NISSAN ARMADA · model year

2017 NISSAN ARMADA

126 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2017NISSANARMADA carries 126 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 2 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2017 ARMADA is electrical system with 29 filings, followed by power train (16) and engine (16). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 2017 ARMADA, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

126
Complaints
3
Crashes
2
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

126 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM29
POWER TRAIN16
ENGINE16
SERVICE BRAKES13
AIR BAGS12
UNKNOWN OR OTHER7
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING3
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING3
SEATS2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS1

Recent Complaints

20260204BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

BCI MALFUNCTION LIGHT COMES ON AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT ONE MILE AND WILL STAY LIKE THAT TILL THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK DURING THIS TIME. ON OTHER ONLINE FORUM A LOT OF NISSAN OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE BUT NISSAN DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS. I DID PURCHASE NEW BRAKE SWITCHES BOTH OF THEM AND IT GOT WORSE. A BUNCH OF OTHER LIGHTS COME ON AND THE CAR WILL NOT START AT ALL. I REMOVED THE NEW BRAKE SWITCHES AND CLEANED THE OLD ONES. PUT THEM BACK AND IS DOING THE SAME THING WERE AFTER ONE MILE THE BCI LIGHT WILL COME ON.

20260204BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

BCI MALFUNCTION LIGHT COMES ON AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT ONE MILE AND WILL STAY LIKE THAT TILL THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK DURING THIS TIME. ON OTHER ONLINE FORUM A LOT OF NISSAN OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE BUT NISSAN DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS. I DID PURCHASE NEW BRAKE SWITCHES BOTH OF THEM AND IT GOT WORSE. A BUNCH OF OTHER LIGHTS COME ON AND THE CAR WILL NOT START AT ALL. I REMOVED THE NEW BRAKE SWITCHES AND CLEANED THE OLD ONES. PUT THEM BACK AND IS DOING THE SAME THING WERE AFTER ONE MILE THE BCI LIGHT WILL COME ON.

20260204FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

BCI MALFUNCTION LIGHT COMES ON AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT ONE MILE AND WILL STAY LIKE THAT TILL THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK DURING THIS TIME. ON OTHER ONLINE FORUM A LOT OF NISSAN OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE BUT NISSAN DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS. I DID PURCHASE NEW BRAKE SWITCHES BOTH OF THEM AND IT GOT WORSE. A BUNCH OF OTHER LIGHTS COME ON AND THE CAR WILL NOT START AT ALL. I REMOVED THE NEW BRAKE SWITCHES AND CLEANED THE OLD ONES. PUT THEM BACK AND IS DOING THE SAME THING WERE AFTER ONE MILE THE BCI LIGHT WILL COME ON.

20251227ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I’ve had my 2017 armada since 2018 and have had issues from the beginning. My GPS antenna has never worked and I assumed it was just a settings issue but after many attempts at resetting them and even purchasing the updated maps CD from the Nissan website it never fixed the issue. When I am driving you can feel the car jerk and slip. We have replaced the battery maybe 3 times in the last year. When I try to start my car it will turn on all the dash lights, shake, then shut off and sometimes if I wait it starts back up and other times it doesn’t. My car is running lean as well. I have kept up with the maintenance of my car and about 6 months ago I paid $3,000 to do repairs on it not related to these issues. These are all TSBs, but for some reason no recalls have been done. My car has become very unreliable.

20251227UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I’ve had my 2017 armada since 2018 and have had issues from the beginning. My GPS antenna has never worked and I assumed it was just a settings issue but after many attempts at resetting them and even purchasing the updated maps CD from the Nissan website it never fixed the issue. When I am driving you can feel the car jerk and slip. We have replaced the battery maybe 3 times in the last year. When I try to start my car it will turn on all the dash lights, shake, then shut off and sometimes if I wait it starts back up and other times it doesn’t. My car is running lean as well. I have kept up with the maintenance of my car and about 6 months ago I paid $3,000 to do repairs on it not related to these issues. These are all TSBs, but for some reason no recalls have been done. My car has become very unreliable.

20251114AIR BAGS

I’ve had to replace the battery three times in three years that I’ve owned the vehicle I purchased it used. The transmission jerks like it’s slipping. It has done this ever since I purchased it no recalls on transmission. The side door airbag sensor is defective. The airbag light flashes on the dashboard took it to the new Nissan dealership was gonna cost five to $7000 for the sensor so that airbag will not deploy in the driver side door. I had a 2010 Nissan Armada airbag sensor went out and the steering wheel and it was outrageous to replace that airbag sensor no recalls I will never buy a Nissan Armada again.. I have had all maintenance and upkeep completed at the dealership on my vehicle. Why is there not a transmission recall an airbag recalls on these vehicles?

20251114ENGINE

I’ve had to replace the battery three times in three years that I’ve owned the vehicle I purchased it used. The transmission jerks like it’s slipping. It has done this ever since I purchased it no recalls on transmission. The side door airbag sensor is defective. The airbag light flashes on the dashboard took it to the new Nissan dealership was gonna cost five to $7000 for the sensor so that airbag will not deploy in the driver side door. I had a 2010 Nissan Armada airbag sensor went out and the steering wheel and it was outrageous to replace that airbag sensor no recalls I will never buy a Nissan Armada again.. I have had all maintenance and upkeep completed at the dealership on my vehicle. Why is there not a transmission recall an airbag recalls on these vehicles?

20251114UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I’ve had to replace the battery three times in three years that I’ve owned the vehicle I purchased it used. The transmission jerks like it’s slipping. It has done this ever since I purchased it no recalls on transmission. The side door airbag sensor is defective. The airbag light flashes on the dashboard took it to the new Nissan dealership was gonna cost five to $7000 for the sensor so that airbag will not deploy in the driver side door. I had a 2010 Nissan Armada airbag sensor went out and the steering wheel and it was outrageous to replace that airbag sensor no recalls I will never buy a Nissan Armada again.. I have had all maintenance and upkeep completed at the dealership on my vehicle. Why is there not a transmission recall an airbag recalls on these vehicles?

20250327UNKNOWN OR OTHER

BCI Malfunction has occurred twice with the vehicle. I almost always have my children in the car with me. The first time it wouldn’t start again after I shut the engine off. Now the malfunction lights remain on. The brake switch was replaced and isn’t the issue. I’m afraid of this happening more often and am afraid of the potential risk for sudden braking.

20250326BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

BCI malfunction indication comes on while driving and the car intermittently doesn’t start. According to Nissan this issue has caused recalls but my vehicle is not listed with any recalls. It is causing safety concerns while driving, as well as caused me to be stuck places sometime for hours at a time due to the vehicle not starting. I have taken it to the shop and they have been unable to recreate this issues as it typically happens while driving and then once it doesn’t start the proper way for a full day it starts just fine.

20250326BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

BCI malfunction indication comes on while driving and the car intermittently doesn’t start. According to Nissan this issue has caused recalls but my vehicle is not listed with any recalls. It is causing safety concerns while driving, as well as caused me to be stuck places sometime for hours at a time due to the vehicle not starting. I have taken it to the shop and they have been unable to recreate this issues as it typically happens while driving and then once it doesn’t start the proper way for a full day it starts just fine.

20250326FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

BCI malfunction indication comes on while driving and the car intermittently doesn’t start. According to Nissan this issue has caused recalls but my vehicle is not listed with any recalls. It is causing safety concerns while driving, as well as caused me to be stuck places sometime for hours at a time due to the vehicle not starting. I have taken it to the shop and they have been unable to recreate this issues as it typically happens while driving and then once it doesn’t start the proper way for a full day it starts just fine.

20250222ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The middle section of lights in the instrument panel has been blinking on/off intermittently for about two weeks. This makes it difficult to see your speed while driving at night and it's distracting, which causes me to take my eyes off the road for longer than I consider safe. Also, intermittently the truck hesitates to start, today it had to be towed to the dealer. After the diagnosis, I was told the Instrument Cluster Assembly should be replaced to resolve the light panel issue and the starter needs to be replaced. I find it surprising that the instrument panel would go out so soon. I wonder if this is connected to the previous intermittent BCI (Backup Collision Intervention) malfunction lights on the dash issue I had a few years ago. Additionally, I've had to replace the battery in the truck three times in the last four years since I purchased it (pre-owned). Which is not normal at all. We could not figure out what was causing the batteries to keep draining. The last battery I got

20250222ENGINE

The middle section of lights in the instrument panel has been blinking on/off intermittently for about two weeks. This makes it difficult to see your speed while driving at night and it's distracting, which causes me to take my eyes off the road for longer than I consider safe. Also, intermittently the truck hesitates to start, today it had to be towed to the dealer. After the diagnosis, I was told the Instrument Cluster Assembly should be replaced to resolve the light panel issue and the starter needs to be replaced. I find it surprising that the instrument panel would go out so soon. I wonder if this is connected to the previous intermittent BCI (Backup Collision Intervention) malfunction lights on the dash issue I had a few years ago. Additionally, I've had to replace the battery in the truck three times in the last four years since I purchased it (pre-owned). Which is not normal at all. We could not figure out what was causing the batteries to keep draining. The last battery I got

20250204AIR BAGS

The passenger airbag occupancy sensor has failed. The passenger airbag will not deploy in the event of collision. The issue has not been easily able to accurately diagnose. The dealership recommends replacement of the entire passenger seat frame with built in sensors. This repair ranges between 4-7 thousand. If it repairs the issue. This is a significant portion of the value of the vehicle.

20241020ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When pressing button to start, car gets stuck mid turn on and shakes. Doesn’t fully turn on and continues shaking. Button stops working. After multiple presses eventually turns car back off. Sometimes happens twice in a row or will start after the shaking on off.

20241020ENGINE

When pressing button to start, car gets stuck mid turn on and shakes. Doesn’t fully turn on and continues shaking. Button stops working. After multiple presses eventually turns car back off. Sometimes happens twice in a row or will start after the shaking on off.

20240924ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On [XXX] my vehicle engine would not turn over. It then lost complete power moments later. The battery was recharged and reinstalled. I attempted to start the vehicle again and it drained the battery. I installed a NEW battery on [XXX] and the vehicle worked properly. On [XXX] I attempted to start the vehicle and the it drained the battery. This time, I called Nissan Customer Service and was instructed nothing old be done until a NISSAN DEALERSHIP ran diagnostics on the vehicle. Obviously, I had to call for a tow because the battery was dead. The tow truck driver was able to jump the battery and I drove to Ron Marhofer Nissan in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio to have the diagnostics performed. After explaining the problems to the service technician, I was told that SOME Nissans (regardless of model or year), have been experiencing this problem, and the only fix was a battery saver update to the body control module. To date, I have not had any issues since the battery saver update was p

20240914AIR BAGS

Was driving on a smooth road when suddenly airbag light on dash came on flashing. All the steering wheel buttons are working. Brought car to mechanic's shop to scan obd2, no dtc codes. Mechanic says they don't know what it is without a code. Nissan has been shady lately with technical service bulletins TSB instead of recalls. TSB according to Nissan hq is a repair at the discretion of the dealer meaning that they do not have to repair it even while it was under warranty. I had some piston slapping noise and burning smell coming from engine bay while under warranty the dealer Mechanic said," the noise is normal that of a suv and the burnt smell was the peanut packing oil burning off the outside of the engine". There was a TSB put out a few months later saying that Nissan acknowledged a defective short block in the engine causing abnormal wear on the piston. I brought it into the dealer and they refused to replace the short block and damaged cylinder. NHTSA needs to up their game and fo

20240914ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Was driving on a smooth road when suddenly airbag light on dash came on flashing. All the steering wheel buttons are working. Brought car to mechanic's shop to scan obd2, no dtc codes. Mechanic says they don't know what it is without a code. Nissan has been shady lately with technical service bulletins TSB instead of recalls. TSB according to Nissan hq is a repair at the discretion of the dealer meaning that they do not have to repair it even while it was under warranty. I had some piston slapping noise and burning smell coming from engine bay while under warranty the dealer Mechanic said," the noise is normal that of a suv and the burnt smell was the peanut packing oil burning off the outside of the engine". There was a TSB put out a few months later saying that Nissan acknowledged a defective short block in the engine causing abnormal wear on the piston. I brought it into the dealer and they refused to replace the short block and damaged cylinder. NHTSA needs to up their game and fo

Compare 2017NISSANARMADA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 5 Open

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2017 NISSAN ARMADA have?
The 2017 NISSAN ARMADA has 126 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 2 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2017 NISSAN ARMADA?
The 2017 NISSAN ARMADA received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 NISSAN ARMADA?
The most-complained component for the 2017 NISSAN ARMADA is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 29 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and ENGINE.
Is the 2017 NISSAN ARMADA safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2017 NISSAN ARMADA has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.