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What 78 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Frontier King Cab

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 (78)Crash / fire / injury (6)Airbags (23)Transmission & drivetrain (20)Engine (12)Body & structure (7)Electrical system (6)Seat belts (5)Speed control (5)Suspension (3)Seats (2)Wheels (2)

4 of 78 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 17, 2021AirbagsCrash2 injuries

Involved in a auto accident on June 11 2021. Airbags deployed, however, little rock type projectiles also exploded from the airbag landing all over the car and passenger causing a risk to the eyes, face and other body parts. Has not been taken to the dealer, auto I believe is totaled. Photos sent to adjuster along with photos of the car damage. No warnings. I have photos have the projectiles throughout the car and I have also collected a small sample in a zip bag.

NHTSA ODI 11421291

Jul 26, 2017AirbagsCrash2 injuries

I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND WHILE COMPLETELY STOPPED TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN ON A CITY STREET. THE CAR THAT HIT ME, A 2006 NISSAN ALTIMA, WAS TRAVELLING, I BELIEVE, BETWEEN 45-50 MPH. BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOTALED. THE AIRBAG IN MY 2012 NISSAN FRONTIER DID NOT DEPLOY. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IS NORMAL, BUT NISSAN WILL NOT COMMENT. WITHIN A WEEK OF THE ACCIDENT, I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FROM NISSAN REGARDING THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT NOT BEING CALIBRATED PROPERLY. I FIND IT STRANGE THAT NISSAN WILL NOT COMMENT ON NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG, YET SENDS ME A RECALL NOTICE FOR AN OUT OF CALIBRATION AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT.

NHTSA ODI 11010841

Aug 25, 2016Electrical systemAirbags1 injury

SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING 5-10 MPH ON FLAT ROAD. ALMOST KNOCKED ME OUT AND LEFT ME CONFUSED FOR AWHILE, AND CAUSED MY EARS TO RING ALL DAY. NISSAN NORTH AMERICA SENT SOME SORT OF REP TO LOCAL DEALER TO DOWNLOAD DATA FROM THE TRUCK TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT "THE CONDITIONS WERE NOT MET" FOR AIRBAGS TO HAVE DEPLOYED. THEY REPLACED THE AIRBAG SYSTEM AND RETURNED IT TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION AT NO COST TO MYSELF. OTHER THAN THAT THEY DECLINED MULTIPLE TIMES TO HELP ME IN ANYWAY TO GET INTO ANOTHER NISSAN VEHICLE, I WAS WILLING TO STAY WITH NISSAN IF THEY WOULD HAVE WORKED WITH ME AND BOUGHT IT BACK AND/OR GOT ME INTO A NEWER FRONTIER. I WAS WILLING TO DO THIS BECAUSE APPARENTLY THE 2011 AND 2012 MODEL FRONTIERS ARE THE ONLY ONES EXPERIENCING THIS DEFECT, AS A RESULT OF THEIR ROLLOVER ANTICIPATION SOFTWARE WHICH FIRES THE CURTAIN AIRBAGS WHEN IT "THINKS" THAT A ROLLOVER IS EMINENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR FRONTIER WITH ONE INCIDENT RESULTING IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR THE CHILDREN THAT WERE IN THE FRONTIER. THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST NISSAN OF NORTH AMERICA FOR THIS ISSUE THAT WAS STARTED BY ONE OF THE VICTIMS TO THIS NEGLIGENCE. APPARENTLY NISSAN KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT AT ALL. THEY ALSO APPARENTLY REFUSED TO REPAIR SOME OF THE AIRBAGS IN SOME OF THESE INCIDENTS IN THE LAWSUIT. NOT HAPPY WITH NISSAN ALLOWING THIS VEHICLE TO STAY ON THE ROAD SINCE IT ALLOWS FOR A DANGEROUS POSSIBILITY FOR THIS TO HAPPEN ON A BUSY ROAD WITH OTHERS AROUND, AND FOR THE OCCUPANTS OF THE FRONTIER MENTIONED. NOT HAPPY AND WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO GET LEGAL COUNSEL TO HELP ME. *DSY - SEE 10896442.

NHTSA ODI 10898639

Aug 16, 2016Airbags1 injury

SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS WRONGFULLY DEPLOYED WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 5-10 MPH, WITH NO CRASH, AND ON A FLAT ROAD. CREATING AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD AROUND ME. THIS TRUCK HAS FAULTY PROGRAMMING THAT CONTROLS THESE AIRBAGS. THEY STATE THAT, INSTEAD OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYING IN A CRASH, THEY ARE PROGRAMMED TO "ANTICIPATE" A CRASH AND THEN DEPLOY. NISSAN NORTH AMERICA SENT AN ENGINEER TO THE DEALERSHIP TO DOWNLOAD DATA FROM THE TRUCK TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED, AND I ONLY RECEIVED LIMITED DATA UPON MY REQUEST. THEY SENT ME A FEW PAGES OF "HIGH FREQUENCY DATA" CHARTED IN COLUMNS WITH THE FIRST PAGE CONTAINING "FRONTAL DELTA-V" AND "LATERAL DELTA-V", THE SECOND PAGE WITH "FRONTAL G" AND "LATERAL G", AND THE THIRD PAGE WITH "VEHICLE SPEED" AND "ENGINE REVOLUTION". *DSY - SEE 10898639.

NHTSA ODI 10896442

Working with the data? Download all 78 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 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 2012 Nissan Frontier King Cab verdict →