# Nissan Frontier Fuel Sensor



## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

When I'm not being mean toddler's snack wench I have to decide if we are going to fix our Nissan's fuel level sending unit. Anybody deal with this recall issue Nissan had for 2005-07 models? The recall has expired so it's not free.

Our truck is approaching a quarter million miles and is 16 years old. The repair has rumors of mixed success so dropping $500-$1000k (upper = also replacing fuel filter and entire pump) seems a little precarious.

Thoughts? Anyone else ever driven an old car without a functioning gauge? We've done it for a month and have adapted but it's definitely a possibility we'll accidentally run out of gas somewhere in the boonies because of the problem.

Ideas appreciated.


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Was it a recall or a TSB? Most recalls will not expire but go for the life of the vehicle. TSB's or technical service bulletins will have a lifetime. These repairs are performed when a customer complains about a problem and the vehicle manufacture will take care of it, but these do expire. 

As for doing the repair you might do a search on YouTube and see what comes up. There may be a video of what needs to be done and just how to do it. 

As for running with a defective gauge I've been doing it for 26 years with my truck. The rear tank will drop from full to E in 100 miles but will go another 250 miles on E. The front tank will go quite a ways on F but when it hits E you better be at a filling station or have fuel in the rear tank or a can in the back. 

You might consider carrying a 5 gallon can of gas in the back if you venture too far off of the pavement.


----------



## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I had a 2002 Frontier years ago and had the same issue. 

For the first while, I just clocked my mileage while I waited for Nissan to decide how to fix it. Finally they warrantied it because I bought the truck used and only had it for a little over a month before that went out on me.

Had lots of issues with sensors. O2 werent too bad but the knock sensor kept tripping the check engine light even after they thought it was fixed. Finally I talked to a mechanic who said not to worry about it and just let it be... so it sat for a while before trading it in. 

Of all the vehicles I have owned, my Frontier had the most odd issues. None prevented it from operating, but the issues kept piling up til I got rid of it.


----------



## Gordon (Sep 11, 2007)

I had a vehicle with a bad fuel gauge once. Around town I just used the odometer to know when to fill up. When I went to the hills I just made sure I had a 5 gal can along.


----------



## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Back,

We've appreciated our Frontier and it's served us well but they definitely created several odd issues. This will be the 2nd issue related to the gas tank. The first was the charcoal canister filled up with dust/sand because of where the hose was located; only knew that because gas wouldn't pump into the tank for more than 2 gallons. The current one was actually caused by manufacturing the tank to the wrong specs which I guess prematurely kills the sending unit. Granted, most experienced it before 230+k miles 🤣

Critter,

It was a voluntary recall so kind of in between I suppose. I'm going to call the national office to see if they can pressure the dealer as we had it in with them for another big issue when the campaign was active and weren't notified about this recall. Unlikely to comp it but never hurts to try.

We'll likely just drive it like you have. We've been doing it for a month anyway and seem to have adapted. Just too much money to toss at a truck w/ 230+k miles and a check engine light coding a catalytic converter issue as well (sounds like beehive/rod came undone inside). It's likely to become a secondary vehicle for dispersed camping, hauling, etc anyways if we can afford a used vehicle with better miles. The truck doesn't have much value for selling unless I could find someone wanting to buy a cheap one to fix up for their kid or something. Someone with a garage and skills could fix both of those in 5-6 hours and the cost of replacement. 

Still drives well and is helpful for us though. Plus I think my daughter seeing us driving around an old beater truck can't hurt when it comes to instilling a frugal approach to life.


----------



## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I have a 2005 Nissan Frontier. My fuel sensor went out a few years back and I would just reset the odometer every time I filled the tank and kept an eye on it. It didn't bother me to do that. Unfortunately, it wouldn't pass the state safety inspection so I had to get it fixed. Like you said, it's integrated with the fuel pump so you have to replace the whole thing. I haven't had a problem since I did that. It's certainly cheaper than buying a new or used truck nowadays.


----------



## lifesshort (Apr 3, 2017)

backcountry said:


> When I'm not being mean toddler's snack wench I have to decide if we are going to fix our Nissan's fuel level sending unit. Anybody deal with this recall issue Nissan had for 2005-07 models? The recall has expired so it's not free.
> 
> Our truck is approaching a quarter million miles and is 16 years old. The repair has rumors of mixed success so dropping $500-$1000k (upper = also replacing fuel filter and entire pump) seems a little precarious.
> 
> ...


Drop the tank or lift the bed. Make sure tanks is close to empty. New fuel pumps are $100-$200 depending on brands. Not a terrible job.


----------

