Reliable Auto DB

2013 Nissan Armada reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Nissan Armada holds 17 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 2 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Armada years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Inflator and Brake master cylinder.

2012 Nissan Armada
Photo by Charles, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0
Complaints

17

Per year

2

Recalls

2

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (7 of 17), then Air bags (3) and Electrical system (3). Those filings include 3 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Armada has 17 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2014 has 12 complaints, 0 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Nissan Armada. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2020-03-30 · NHTSA campaign 20V188000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012-2017 NV Cargo and NV Passenger Van, 2013-2015 Titan and Armada and 2011-2012 Infiniti QX56 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing issue, the air bag inflator may not function properly or may rupture during deployment.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or Infiniti customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Recall Brake master cylinder 2013-09-18 · NHTSA campaign 13V451000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Titan and Armada vehicles manufactured February 22, 2013, through May 3, 2013. The affected vehicles have a brake master cylinder which may intermittently reduce the pressure supplied to the front brakes.
Remedy Nissan has notified owners, and dealers will replace the master cylinder, free of charge. The recall began on October 21, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Complaints by component (17 total)

Service brakes
7
Air bags
3
Electrical system
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Powertrain
2
Seat belts
2
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Parking brake
1
Speed control
1
Structure
1
Suspension
1
Wheels
1
Show 4 more Show less
Crash-flagged

3

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

420132201412015120184201912020120221202422025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's wife, who was occupying the front passenger's side seat noticed that the front passenger's side seat…"
    Seat belts · filed 2025-06-12
  • "The instrument cluster starts giving wrong signals which causes the car to either shutdown or not start randomly. for now a tap on the dashboard would help it start sometimes. it is a great safety hazard as if it shuts…"
    Electrical system, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-01-16
  • "You have to press the brakes really hard and they are loose."
    Service brakes · filed 2024-12-20
  • "On March 12, 2022 the supplemental air bag warning light came on in my vehicle. Nothing new has happened. When I looked in my manual that came with the vehicle it stated it needed servicing. It is flashing…"
    Air bags · filed 2022-03-13
  • "TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN ARMADA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, SHE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONTAL DRIVER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY TO FULL CAPACITY. THE CONTACT STATED…"
    Air bags · filed 2020-05-26

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Nissan Armada SUV 4WD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars
2013 Nissan Armada SUV RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Armada two-wheel drive 5.6L, 8-cyl Automatic 5-speed Rear-wheel drive 13 19 15 MPG $4300
Armada two-wheel drive 5.6L, 8-cyl Automatic 5-speed Rear-wheel drive 13 19 15 MPG $4300
Armada four-wheel drive 5.6L, 8-cyl Automatic 5-speed Four-wheel drive 12 18 14 MPG $4650
Armada four-wheel drive 5.6L, 8-cyl Automatic 5-speed Four-wheel drive 12 18 14 MPG $4650

Specs and fitment

TA60 generation, 2012–2015
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 (VK56DE; about 6.9 qt with filter) , 6.9 qt capacity
Tire size 265/70R18 (common OEM)

Compare

Previous year 2012 Nissan Armada Next year 2014 Nissan Armada See every Nissan Armada model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Nissan Armada reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Nissan Armada holds 17 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 2 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Armada years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Inflator and Brake master cylinder.

What are common problems with a 2013 Nissan Armada?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (7 of 17), then Air bags (3) and Electrical system (3). Those filings include 3 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2013 Nissan Armada more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Armada has 17 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2014 has 12 complaints, 0 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Nissan Armada been recalled?

The 2013 Nissan Armada has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Nissan Armada?

Owners have filed 17 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Armada with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Nissan Armada get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Nissan Armada is 14.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Nissan Armada use?

TA60 (VK56DE) models commonly use 5W-30 (~6.9 qt with filter); Y62 models commonly use 0W-20 (~6.9 qt with filter).

What tire sizes does a Nissan Armada use?

Earlier Armadas commonly use 265/70R18; later Y62 packages commonly include 265/70R18, 275/60R20, and 275/50R22.

What back-up camera recall covers certain Armada models?

Recall 19V-654 covers certain 2018-2019 Nissan Armada vehicles among many other Nissan models; dealers update back-up camera settings software.