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What 64 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Nissan Frontier

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (64)Crash / fire / injury (6)Airbags (16)Brakes (13)Transmission & drivetrain (9)Body & structure (6)Electrical system (6)Engine (4)Speed control (4)Seat belts (3)Seats (3)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (2)

2 of 64 complaints match · Electronic Stability Control (esc) · clear filters

Feb 2, 2020Electronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

WHILE DRIVING AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN THE BRAKES BECAME SPONGY (NOT FIRM) AND PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR RESULTING IN LONGER BRAKING DISTANCES UNLESS I PUMP THE PEDAL. THIS OCCURRED AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKES AHEAD OF A STOP SIGN AS THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER A BUMP/IRREGULARITY IN THE ROAD. THE ABS AND VDC (ANTI-SLIP) ACTIVATED BRIEFLY THEN THE PEDAL GOT SOFT. IT REMAINED IN THIS CONDITION (SPONGY AND EXCESSIVE PEDAL TRAVEL) UNTIL REACHED MY DESTINATION. THE FIRST INSTANCE OF THIS OCCURRING THE BRAKE SYSTEM SEEMED TO CORRECT ITSELF WITH THE VEHICLE PARKED AND IGNITION OFF OVERNIGHT (GOOD PEDAL FIRMNESS AND NORMAL PEDAL TRAVEL AND BRAKING DISTANCES THE NEXT MORNING). HOWEVER, AFTER A SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED (BRAKE GETS SOFT AFTER ABS AND ANTI-SLIP ACTIVATES) THE SPONGY AND LONG PEDAL TRAVEL REMAINS. REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER AND BLED SYSTEM (USED MOTIVE POWER BLEEDER) DID TROUBLESHOOTING ON BRAKE BOOSTER, BOOSTER VACUUM LINE AND CHECK VALVE AND ALL CHECKED FINE. INSPECTED BRAKE LINES FOR BULGES, DAMAGE AND LOOSENESS AT ALL CALIPERS ALL OK. ALL PADS AND ROTORS CHECKED GOOD (NO EXCESSIVE WEAR OR MISSING PARTS). ALSO, DISCONNECTED BATTERY TO SEE IF THE ABS/VDC SYSTEM RESETS. NO CHANGE TO BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL AND SPONGY FEEL. BRAKE PROBLEMS AS DESCRIBED STILL REMAINS.

NHTSA ODI 11306559

Mar 26, 2017SuspensionElectronic Stability Control (esc)

LEAD SPRING SNAP FOR NO REASON AFTER TAKING A NICE SUNDAY DRIVE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS JUST HERD A RATTLE ON THE DRIVER SIDE IT WAS A CLEAN SNAP STRAIGHT ACROSS ON THE MIDDLE LEAF SPRING? DRIVING ON 106 HWY NEW HAMPSHIRE

NHTSA ODI 10968539

Working with the data? Download all 64 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Nissan Frontier verdict →