The first generation Nissan Frontier Truck appeared in 1998. The truck was available in three models, the entry level that was available in regular cab and two-wheel drive, the XE, and the SE that was available in extended King Cab only. The trucks with the regular cab had a 6 and 1/2 foot bed, while the trucks with the King Cab came with a 6.2-foot bed. In addition, the trucks with a Regular cab were equipped with a bench seat, the XE models with the King Cab body were equipped with a front bench seat that folded, and the SE models had bucket seats. All models had a 2.4-Liter, four cylinder, twin cam engine with 143 horsepower. The trucks with two-wheel drive came with a five-speed manual transmission. In 1999, the engine of the Nissan Frontier was changed to a V6. The new engine model was offered with the King Cab in the XE or SE models. In 2000, the Frontiers became available with a Crew Cab model that had independent rear doors and front opening. The same model had bucket seats in the front and a bench seat in the back that could seat three. Also added to the lineup was a new model called the Desert Runner. The Desert Runner was powered by a V6 engine and came with two-wheel drive. In 2001, the Frontier came equipped with a supercharged V6 engine with 210 horsepower. Leather seats, a Multi-Disc CD player conveniently located in the dashboard and music controls located on the steering wheel were some of the many options added. The next year the Frontier trucks with the regular cab body were dropped from the lineup. In 2003, the four-wheel drive trucks came with 6 cylinder engines.

The second generation Nissan Frontier appeared in showrooms in 2005. It was now available in King Cab and Crew Cab body styles. The King Cabs had a cargo bed measuring 6.2 feet, while the Crew Cabs had a 5.0 Feet cargo bed. The truck was available in four models, the XE, SE, LE, and the NISMO. While a 4-cylinder engine with 154 horsepower powered the XE model, a V6 engine with 265 horsepower powered the other models. The four cylinder engines had a five-speed manual transmission, and the V6 engines came with a six-speed automatic transmission. All models were equipped with disc brakes for all four tires, side airbags in the front and a system to control Traction and prevent the vehicle from skidding. In 2007, the King Cab model became available with the SE and LE models.