- NHTSA has opened a defect petition into 75,300 Nissan Frontier pickups.
- The federal probe appears to stem from just one formal owner complaint.
- Regulators are examining reports of fuel smell and sudden stalling.
Nissan has plenty on its plate right now as it launches new models and tries to regain the market share it once held. But an issue from 2006 is coming back to haunt them. One Frontier owner says that their 20-year-old truck has a problem, serious enough that the NHTSA just launched an investigation into 75,300 trucks.
According to the agency, the petitioner alleges the trucks can emit a strong smell of raw gasoline and suddenly lose motive power during startup or while driving. That combination is concerning enough on its own. A truck that smells like an open gas can suggests there may be a leak or other breach somewhere in the fuel system.
More: Over 180,000 Nissan Frontier And Titan Models At Risk Of Rolling Away
Add in the possibility of an engine that can suddenly stall in traffic, and it becomes easier to see why NHTSA is at least taking a closer look. Importantly, the agency lists no crashes, no fires, no injuries, no fatalities, no manufacturer reports, and no field reports. Just one owner complaint was apparently enough to trigger a federal review.
According to the complaint, the owner believes the trucks pose an “imminent fire hazard” because of a “powerful and persistent odor of raw gasoline” that “emanates from the vehicle.” The same complaint alleges that the trucks can suddenly stall “during startup and operation,” potentially causing a crash or loss of vehicle control.
The petitioner also argues that these symptoms are not new. Instead, they say the problems mirror issues that Nissan has already addressed through recalls 10V-517, 07V-435, and 10V-075. In their view, the recalls either didn’t fix the issue or never addressed it.
Each of those earlier recalls involved a variety of fuel-system and stalling-related issues on older Nissan trucks and SUVs. One campaign focused on faulty fuel-level sending units that could corrode and cause stalling. Another involved cracked fuel pump control modules that could allow moisture inside and potentially shut the engine off. There were also concerns about the fuel system and evaporative emissions components that could contribute to gasoline odors.
All said, it’s worth noting that the complaint could end up going nowhere. On the other hand, if regulators find several examples of 2006 Frontiers that smell like gas and stall with regularity, Nissan could end up having to solve an issue that was believed to have been solved long ago.
