Nissan Frontier vs Honda Ridgeline: Which Years to Avoid
Nissan Frontier owners should avoid 2011, 2012, 2022 and 2023; Honda Ridgeline owners should avoid 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2025. The Frontier logs 707 total complaints across 16 model years (44 per year) versus the Ridgeline's 1,587 across 15 years (106 per year), though totals aren't sales-normalized. The Ridgeline averages slightly better combined fuel economy, 19.6 mpg versus 18.6 mpg.
Head to head
Nissan Frontier
- Model years
- 2010–2025 (16)
- NHTSA complaints
- 707
- Per model year
- 44
- Recall campaigns
- 24
- Years to avoid
- 2011, 2012, 2022, 2023
- Best years
- 2018, 2020, 2021, 2025
- Top problem area
- Transmission & Powertrain
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 18.6
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 4.0 ★
Honda Ridgeline
- Model years
- 2010–2025 (15)
- NHTSA complaints
- 1,587
- Per model year
- 106
- Recall campaigns
- 31
- Years to avoid
- 2017, 2019, 2023, 2025
- Best years
- 2010, 2012, 2014
- Top problem area
- Electrical System
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 19.6
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 5.0 ★
Year by year
Complaint Index is relative within each model (0 = that model’s best year, 100 = its worst). Complaints and recalls are raw counts.
| Year | Frontier | Ridgeline | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | |
| 2010 | Caution | 59 | 4 | 17 | Best | 42 | 9 | 17 |
| 2011 | Avoid | 64 | 1 | 17 | Good | 39 | 10 | 17 |
| 2012 | Avoid | 78 | 3 | 17 | Best | 24 | 11 | 17 |
| 2013 | Caution | 48 | 1 | 18.5 | Good | 45 | 7 | 17 |
| 2014 | Good | 42 | 2 | 18.5 | Best | 34 | 6 | 17 |
| 2015 | Good | 33 | 0 | 18.5 | No verdict | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | Caution | 43 | 1 | 18.5 | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | Good | 38 | 1 | 18.5 | Avoid | 341 | 8 | 21.5 |
| 2018 | Best | 25 | 2 | 18.5 | Good | 161 | 7 | 21.5 |
| 2019 | Good | 28 | 1 | 18.5 | Avoid | 237 | 11 | 21.5 |
| 2020 | Best | 23 | 2 | 19.5 | Caution | 169 | 8 | 21.5 |
| 2021 | Best | 19 | 2 | 19.5 | Caution | 101 | 7 | 21 |
| 2022 | Avoid | 111 | 6 | 19.5 | Caution | 117 | 3 | 21 |
| 2023 | Avoid | 66 | 1 | 19.5 | Avoid | 127 | 5 | 21 |
| 2024 | Caution | 22 | 3 | 20 | Caution | 59 | 1 | 20.5 |
| 2025 | Best | 8 | 3 | 19 | Avoid | 89 | 2 | 20.5 |
Complaint Index by year
Nissan Frontier
Honda Ridgeline
Frequently asked questions
- Which Frontier years should I avoid?
- NHTSA data flags 2011, 2012, 2022 and 2023 as the Frontier years with the highest complaint index scores, driven largely by airbag issues in the early years and collision-avoidance/electrical issues in 2022-2023.
- Which Ridgeline years should I avoid?
- 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2025 stand out, with the 2017 model year alone drawing 341 complaints, mostly tied to the electrical system, and 2019 adding fuel system concerns with 8 crashes reported.
- Does the Frontier or Ridgeline have more complaints overall?
- The Ridgeline has more total complaints, 1,587 versus 707 for the Frontier, and a higher per-model-year average, 106 versus 44. NHTSA does not publish sales figures, so these totals are not adjusted for how many of each were sold.
- Which truck gets better fuel economy?
- The Ridgeline averages 19.6 mpg combined across its model years compared to 18.6 mpg for the Frontier, though both vary by year.
- Which model has more recalls?
- The Ridgeline has 31 total recall campaigns across its lineup versus 24 for the Frontier.