Used Nissan trucks come in two forms: The Nissan Titan, and the Nissan Frontier. At different sizes (The Titan is a fullsize, where the Frontier is a midsize), these trucks both excel in different areas.
Key Takeaways:
- The full-size Nissan Titan has been discontinued as of 2024, limiting part availability in the future.
- The Titan can tow 9,660lbs and has some of the best storage and cabin comforts in the truck market plus an excellent warranty.
- The midsize Frontier remains in production, including Nissan’s signature cabin comfort and plenty of trims on offer.
- Ultimately, the right truck for you will come down to your preferences.
The Nissan Titan
The last Nissan Titans rolled off the line in summer 2024, leaving the Frontier as the only remaining in-production Nissan truck. Despite this, the Titan still punches above its model year when it comes to interior comfort and simplicity.
Unlike many of the recent big three trucks (Ford’s F-150 line, Chevy’s Silverados, and Ram’s 1500 series), the Titan comes exclusively with a naturally-aspirated V8. The Titan lacks cylinder-stop technology, otherwise known as Variable displacement, as well as turbochargers — features which are known to require additional repair costs in the long run. This robust powerpack makes the Titan excellent with high mileage, as having fewer bells and whistles on its frame makes for fewer replacements down the line.
Additionally, with Nissan’s five-year warranty, you’ll find that most newer used Titans have received more care than fullsize truck competitors. This means that you’ll be able to get even more life out of an average resale Titan.
Titans from after the 2020 refresh come with many more standard features than big three competitors, but also with fewer overall options. For a used truck buyer, this means that there’s fewer variables to consider here too with a used Titan. You can expect the features of a nicer truck with less of the massive variability of Ford or Chevy trucks, at a very low cost for a V8-sporting truck.
For a used car buyer, a slow resale market makes the Titan criminally cheap when buying second-hand. Due to the relative obscurity of the Titan, new trucks find some of the quickest depreciations of any fullsize trucks — which for such a reliable vehicle means you can get one cheap and keep it for a very long time. Just don’t expect to resell it for much.
What years of Nissan Titan to avoid, and what years to buy:
Like any car, some model years are far more reliable than others in the Nissan Titan’s history. There’s three generations of the Titan to consider here:
The original Titan (2004-2015) had problematic years, but were overall considered reliable in the latter half of their run. From the first generation, avoid 2004-2006 models, 2008 models, and 2011 models. Look for 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 models, as those have proven exceptionally reliable.
The second generation models were considered more reliable overall, with a couple notable exceptions. The 5.0L Cummins diesel engine, in particular, is regarded as unreliable in the early parts of its production cycle. Avoid the diesel engine trucks. Look for 2017, 2019, and 2020 model years.
The third generation (2021-2024) are all very reliable, due to the aforementioned powerpack. Look for the 2023 model year.
The Nissan Frontier
The smaller of Nissan’s two truck offerings, and the only one to remain in production, the Frontier was the staple of back-to-basics simplicity for 20 years prior to its 2020 refresh. The Frontier, maintaining Nissan’s simple design philosophy, only has a naturally-aspirated V6, though with a wider variety of body and cab sizes than other midsize trucks.
Frontiers don’t see the same quick depreciation that Titans do, but that’s reflective of the excellent reliability that these trucks have historically demonstrated.
The Frontier typically sports fewer features than other truck brands, but that depends on the model and year of the given Frontier. In exchange, however, you get lost costs and a no-nonsense truck. JD powers finds the Nissan Frontier more reliable than the Toyota Tacoma or Honda Ridgeline for most model years.
What years of the Nissan Frontier to avoid:
There are two main generations of Nissan Frontiers still around:
The D40 generations (2005-2021) are some of the most reliable midsize trucks on the market, with only the 2005 model year having any significant issues. All Nissan vehicles had a massive recall of 2019 models, including Frontiers, due to issues with backup camera images. But the problem was solved with a software patch to the affected cars, and no other frequent issues have been reported with the 2019 model year. Look for the 2009 or 2017-2019 model years.
The most recent iteration of Nissan Frontiers is just as reliable as the last. There have been no reliability issues with the most recent generation of trucks. Look for the 2020 model year.
Our thoughts:
Whatever truck you choose, both the Frontier and the Titan make for excellent used cars, especially for someone eager to hold onto both their car – and their money – for a long time. If you’d like to see these cars in action for yourself, come down to Alan Jay Nissan today for a test drive.