Ford Ranger vs Nissan Frontier: Which Years to Avoid
Ford Ranger owners filed 2,405 complaints (2005–2025) with years 2008, 2011, 2019, 2021, and 2022 marked Avoid; Ranger has no Good or Best year. Nissan Frontier owners filed 2,549 complaints, with 2005–2008 and 2022–2023 marked Avoid, but Frontier does have Best years (2015, 2018, 2021, 2025). Ranger averages 19.4 mpg combined versus Frontier's 18.2 mpg.
Head to head
Ford Ranger
- Model years
- 2005–2025 (17)
- NHTSA complaints
- 2,405
- Per model year
- 141
- Recall campaigns
- 58
- Years to avoid
- 2008, 2011, 2019, 2021, 2022
- Best years
- —
- Top problem area
- Airbags
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 19.4
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 3.3 ★
Nissan Frontier
- Model years
- 2005–2025 (21)
- NHTSA complaints
- 2,549
- Per model year
- 121
- Recall campaigns
- 29
- Years to avoid
- 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2022, 2023
- Best years
- 2015, 2018, 2021, 2025
- Top problem area
- Transmission & Powertrain
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 18.2
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 4.0 ★
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 | Ranger | Frontier | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | |
| 2005 | Caution | 289 | 9 | 17.5 | Avoid | 532 | 3 | 17 |
| 2006 | Caution | 271 | 12 | 17 | Avoid | 617 | 4 | 17 |
| 2007 | Caution | 270 | 5 | 17 | Avoid | 520 | 1 | 17 |
| 2008 | Avoid | 326 | 5 | 17 | Avoid | 136 | 5 | 17 |
| 2009 | Caution | 169 | 7 | 17.5 | Good | 37 | 3 | 17.5 |
| 2010 | Caution | 156 | 8 | 17.5 | Caution | 59 | 4 | 17 |
| 2011 | Avoid | 235 | 5 | 17.5 | Caution | 64 | 1 | 17 |
| 2012 | — | — | — | — | Caution | 78 | 3 | 17 |
| 2013 | — | — | — | — | Good | 48 | 1 | 18.5 |
| 2014 | No verdict | 1 | 0 | — | Good | 42 | 2 | 18.5 |
| 2015 | — | — | — | — | Best | 33 | 0 | 18.5 |
| 2016 | No verdict | 1 | 0 | — | Caution | 43 | 1 | 18.5 |
| 2017 | No verdict | 1 | 0 | — | Caution | 38 | 1 | 18.5 |
| 2018 | — | — | — | — | Best | 25 | 2 | 18.5 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 267 | 11 | 22 | Good | 28 | 1 | 18.5 |
| 2020 | Caution | 127 | 7 | 22 | Good | 23 | 2 | 19.5 |
| 2021 | Avoid | 114 | 6 | 20.5 | Best | 19 | 2 | 19.5 |
| 2022 | Avoid | 37 | 5 | 22 | Avoid | 111 | 6 | 19.5 |
| 2023 | Caution | 18 | 4 | 22 | Avoid | 66 | 1 | 19.5 |
| 2024 | Caution | 83 | 13 | 21 | Good | 22 | 3 | 20 |
| 2025 | Caution | 40 | 13 | 21 | Best | 8 | 3 | 19 |
Complaint Index by year
Ford Ranger
Nissan Frontier
Frequently asked questions
- Which years should I avoid on the Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier?
- For the Ranger, avoid 2008, 2011, 2019, 2021, and 2022. For the Frontier, avoid 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2022, and 2023, based on NHTSA complaints and recalls.
- Does either truck have a Best or Good year?
- The Frontier has Best-rated years in 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2025, plus several Good years. The Ranger has no Good or Best year across the 17 model years with data.
- Which model has more total complaints?
- NHTSA lists 2,549 complaints for the Frontier versus 2,405 for the Ranger, though Frontier has data for 21 model years compared to Ranger's 17, and totals are not adjusted for sales.
- What are the top problem areas for each truck?
- Ranger complaints are dominated by airbags (55% of complaints), followed by transmission and powertrain (12%). Frontier complaints center on transmission and powertrain (36%), fuel system (26%), and engine (26%).
- Which truck gets better fuel economy?
- The Ranger averages 19.4 mpg combined across its model years versus 18.2 mpg combined for the Frontier.