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Nissan Frontier

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Comments

  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I have a 95 Nissan SE V6 4X4 pickup. It originally came with Firestone all terrain tires, which I took off at 5K miles and replaced with Michelin LTX M/S tires. The Michelins have 72K miles on them now, and I still have some tread left. Like you, I rotate the tires periodically, and keep the alignment within spec.

    Michelins give a much better smoother ride than the Firestones and longevity speaks for itself.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Few days ago I began hearing high pitched whistling noise coming from under the dash of my 95 SE V6 pickup. This noise starts around 45 MPH, so it is speed related. It is not caused by the heater/A/C blower because turning the fan on and off does not make the noise go away. I believe that the outside air is coming in past some deteriorating seal but I do not know where. The noise is extremely annoying. Anybody experienced anything similar? Any feedback will be appreciated.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I was hoping somebody would respond, but I found the problem. It was not under the dash. It was caused by a piece of clear mylar film coming loose from the cheap upper windshield moulding. The upper moulding is the only plastic moulding around the windshiled - the other three appear to be stainless steel. Anyway, I could not believe what an annoying noise this peeling mylar could cause. It sounded like a foot long angry mosquito buzzing inside the cabin and it was becoming unbearable. All this because Nissan saved $ 1 on the upper trim by substituting mylar covered plastic for stainless or aluminum.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I just ordered a replacement upper windshield moulding for my truck. $ 34 for a piece of plastic moulding! Thanks you very much Nissan! You saved yourself $ 1 in production costs and took $ 34 out of my vallet (not counting days of needless aggravation and labor to install this thing).
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    p100
    With the windows down and driving 30+ do you get seat belt flap noise? and where is this molding you are talking about>?
    Pit
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I have not heard any noise coming from the seatbelts in my truck. My truck is a King cab model, as they did not offer a crew cab back in 1995. I have seen seatbelt pads for sale (I believe JC Whitney catalog) that you can slip over a sealbelt portion that goes over a person's shoulder when worn . Maybe these pads would alleviate your problem. I assume the belts are flapping when not worn.

    The moulding I was talking about is the upper windshield horizontal trim moulding on the outside of the truck. It is a plastic moulding covered with plastic film, which started to come loose and caused horrible high pitch whining or buzzing noise as the peeling film fluttered in the wind.
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    p100,
    I will look at the molding today and get back with ya! plastic film hu? sounds cheap! If i remember correctly mine is rubber! Here is a good one for ya! Frontier on the back of my truck is put on croked! the F is to high! Some one must have had a FEW to many when they built my truck!
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    According to Edmunds.com test report, the combined fuel economy of their test truck (S/C crew cab 4X4) was only 12.7 MPG and that was mostly highway driving with cruise control on with only minimal off road driving. This seems dismally low to me, expecially if you need to use premium fuel in this vehicle. I might as well buy a Silverado HD 1500 which comes standard with a 6 liter 300 HP engine. I do not think the mileage will be much lower and you can run that truck on regular unleaded. How can the S/C Nissan truck be such a gas guzzler? Compared to Silverado 1500 HD crew cab, it is a toy truck, as the Silverado weighs almost a ton more.
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    p100,
    Hey I looked at my trim and mine is rubber. As for the poor mileage well on my SE-V-6 CC 4x4 i get around 12.5 in town.. now for the SC it's the Super charger it's self that requires the 93 octaine and the bad gas milage! I have a 01 Pathfinder that requires(recomended)93 octaine and i get around 18 in town 23 on the highway!
    Cheers
    Pit
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    Picked up an 02 King Cab (no Edmunds board for this model)with the SC V6 and automatic - but the info here is sort of universal for those thinking about purchasing a Nissan Frontier. Gas mileage on the last fill up was 15.7 - mostly work commute mileage - my 01 Trooper with a bigger but normally aspirated V6 gets 15.2 for the same circuit. I just filled up with mid level octane just to see the difference. On the highway I would expect 18-19 mpg - pretty normal for a 4X4
    anything with a V6 in my experience. If you check out the Tacoma site they complain about mielage too.

    Before I bought this truck I was only looking at Tacomas - when we spotted this truck and test drove it we were plesantly surprised - much better seats - better back support and longer bottom cushion - better glass area - especially the front windshield - in Tacomas I always felt smothered especially with the low headline of the front and side window/winshield. Also the rear sliding window is much bigger than the Tacoma - my dog likes that for sticking his nose out or in depending if he is in the cab or the bed. The ride is more controlled and also engine noise is much lower in the cab. This truck had 35K miles on it and the interior looked new - speaks well for the quality of the seat material. The truck still had some factory warantly left on it so I had them replace the leaky cab mounted rear brake/bed light. The Nissan also uses recirculated ball steering vs the rack and pinion on the Tacoma - personally I like the ball type steering better - especially off road. The interior is also wider - so far we are very impressed with this truck.

    I noticed that the truck is equipped with an outside temperature sensor located under the grill forward of the radiator - but there is no readout in the cab - must be an option for this model of truck. That SC V6 is one strong pulling engine - much more juice than the Tacoma - nice truck. If you live in higher elevation areas of the country the SC is a real plus. Our kids are grown so we preferred the King Cab plus we have the Trooper for company.

    Oh yea - the 02 Nissan was priced $3500 less than the 01 Tacoma plus we got cruise control, limited slip diff - new tires - and no bumper damage that the Tacoma had.
  • jd070jd070 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 02 nissan frontier crew cab 4x4 the noise that i here is when putting vehicle in drive and begin to pull off, it makes a clunk sound followed by 2 clicks in the dash. dealer
    said that it was the abs computer resetting.?
    Why would this happen every day and be able to here it.
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    jd070,
    So that is what that is! I to have the 2 clicks just after i start the engine in the am and as soon as i go to drive i hear the clicks, Now i don't hear the clunk sound... Hey with your window's down do you get serious seat belt flap at speed?
    Pit
  • jd070jd070 Member Posts: 5
    no i do not get seat belt flap with the windows down but leave the windows up and get lot of winf noise has your vehicle been in the shop a 11
    times but not for normal routine service. jd
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    I don't hear that sound in mine - but I have not been listening for it either - however, I had a Tahoe that did a similar thing due to abs resetting itself everytime you started up and put in in drive - now it made some noise - but was normal. No seat belt flutter up to 50 mph or so - but I have had that problem too in other cars - so bad sometimes I would buckle the belt together without a passenger in the seat.
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    jd & bstone3,
    Jd what is winf? As for haveing my truck in for service not yet! it only has 960 miles on it! but when it is time for the first oil change i will have them fix the frontier on the tailgate the F is to high. As far at the clicking noise it is very low sounding so no problem with that, what went wrong to go 11 times? bstone3 what year and model do you have?
    pit
  • jd070jd070 Member Posts: 5
    While driving from one end of our state to the other going from about sea level to altitude of 3200ft. on the interstate the truck barely made it
    up the incline towards the mountains topped out at 60mph. when i drive around town their its fine but the trip up was a pain, i thought the fuel inj. would compensate for the change. refueled in town while thier for a week got better gas mileage
    thier then i did at home 300 miles on a tank compared to my average of 200+ any ideas?
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    As far as my seatbelt noise it was so bad if I had noticed it on the test drive I would have not bought the truck! To fix the problem I had to put thin metal plates over the seatbelts to stop them front driving me insane!
    pit
  • tclemonstclemons Member Posts: 31
    I have an '02 KC/XE/V-6/4X4/Automatic that I bought in 12/01. I currently have a little over 17K on it and I have averaged 19.8 mpg since day 1. I live in the northern VA area and my commute is 35 miles each way -- in the morning I can run about 55-60 and in the pm it it varies from the posted speed limit to stop & go. Overall, I am very please with the truck.

    bstone3: You will find that the leaking rear light is fairly common on this truck. The dealer will change it, but it sometimes comes back. Most people put a bead of silicone around the edge and it seems to stop.

    jd070: The dealer is correct about the click when starting off -- it is the ABS doing a self check and it will do it every time you start your truck and move off, even if it was only 2 minutes that you were stopped. At least mine does this. When I first noticed it, I found myself "listening" for it and don't pay any attention to it anymore.

    There is a site dedicated to the Frontier (called TUNFS -- The Unofficial Nissan Frontier Site) at www.nissanfrontier.net. The people that frequent this site have a world of knowledge about the Frontier and they are always willing to share any modifications they have performed. In fact, one of the regulars (Jeb) did a mod on the "seat belt flap" that was quite effective. You might check out the site and see if there is anything you can use.
  • jd070jd070 Member Posts: 5
    bstone3: I also have had third brake light leaking
    and filling up like a fish bowl, I have been to the dealer 4 times before i received a good one.

    tclemons: thanks for the info on frontier site I will check it out.
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    i ran into a new frontier king cab sve 5 spd 4x4 on a local lot, it has hail damage. it's black too which is cool. first off, does anyone know if you can get a 2wd 5spd s/c king cab with limited slip diff?? on the nissan website it says you can under the specs but if you try to put one together it won't work. on edmunds it also says you can do that. otherwise if i can't get that may make an offer on the hail damaged frontier. how does an offer of 3 grand off sticker, plus the 2500 rebate sound reasonable for hail damage?? (it says that exterior body warranty is void)...
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    Dude,
    what is the sticker? and if they will do it and the damage is not to bad buy it! Then call the dent doctor! I Have a SE 4x4 CC and they came off 4000 plus the rebate so go for it!
    pit
  • jd070jd070 Member Posts: 5
    Here are most of the reasons for the trips to the dealer truck has only 13,000 miles on it.

    1.drivers door seal being crushed/4 replacements
    2.third brake light filling with water/replaced 4 times
    3.cd player inoperative 1 month waiting
    4.headlights would not shut off/disconnect batt.
    5.clunk in front end/abs resetting computer
    6.fender seal fell inside fender
    7.rear door rubbing front door
    8.rear main seal went bad/2 months worth of appt.
    before fixing problem, after getting vehicle in for the repair and receiving call saying will not be able to do the job we forgot mechanic is on vacation, then get vehicle in for the second time and receive another call saying will not be able to get the job done until following week they have cars they want to get out. This was an 8hr job, called consumer affairs had truck done in two days. This was only after a week of calls to the dealer, voice messages, personal visits and calling for service director and hearing everyday "he's with a customer" no calls were ever returned.
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    Wow,
    First your scaring me, lol
    Second you are the perfect canidate for the lemon law! I did that before on a ford, it took a long time but i won and made out ok!
    Pit
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    Pitrott and others: My truck is an 02 King Cab SVE 4X4 = S/C. Bought it used with 35K on it - still had some factory warranty so I had them replace the leaky third brake light - and according to Dealer it is a common problem - more looks than functional - new one is dry. Part of the deal was new tires which are 265-70-16 General Grabbers - seem O.K. so far. Latest gas mileage check using mid level 87 octane was 16.1 mpg - mostly work commute mileage - I have a 01 Trooper 4X4 that gets 15.6 -for same circuit - so no problem with the mileage either - the mid level seems just fine. I am still very impressed with the power this truck has - it flat scoots. Thanks for the post on the Frontier site - will check it out.

    I didn't have a manual when I got the truck and shifting out of 4 wheel low about tested my strength and patience - now I have a manual and know I have to push down on the lever to get back into 2 wheel high. The radio/cd unit is O.K. - not bad sounding but probably not as good as the premium seven speaker unit. The funny thing is the dealer said the vehicle was "Certified" and they had done a 100 point check - well now - they sure didn't check the air filter and remove four pounds of bird feathers that were in there - plus it was the original filter - pure ugly - its new now. The truck is quiet, feels solid and has one of the best controlled rides I have experienced in a pickup of any size.

    About that hail damage - Almost 10,000 Nissan vehicles were severly damaged by hail at the factory in Tennessee - a third of those were totalled - the rest were offered to dealers who scarfed them up at big discounts. The ones I have seen for sale here are terrible - no dent doctor will do much for these - saw a new black Maxima that had just been sold - what a mess but the owner was happy with the deal.
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    First,
    Glad you are happy with the deal you got! Now the Froniter site is good, so see ya over there!
    pit
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    the sve frontier in question was a 4x4 ext cab 5 spd with a sticker of 22k. i offered 16 and they came back with 17. the hail damage is mainly minor and since the truck is black you can hardly see it. i drove the truck and was surprised by a lack of big power. they might be running only regular gas in it. i may go up to 16.5k but not any more considering a non-damaged one could be had for around 18k including the going rebate. also, the hail damaged car voids the factory paint warranty... thanks for your input ...any other thoughts?
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I must disagree with one statement that you made:"...since the truck is black you can hardly see it..." Black color shows every spec of dirt and every ding, especially if the vehicle is freshly washed and polished. To disguise the dings you would be better off with a light solid color, such as white.

    Anyway, I am somewhat interested in the king cab SVE version of the Frontier myself. For some dumb reason Nissan does not offer a manual transmission in their SVE crew cab models. They also dropped the manual in their SE crew cab model. The king cab SVE is the only choice if you want a manual transmission version. I test drove both a crew cab SVE long bed and a king cab SVE automatic and found the crew cab ride to be less jarring, probably due to its longer wheeelbase. I must agree that the engine power is not overwhelming, but certainly a lot better than in my 95 king cab SE V6 4X4 with 153 hp.

    I have some reservations about the long term durability of the supercharger. What is the cost of replacing the supercharger if it goes bad after the warranty expires? Anybody knows?
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    Well as for the replacement of the supercharger, first you must ask if it falls under the power train coverage. then with a supercharger I would buy the extended warrenty! I did for my 03 SE just in case! Does any one know why the books sez you can get the VDC on the SE 4X4 and when I ordered mine the Factory would not build it?
    Tks
    Pit
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    i have no idea as to the durability. although i did have a friend who had a thunderbird sc and when the sc went out he just undid the pulley belt and it was a regular tbird. but for some reason i doubt that would work in this case! the extdd powertrain warranty sounds like a good idea for the sc though.

    i have also noticed they have cut back what you can get with a manual trans frontier for instance you can no longer get a limited slip diff with a manual trans even on the desert runner or 4x4. that sucks. the manual trans s/c k/c seems like a hard to find set up!
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Why is it that in other countries you can find all kinds of vehicles with manual transmissions, and in the US they are disappearing? When I visited Australia some years ago, they had Nissan SUVs (Nissan Patrol) available with an efficient turbodiesel and manual transmission. I also saw Land Rovers with turbodiesels and manual transmissions. In fact, it was difficult to find any vehicle with an auto tranmsission. Have Americans become so lazy that they cannot shift gears any more? Is this somehow related to the obesity epidemic in this country? It seems that the auto industry in the US caters to these people by making manual transmission a rare option, especially on well equipped vehicles.
  • pitrottpitrott Member Posts: 37
    Yes you are correct in most aspect's, but also most highway's are just to congested for stick driving. So that turns off buyers and the Big companys taylor to what sell at that time and day!
    Pit
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Took down the last couple of posts that were spinning off into "personal fight land".

    Let's stick to the topics and avoid shooting at each other please... thanks!

    PF Flyer
    Host
    Pickups & News & Views Message Boards
  • mikea8mikea8 Member Posts: 3
    I just traded in a 01 Accord Coupe on a XEV6 Crew Cab. I have to say that so far I'm impressed with the build quality, even better than the Honda when I picked that up new a couple of years ago. I'm curious because I've seen a lot of negative posts on other boards about Nissan quality going down. I've owned Jeep, Chevy, and Ford 4x4s and am curious how this truck stacks up. Also would like to know the MPG other folks are getting.
    Thanks!
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    I swear - this is the deadest site on the web - I own a Trooper which they don't even make any more and we chat our heads off.

    But to answer your question my 02 4X4 KC/SC with auto gets 16.4 mpg for my usual weekly driving - should do 18 or so on highway - comparable to almost any V6 4X4 I have driven/owned. Quality compared to various Tahoes, Toyotas, Jeeps is certainly at the top end. First Tahoe the radiator failed at 70K. Second Tahoe the tranmnission went south at 40K. The Jeep Wrangler had various electrical problems. The Toyotas Truck, Camry, Celica were error free. This vehicle has 36k miles on it and so far the only issue I had was the leaky rear cab mounted break/backup light - which was replaced. No rattles - very tight structure - my only concern is the super charger -but so far its fine. Enjoy your new ride.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Try VW Eurovan under VW topics.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    On second thought Bstone 3 is right - this is the deadest site on the web, considering the number of Nissan trucks on the road. And why is this forum only on crew cab trucks? What about king cab trucks? And regular cab trucks?
  • dustykdustyk Member Posts: 2,926
    I have a suggestion. Ask the host to rename this forum to something that accomodates all discussions on Nissan Frontier trucks.

    Regards,
    Dusty
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    There is a new site called Nissan pickup owners hangout. So far there is one post by the host. I assume that this site is for all Nissan truck owners, not just Frontiers. I have a 95 king cab SE V6 4X4 hardbody truck.
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    I agree - kill the Crew Cab title and just call it Nissan Frontier Trucks - might invite some new and needed members.
  • aflyinggoataflyinggoat Member Posts: 3
    Greetings:
    I have a 2000 Frontier Crew Cab. Yesterday, the AC / Heater Fan stopped working in all settings...except the highest. As you all know, the settings are 0,1,2,3,4 with 0 being off. Only position 4 (high) works now. Has anyone had a similar problem, or have any insight into this?
    I'd like to try to get some feedback before I take it in to have it looked at. Thanks.
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    Heard of this happening before in all sorts of different cars. Usually it mean the switch has gone south and needs replacement. Friends Ranger just did it and it cost him $300 because of the labor involved - removing the dash - to get to the $5 switch - maybe Frontier is easier. Good Luck
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    The symptoms are exactly those of a failed blower motor resistor. You need to replace the resistor in my opinion. I have seen this failure mode on other vehicles. The switch is most likely not defective because you have the highest speed.
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    If this should happen to me someday just where is that motor resistor at?
  • aflyinggoataflyinggoat Member Posts: 3
    "p100":
    Thanks. I have a Haynes manual on my truck, so I will do a little reading on the resistor. I doubt myself that it is the switch as all would not work in most instances. Interestingly, when you move from 0 to 1,2,3....you can here a faint
    click (or similar noise) then the blower kicks in on 4 at full speed.

    I will post my findings once I figure it out (and can find some time to address it!). Thanks.
  • aflyinggoataflyinggoat Member Posts: 3
    The problem did end up being a failed blower motor resistor. Thanks again to "p100" for making the call. $29 part and relatively painless to put in.
  • rjhn00rjhn00 Member Posts: 1
    i am considering buying 2000 cc 4x4 106000miles looks and drives great. I will purchase 48 mth unlimited mileage used car warranty.
    any comments?
    will they run on reg unleaded 87 octane?
  • joeinokjoeinok Member Posts: 1
    Well I've finally gotten fed up with the repairs on my Jeep Gr. Cher - replacing the second radiator in 2 years! Total of 3000 in repairs in 2 years! Monday I meet with the Nissan dealer to negotiate on a 03 Crew. I hope I will be happy with this purchase!
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    Nice to hear that there is a SC 4X4 out there with over 100k miles and running great. I have been running mine with mid-level octane = 89 and felt it was running O.K. However, last week a new gas station opened up with 5 different octanes available starting at 1.31 gallon for regular - good price for Alabama - the 91 octane is 1.41 and 92 octane is available but thought I would just try the 91 -there was a very noticeable improvement and nice smooth power delivery - also idles much smoother - so I guess I will stick with the 91.
  • bstone3bstone3 Member Posts: 97
    Actually, I had to fill up with gas today and noticed that the octane I am using is 92 - not 91. They also have a 93 octane which uses a separate hose
  • homer34homer34 Member Posts: 1
    I am trying to locate any information from other 2002 Frontier S/C V6 owners regarding any alignment problems. My truck has barely 10,000 km (I'm Canadian) and earlier this year developed a serious pull/wander issue. I have no dealer in town, but an authorized warranty service centre. They did all they could and I have had 8 alignments done. Nissan Canada said I had to ship the truck to a dealer. The nearest dealer is in fact where I bought it and it is over 500 km away.

    The delaer has now informed me that this is only an alignment problem and that they have fixed it by performing two alignments. Remember, I had 8 done before I shipped it to them. The dealer has informed me that this is no longer a warranty issue and that I have to pay the bill for everything.

    One of the local alignment shops is pretty upset. They did 7 of the 8 alignments, reviewed the alignmetns numbers from the dealer and have said that they did the same adjustment and that the problem was still there. As well, they have indicated that the alignment numbers change by simply having one person sit in the vehicle and that they have never seen a problem like this before.

    I will be picking the truck up later this week (after I take the bus all night to get it) and I am not confident that this problem has is resolved. However, it is the dealer's position that it is.

    Has anyone else experienced any front end alignmnet problems?
This discussion has been closed.