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Nissan Frontier

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Comments

  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I assume that the new Frontier truck has front torsion bar suspension, just like older hardbody models. The first thing you do when you do wheel alignment on these trucks, is to adjust the riding height. This is done by adjusting the preload on the torsion bars. If this preload is uneven, one side of the truck may be lower than the other side and this can cause problems. Did they check and adjust the riding height first?
    Second, I have experienced slight pull to the right in a passenger car due to a defective tire - the alignmnet was perfect and replacing the tire cured the problem. This is worth checking. Rotate your tires from the rear to front and give it a try.
    There is a possibility of other suspension problems here,e.g. defective ball joints.
  • jjpeterjjpeter Member Posts: 230
    Has anyone heard or read about Nissan putting the 3.5 liter V6 in the Frontier? They have put that marvelous engine into just about everything else, its a matter of time before they replace the old 3.3.
    Any news?

    Thanks!
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Some time ago I read that there is simply not enough room to install a 3.5 liter engine in the Frontier pickup. Whether this is a fact or opinion I cannot state. I agree that 3.5 liter engine in the pickup would be a big improvement over the 3.3 liter, even its supercharged version. Are these engines different or do they use the same block?
  • dranchakdranchak Member Posts: 1
    The 3.5 liter engine is wonderful, but Nissan already has an engine that would be a great option -- the 3 liter turbodiesel that is available in the rest of the world. More torque than the 3.3 and good fuel economy. But with the long involved certification process for new engines and our poor diesel fuel, don't expect it anytime soon.
  • jerrydinmdjerrydinmd Member Posts: 2
    I have an '03 Crew Cab-right before the 3,750 oil change i started getting a slight right hand pull.Dealer checked it and said it was slightly out and reset it-it felt fine for 300-400 miles then started to pull again. Took it back and was told front end was within specs and it was probably the tire. Now I have to get with a local Bridgestone dealer and try to get the tire replaced! With less then 5,000 miles on the truck I can't see why Nissan can't get it replaced for me. They sold the vehicle to me not Bridgestone!
  • dustykdustyk Member Posts: 2,926
    Tires are almost always warranteed separately by the tire manufacturer. Nissan's response is the industry standard.

    Dusty
  • tonortonor Member Posts: 3
    The one tire probably wore out a little because of the allignment being off. This can be a big problem in 4x4 models. If you have a 4x4 make sure you change both tires. because the difference in diameter even though small can put a stress on your powertrain.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    No, this is not standard industry response by Nissan. Nissan replaced thousands of defective Bridgestone Potenza tires on 02 and 03 Maximas and they were ordered and replaced by Nissan dealers. I had Mazda dealer replace a right front tire on my Mazda 626 under warranty becuase it caused the vehicle to pull to the right. Even though the tires are warrantied separately by the tire manufacturer, Nissan has obligation to honor this warranty, order the tire for you and mount and balance it free of charge. This is the way it is commonly done. So my advice is go to another Nissan dealer. It is not your job to convince the tire manufacturer that the tire is defective. Nissan has trained technicians who should make that determination.
  • crossroadscrossroads Member Posts: 16
    Sorry, but I don't know how else to contact you so I'll do it here.

    I started a thread on Frontier Actual Fuel Economy and you have frozen it. Also you refereed me to the general discussion thread,this one, for dialogue on my question. I have searched this thread and there is no information that I can find that deals with the actual mileage experience with a 4 cylinder, manual transmission, King Cab. If you can give me a direct reference to that I will certainly look it up.

    I think I understand your need to control the number threads on this board, but don't you agree that fuel economy is a topic that deserves its own thread? In my opinion the general thread is far too big now and the board could be far more useful if popular topics were split off the general board.

    I'd appreciate it if you would get back to me. Thanks.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    That's why I pointed you here. This is where people are talking about all aspects of the vehicle. If we start a topic for Frontier fule mileage, then we're going to have one for Frontier handling, Frontier towing, etc... There is a relatively new topic here dealing with mileage:

    Good MPG from trucks....Is it possible?

    ... but as your post was geared towards the Frontier, I felt this was more the place you were looking for.

    You have a specific question that I felt would be best put in front of people who are talking about your vehicle. My apologies if I gave the impression that the answer you were looking for was already posted in this topic.

    And if anyone ever needs to get in touch with me, just click on my user name and you'll find my email address in the profile. (It's pf_flyer@edmunds.com BTW)

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  • crossroadscrossroads Member Posts: 16
    Here's the question I was referring to in one of the above posts:...

    I am contemplating purchasing a new compact pickup. I've pretty well narrowed it down to the Toyota Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier. It seems to me that while I like the quality of the Tacoma, it is very light in the payload department and doesn't seem to deliver in the claimed horsepower department. So I'm favoring the Frontier at this point.

    I'm looking at the King Cab XE 4 Cyl, Manual shift. What I want to know is what is the experience in regard to the fuel consumption with owners of a similar vehicle. Also if anyone has any other comments about this truck, good or bad, I would like to hear them.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I know somebody who owned both a regular cab and king cab Frontier 4X2 with a 4 cyl engine and a manual transmission. He was fairly impressed with the fuel economy - claimed to get mid twenties to high twenties MPG in normal driving (no towing or hauling anything).

    I also know someone who had a king cab 4 cyl Frontier with an auto transmission. His mileage was in very low twenties.

    You will always get much better fuel economy with a 4 cylinder 5 speed combination and a 4X2 configuration. The 2.4 liter 4 cylinder was used in the 4X4 version of the king cab in 1996-99 (before the V6 was introduced again). The mileage was disappointingly low in those trucks due to low gearing and excessive weight.

    I have a 95 SE V6 king cab 4X4. My mileage is consistent 17 MPG combined with A/C on most of the time. The truck is heavy for its size and geared really low to make up for low engine power (153 HP. 180 ft-lbs of torque). When I tow a 5000 lb boat/trailer, the mileage drops drastically - something like 12 MPG at 45 MPH.

    According to the Edmunds test report, the superchaged 4X4 version of the crew cab Frontier delivered dismal mileage - 12 MPG in combined driving. This truck also requires premium fuel. Ouch! This kind of fuel economy is appropriate for a full size Dodge truck with the 5.7 liter Hemi engine.

    As for V6 Frontier models in general, none of them are known for great fuel economy, especially the crew cab models.
  • crossroadscrossroads Member Posts: 16
    I made a deal on a new '03 4X2 King Cab, 4 Cyl, Manual shift today. I'll probably pick it up after New Year. I'll break it in for awhile and then start recording the fuel economy and post it here.
  • utstimpyutstimpy Member Posts: 2
    I can't get those links to work...

    I tried removing the space, that doesn't work. I tried going to nissannews.com and searching. Can only find 2004 stuff.

    help plz
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    I like the looks of the new Frontier. Trucks should be funtional and look functional like a tool. New Frontier is Bulldog ugly which is a good thing. The new Frontier and the Tital also have more of a earlier Nissan look like the hardbody trucks and having a shared look for both the full size and compact is smart.

    Ustimpy- take a look at the 2005 Frontier topic. It has working links.
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    i just bought and picked up an 03 frontier kc sve 4x4 5 spd in black at the dealer. it was a leftover hail damage vehicle from the factory in tenn. the sticker was 22,000 and i paid 16,700 plus 100 doc fee, 25 tags, and 1002 for sales tax. so far (only about 20 miles) i am happy with the purchase and deal. its not a "deal of the century" or anything but i think it's fair. just noticed last night they are offering 3000 off on 03 frontiers so used that as a negotiating tool (nissan does not offer incentives on hail vehicles). it's a nice truck and looks cool. have already made an appt with dent doc to see if they can do anything more for the dings.
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    just saw the pics of the new frontier and i think it looks great, looks like a mini-titan. i agree it's good they have made a close resemblance between the two. also, it says 3.5 on the liftgate, so i would assume they mean the legendary 3.5 twin cam motor. that should really rock in the smaller frontier (and a big improvement over the old 3.3, s/c or not)....
  • according2meaccording2me Member Posts: 236
    The underhood photo shows a 4.0L V6 emblem.

    http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia/nissan2005/frontier.shtml

    I also see a lot of the pre-2001 in the frontend. I like it.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Our local dealership has a new (undamaged by hail) 03 king cab SVE 4X4 5 speed. The sticker is around $ 22K. I could buy the truck for less than 18K with all the incentives. I am tempted because I like manual transmissions and Nissan does not offer manual in the SVE crew cab model. So SVE king cab is it for the supercharged manual combo. I am concerned about the supercharger reliability issues and strange noises (like marbles rolling inside a coffee can) described by some owners. There is supposedly a service bulletin on this. Also, how is the gas mileage on your truck? I would like to know because Edmunds.com tested a crew cab SVE and reported horrible fuel economy (12 MPG combined with premium fuel required). My 95 SE V6 4x4 5 speed king cab pickup still looks and runs very well, gets 17 MPG combined on regular gas, and I would sure hate to get a lemon supercharged truck that is a gas guzzler on top of everything else. Keep us posted about your experience with the truck.
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    hey p100,
    i'm not sure if the current incentive is 2500 or 3000 on the 03 frontiers. but am surprised to hear of an 03 sve 5spd in dealer stock. what city is it in? i bought this one in ky, so it was surely the only one within several hundred miles. i think the sve is a stellar buy: less money than a similarly equipped xe v6 4x4 and has better wheels plus the s/c. as to the s/c reliability, i have no idea, just that this one runs fine so far. it has strong torque off the line and makes nice mechanical noises, but its no ford lightning accel wise. so far it looks like my first couple hundred miles pottering around town are about 15 mpg so i would not be concerned with the 12 reported by edmunds, i think the epa est is pretty close (roughly a couple miles less than a n/a 3.3).
    the new 05 frontier sure looks nice, and there's a photo of a manual (i was afraid they would not offer, as the case with the new titan). i have only owned my sve for a couple days, but so far am happy, particularly with the shift quality from the tall lever, smooth/positive clutch, and decent, solid truck-feeling ride, plus the cool looks. i would say go for it, buy an extd powertrain warranty if you are concerned about the s/c. i really don't think you could get more truck for less than 18 grand. my frontier is a replacement for my 92 pathfinder 4x4 (similar to your pickup)...
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    The truck is in Cocoa Beach area, Florida. Speaking of Ford Lightning, it cannot stand up to the new 04 Dodge Ram SRT-10 truck. It has the 500 cu in V10 Viper engine with 500 HP and a manual 6 speed behind it!! 525 ft-lbs of torque!! 5.2 sec from 0 to 60 MPH. This must be the most powerful mass production pickup that anybody has ever built. And the cost is $ 45K, which is not outrageous. Looks like horsepower war is on and here to stay for a while.
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    have checked my first tank in my new 03 frontier kc s/c 5spd 4x4...it is about 17 in mixed driving. not bad for first tank. engine really honks on the freeway at around 75 mph...
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    after actually buying the gas and calculating the mileage, it came out to 13.8 mpg. my initial estimate was a little off. that was in mixed city/interstate driving. am expecting mileage to improve to epa (15/18) or maybe a little better....
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    2nd tank has been 16 mpg
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Are you using premium fuel in this truck? No funny engine noises so far?
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    besides the s/c whine, no funny engine noises. do get a little clatter at initial startup however. also, power is a little peaky in the higher revs, like above 3500 rpm or so. it seems to run quite a bit nicer lugging between 1000 and 3000 rpm most of the time, as opposed to running it up to it's supposed power peak (210 @ 5000rpm).
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    have been 15 and 16 mpg respectively. this was mainly in highway driving 70 to 80 mph. maybe it will be a little while to hit the 18 highway mpg!
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    yeah, i am running 93 octane in it so far.
  • nissanman2nissanman2 Member Posts: 4
    IN JAN 2003 I BOUGHT A NEW FRONTIER. NOW,1 YEAR LATER I HAVE 18,000 MILES ON IT. IT HAS A 4 CYLINDER/AUTOMATIC/EXTENDED CAB/PS/PB/AC/ETC. MY M.P.G.IS 25 CONSISTANTLY.THE 4 CYLINDER TO ME HAS PLENTLY OF JUICE. I DRIVE 1 HOUR TO WORK VIA EXPRESS WAY AND PASSING IS NO PROBLEM. I CRUISE AT 75 MPH AND THAT 4 BANGER PURRS LIKE A CAT AT 2900RPMS ON THE TACH.(THANKS TO THE OVERDRIVE TRANNY AND 16 VALVE MOTOR. I HAVE (NEVER)HAD 1 BIT OF TROUBLE WITH THE 2003 FRONTIER.N-E-V-E-R! THE ONLY THING I WOULD CHANGE IS THE 15 GALLON GAS TANK TO A 19 OR 20 GALLON TANK. I DID ADD A NEW SOUND SYSTEM IN THE FRONTIER. (KENWOOD HEAD UNIT,AND FOSGATE 12" SUB,AND 400 WATT FOSGATE AMP.)ALSO I HAVE A FLAT COLOR CODED TONNEAU COVER PUT ON MADE BY LEER. MY NEXT PURCHASE IS 17" CUSTOM CHROME WHEELS AND LOW PROFILE TIRES. I JUST L-O-V-E THIS FRONTIER. VERY DEPENDABLE,EXCELLENT SILVER PAINT,QUALITY WORKMANSHIP,COMFORTABLE TO DRIVE,SMOOTH RIDE,ETC!!!!!!!!!! THE BEST FEATURE OF THIS FRONTIER TO ME IS THE FRONT END! (MEAN AND UGLY)....ONE OF A KIND...BIGTIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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