12 | 15% | 60,078 |
| 1998 Frontier | 9 | 7% | 110,323 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2008 Nissan Frontier. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving at speeds over 40 MPH, the vehicle would shake and vibrate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the radiator fluid had leaked into the transmission causing severe damage to the transmission…
The transmission cooler integrated into the radiator failed damaging the transmission by cross contamination of fluids. Loss of power on a narrow country mountain road was not safe. I learned that this problem is very common. I feel that Nissan should have replaced the radiator before thousands in…
Transmission fluid cooler integrated in the radiator that allowed engine coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid causing damage to the transmission. Radiator had to be replaced along with flushing out of the trans fluid at a service station costing a few thousand of…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Nissan Frontiers have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 54 owner complaints about power train for the 2008 Nissan Frontier (40% of the 136 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Nissan Frontier power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 95,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2008 Nissan Frontier?
Owners report a typical cost of $7,050 (half paid between $5,600 and $7,800), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2008 Nissan Frontier?
The most frequent phrase is “transmission fluid”, in 12 of 54 complaints, followed by “engine coolant” (6).
See all 2008 Nissan Frontier problems or power train problems across all Frontier years.