<p>Fretting phenomenon results in severe contact stresses that develop on the surface near the trailing edge of the contact, which can lead to the formation of microcracks. Combined with fatigue stresses, these cracks may propagate and cause catastrophic specimen failure. Referred to as fretting fatigue, this phenomenon is characterized by both multiaxial and steep stress gradients. Multiaxiality is addressed using various fatigue parameters based on stresses and strains computed along the contact surface. The severity of stress gradients and the contact size are accounted for using process volume averaging methods. Therefore, combining fatigue criteria with averaging methods provides an advantage in better predicting crack nucleation conditions. In this study, salient features of the experimental crack nucleation condition are considered in the finite element analysis. The SWT critical-plane-based multiaxial fatigue criterion, based on the computed stresses and strains at the contact surface, is then employed to predict crack nucleation risk, location, and orientation. Recent analytical expressions derived from the Muskhelishvili potential are used to calculate the stresses. The predicted results are compared with experimental data reported in the literature. Finally, applying an averaging strategy to the localized parameter values within the process volume improved the results and enhanced the accuracy of the predictions.</p>