2000 Nissan Frontier SE Crew Cab V6 3.3L from North America
Summary:
Performs like a big V8 truck, but doesn't cost as much up front or in maintenance
Faults:
After the first winter some rust beginning to show on the underside of the rear bumper. The dealer wouldn't help so I called Nissan directly and they replaced it for free.
AM/FM, Tape, CD player spit out the disk every so often by itself. It wouldn't do it in front of the dealership's service department so I bought a new one with preamp outputs to power a pair of 12" subwoofers in the back seat.
Cooling fan motor died at 61,000 miles which is 1,000 miles over warranty, but it was probably my fault because it died after a 4x4'n day through a drained pond.
General Comments:
My maintenance has been only changing the oil, tires, brake pads, and cooling fan that I broke after 75,000 miles of beating.
I have towed a 19' open bow Starcraft boat everywhere without expected struggles.
I was mad when I towed a 33ft party pontoon boat with an upper deck topping out at 62mph, but changed my mind when I borrowed a Ford F350 Super Duty Diesel that topped out at 65mph.
Made to run forever with power at the low end to mid range speeds and little maintenance, but limited to 95 - 100 mph top end.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 10th June, 2004
14th Oct 2003, 12:33
I wanted to comment on the report about the Nissan Crew Cab. Having owned one for the past 3 years, 40K+ miles, I also have some experience behind the wheel. I've also participated on several NGs since I first bought my truck.
The statement about the cracked exhaust manifold is well documented. In fact, Nissan has a TSB issued on this and will replace the manifold for free if it cracks. If you've paid previously for this repair, contact Nissan for a full refund (also mentioned in the TSB).
This is a HEAVY truck. 4000 lbs worth and a small V6. No, it doesn't get great gas mileage. However, it has plenty of speed when the weight is considered. I often tow my 2000 lb camper, with 4 adults, and almost 1000lbs of extra equipment just fine. In fact, I have enough reserve power to leave most traffic behind from a dead stop. Handy when needing to get in another lane. While towing on the highway, I typically get 16+ MPG at 70mph. In town, I get 16-19 MPG with the AC cranking.
All the other problems mentioned are very uncommon. I've never heard of a spring breaking. Makes me wonder if the owner has been jumping the truck or abusing it somehow.
The two problems I've had is a dead battery at the 2 year mark. For some reason, most everyone I've talked to that has a 2000 vehicle (any brand) had the same issue. Even my wife's 2000 VW battery died. Weird. The other problem was a blower motor resistor board. It gets condensate dripping on it from the evaporator core. The exposed board corroded and failed last year. It was ~$25 to replace and took less than 2 minutes.
Mine is a daily driver. It's the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. It still has no rattles, no drift, the transmission feels new, and I still tow with it. A poorly made vehicle? Not quite. Maybe you got a lemon. Don't take my word for it, visit any of the Nissan Frontier boards and read the thousands of comments yourself.
Robert