2008 Nissan Frontier Engine Problems
- 23
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 23 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- timing chain · 8 records
- where diagnosed · 4 records
- needed replaced · 4 records
- timing chains · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 10 |
| 30–60k mi | 6 |
| 100–150k mi | 4 |
| 150–400k mi | 1 |
| 1–30k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine
The cooler tubes for the transmission and the radiator cracked, allowing for fluid to leak into the transmission. This resulted in rapid degradation of the friction elements within the transmission. The frontier is now undrivable.
ODI 11162276
Engine
This vehicle has known timing belt issues. The vehicle starts making a loud noise(whining) that gets louder as i drive faster on any road. This is a common problem and nissan has not done anything to correct this problem. It will cost over 2400 dollars to fix this problem and nissan doesn't seem to recall for this issue
ODI 11161312
Electrical System · Engine
Truck stops running while driving at speeds around 45mph. Engine off.
ODI 11054139
Electronic Stability Control · Engine · Traction Control System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine and slip warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle on the first attempt. The contact stated that the failure occurred a total of three times. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure…
ODI 11003693
Engine
My truck would go in to gear but would not drive. I had it diagnosed by a transmission shop and they said that the radiator was leaking water and coolant in to my transmission and it would need to be replaced. I then had my vehicle towed to the nissan dealer where the technician said that this is caused by a faulty hose on radiator and it was happening to a lot of frontiers and xterras. When my husband questioned…
ODI 11001515
Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, he observed an abnormal thumping sound from the hood of the vehicle without warning. The contact made the manufacturer aware of the failure, and the manufacturer referred the contact to his local dealer to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was taken to local dealer (tom hesser nissan , 900 oneil hwy, dunmore, pa,…
ODI 11014572
Engine · Power Train
Transmission cooler in radiater failed and coolant leaked into transmission causing transmission failure and overheating.broke down on side of road and had to be towed.
ODI 11051408
Engine
The engine makes a whining noise that increases in frequency with engine rpm. The truck has 69,000 miles on it but the noise has been apparent for some time. I took the truck to the dealer and was informed that the secondary timing chain tensioners were worn out and needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,800.
ODI 10949139
Engine
My nissan dealer told me today that the timing chain on the 4.0l v6 engine in my truck requires replacement. This truck has less than 60,000 miles on it and the dealer charges $2,140 for the work. Timing chains are normally expected to last for the life of the vehicle. Failure of the timing chain would destroy the engine and, if it occurred while the vehicle was in motion, could result in a crash. Nissan has known…
ODI 10920639
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled with and all the warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was able to restart minutes later. In addition, the service engine warning light and the flip error light illuminated continuously. The failure recurred six times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that…
ODI 10882045
Air Bags · Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle did not accelerate. In addition, the vehicle started smoking. The contact stated that the front driver's side air bag warning indicator illuminated continuously. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence where it was diagnosed by an independent…
Fire reported
ODI 10806704
Engine
1) $1473 to replace timing chain system @ 53,610 miles 2) nissan had issued a service bulletin ntb09-128 revealing a knowledge of the issue on at least 3 models over a 5 year period of time 3) called nissan consumer affairs to check on reimbursement since nissan knew it was a problem. In fairness, they responded within 24 hrs. Only to take less than 1 minute to deny the claim 4) wrote 3 letters (1 per month) to…
ODI 10820004
Engine
Timing chain guides and tensioners need to be replaced. Also the timing chains [3]. If these fail on the highway, a severe accident could result. Nissan has published bulletins on this problem but has not notified owners about it. There are evidently class action suits filed against them. These part are defective in design and quality and pose a potentially hazardous situation.
ODI 10725564
Engine
I have a 2008 nissan frontier with only 48,000 miles on it. I noticed that the engine started to whine and took it to a local mechanic. Come to find out that this is a known issue and it will cost $1,500 to repair. I took a look on the internet and there are a lot of people stating that they have the same problem. I think that nissan should be pressured to send out a recall to pay for the repairs on these engines.…
ODI 10683121
Engine · Power Train
I have the well documented problem with the radiator coolant entering and damaging the transmission. I am having it repaired a nissan dealership. I will have to pay over 3200.00!. There was a settlement agreement that is ridiculous!. The problem does not even occur until over 80000 miles when nissan will not cover anything. There are hundreds if not thousands of complaints. *tr
ODI 10584460
Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the transmission shifted erratically. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the transmission fluid and coolant were mixing. As a result, the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 102,355 and current…
ODI 10584630
Engine
All of a sudden i heard a whining noise that i had never heard in my 2008 nissan frontier 4.0 truck. The noise is new and over the last week or so, it comes and goes. Vehicle went out of warranty 2.5 months ago at 5 yrs 2.5 months old. 54500 miles on the truck. The whine pitch increases with engine speed. In neutral as you rev the engine you hear the whine noise go up and down with the rpms. Very disappointing to…
ODI 10561549
Engine · Power Train
A whining or buzzing type noise has develop from the timing chain area caused by excess slack in the secondary timing chains. Nissan has issued a service bulletin (ntb09-128) regarding this issue. Replacement of both secondary timing chains and their tensioner shoes will be necessary to repair this concern. My 2008 frontier has 89k miles on it (out of nissan's 60k warranty) and has been whining for sometime now.…
ODI 10493008
Engine
Engine intermittently flutters while in gear. I bought this vehicle while still under warranty; however, while it was being driven around the dealership for service, etc. It went over the 60,000 mile warranty. The dealer said they would still look at the problem and suggested that it may need a throttle adjustment. After speaking with the mechanic he said the throttle was within range and it was reported to him that…
ODI 10499440
Engine · Power Train
I received a letter for a settlement offer from nissan about the transmission cooler failure which leads to total transmission failure. I started to research what was wrong and what i can do about it seeing as my frontier has 102,000 miles on it and is not covered by the settlement offer. As i did some research i found out about a symptom before transmission failure occurs which is at an idle you have a loss of heat…
ODI 10492357
Engine · Power Train
Trans cooler ruptured within radiator causing water/coolant to mix with transmission fluid destroying transmission. *tr
ODI 10520765
Engine · Power Train
Failed transmission twice due to leak of coolant caused by radiator leak. Occurred at 50k and 64k miles. First failure caused a delay after pressing accelerator allowing engine to rev before engaging when trying to accelerate from a stop. Both replacements covered by warranty. *tr
ODI 10490527
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. While driving approximately 30 mph, there was a waddling noise coming from the passenger side of the engine. The vehicle stalled and the warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing chain tensioner failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the…
ODI 10943886