Nissan recalls certain 2024 Frontier pickup trucks due to headlight target markings
A small number of 2024 Nissan Frontier pickups produced for the U.S. market have right headlights with an illegible or missing headlight alignment marking. Failure to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 is one thing, but impaired illumination of the road increases the risk of an accident.
Nissan North America learned of the condition on May 29 after a technician discovered an unreadable marking on the right headlight assembly of a newly assembled Frontier. In addition to quarantining the suspected unit, the automaker initiated an audit and opened an investigation with the supplier, North American Lightning.
It turned out that a worn tool bit resulted in poorly transferred markings on the lens, explaining the unreadable appearance. Alabama-based North American Lighting found that 3,708 headlight assemblies had been manufactured using the worn tool bit, while Nissan’s production records indicated a total of 3,829 pickup trucks.
Of these, Nissan North America has inspected and repaired 2,703 vehicles. The remainder make up the recall population with production dates between May 16, 2024 and May 31, 2024 for the 2024 model year. Both the lower specification halogen lamps (part number 26010 9BU0A) and the higher specification LED lamps (part number 26010 9BU0D) are potentially affected.
Although the right headlights were properly aligned by workers at the Nissan Canton Assembly Plant as part of the production process, the condition described above violates the marking requirements according to FMVSS 108. In this sense, if the marking is illegible or missing, good-quality headlights will be replaced at no charge to the customer.
Photo: Nissan
The inspection and replacement should take about 2 hours. Owners can look forward to Nissan-branded recall notices arriving via first-class mail starting September 20, 2024. Owners can also take matters into their own hands by checking the VIN on the automaker’s recall portal.
Recently updated for the 2025 model year, the Frontier comes standard with a direct-injection V6 engine. The 3.8-liter engine produces 310 horsepower and 381 Nm of torque, compared to 285 and 260 (353) for the Gladiator’s 3.6-liter Pentastar. Unlike Jeep’s midsize pickup, which comes with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission, the Frontier only comes in the form of a nine-speed transmission, manufactured under license from Mercedes-Benz AG.
Towing capacity increases by around 500 pounds (227 kilograms) on all models for the 2025 model year, which also sweetens the deal with the greater availability of the 6-foot bed. The pre-facelift Nissan Frontier sold 39,963 units between January 2024 and June 2024, making it far more popular than the rather miserable 8,209 deliveries of the full-size Titan.
In the midsize truck segment, Frontier sits between the Toyota Tacoma and the Chevrolet Colorado, which sold 69,437 and 41,823 units in the U.S., respectively, in the first half of the year. The Ranger comes last, with a meager 15,175 sales through June 2024.
