AI Damage2017 Nissan Armada: common problems
Owners of the 2017 Nissan Armada filed 81 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and powertrain. The maker issued 85 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 81
- involving a crash
- 3
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 85
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 41% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 21% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 20% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 16% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 15% of all complaints
- 6 Backover prevention 9% of all complaints
- 7 Forward collision avoidance 5% of all complaints
- 8 Exterior lighting 5% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 33 complaints (41% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 29.
- Powertrain: 17 complaints (21% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 9.
- Engine: 16 complaints (20% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 7.
- Service brakes: 13 complaints (16% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 5.
- Air bags: 12 complaints (15% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 4.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5.6 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- automatic, 7-speed
Drive: RWD, 4WD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 81 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 33 | 0 | 29 |
| Powertrain | 17 | 0 | 9 |
| Engine | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| Service brakes | 13 | 0 | 5 |
| Air bags | 12 | 3 | 4 |
| Backover prevention | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| Exterior lighting | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Seats | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane departure | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 4 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The airbags failed to deploy both times which is extremely alarming to me. We both made it out okay but have severe back and leg pain and constant headaches. We were lucky. It could have been much worse but if airbags would have deployed, it wouldn’t have been so bad. This needs to be addressed asap.
She did have her seatbelt on, but all of her airbags failed to deploy. She has suffered multiple injuries to include whiplash, strained muscles, neurological compromised with burning, tingling into her upper extremities, headaches, and multiple other injuries.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 654 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 31% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Armada has 27 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 81, above average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other…
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
- AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING APPLIED SYSTEMS
Vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see Figure 1) SERVICE INFORMATION If the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) warning light or is blinking (but not illuminated steadily) or the customer states it is blinking, and…
- INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED…
INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED WITH DTC C1A16 OR C2582 IF YOU CONFIRM IMPORTANT: The purpose of ACTION (on the next page) is to give you a…
- DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed…
- DTC C1A17-49 OR C2580-49 STORED IN LASER/RADAR This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NHTSA lists 85 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Nissan Armada?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, powertrain, engine. Total complaints: 81. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (20%), won't start (16%), airbag warning light (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2017 Nissan Armada?
NHTSA lists 85 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2017 Nissan Armada from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2017 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.