Reliable Auto DB

2018 Nissan Armada reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Nissan Armada over 9 years — 6 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 1 recall on file, including Camera.

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

75

Per year

6

Recalls

1

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (41 of 75), then Service brakes (15) and Engine (14). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Armada has 81 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2019 has 73 complaints, 10 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019.

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 2018 Nissan Armada. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (1)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2019-09-12 · NHTSA campaign 19V654000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Complaints by component (75 total)

Electrical system
41
Service brakes
15
Engine
14
Powertrain
7
Exterior lighting
6
Back-over prevention
5
Forward collision avoidance
4
Air bags
3
Fuel and propulsion system
2
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Speed control
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Lane departure
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Structure
1
Suspension
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 10 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

1201742019122020620211020221220238202416202562026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Front end collision and no front end collision warnings. Air bags failed to deploy. Car was still considered a total loss."
    Air bags, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-09-08
  • "When starting vehicle, the AV screen turns on but the screen is black. The screen lighting still illuminates but no other functions appear. Camera still works and shows when reversing but no entertainment is available."
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-27
  • "My 2018 Nissan Armada has had SO MANY issues (probably 15-20) with not starting when cranked. Something is draining its battery. We have had to change the battery so many times (usually 2-3 times every year or two.)…"
    Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-05-12
  • "UNKNOWN - engine developed knock that could potentially lead to catastrophic engine failure during normal driving conditions, causing loss of control or inability to stop. NTB19-057a is a technical service bulletin…"
    Engine · filed 2026-04-22
  • "My battery kept dying every 6-12 months for the past 8 years! Every time I took it to the dealer or to other mechanics, they ran diagnostics tests and told me nothing was wrong, even though I knew something was…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-03-31

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2018 Nissan Armada SUV AWD 4 stars 3 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2018 Nissan Armada SUV RWD 4 stars 3 stars 5 stars 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 (7-speed) Rear-wheel drive 14 19 16 MPG $4050
Armada four-wheel drive 5.6L, 8-cyl Automatic (7-speed) Four-wheel drive 13 18 15 MPG $4300

Specs and fitment

Y62 generation, 2017–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (Nissan Motor Oil 0W-20 SN or equivalent) , 6.9 qt capacity
Tire size 265/70R18, 275/60R20 or 275/50R22 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V-654 covers certain 2018-2019 Nissan Armada vehicles among many other Nissan models: dealers update the back-up camera settings software so the rearview image displays as required.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Nissan Armada Next year 2019 Nissan Armada See every Nissan Armada model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Nissan Armada reliable?

Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Nissan Armada over 9 years — 6 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 1 recall on file, including Camera.

What are common problems with a 2018 Nissan Armada?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (41 of 75), then Service brakes (15) and Engine (14). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2018 Nissan Armada more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Armada has 81 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2019 has 73 complaints, 10 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Nissan Armada been recalled?

The 2018 Nissan Armada has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Nissan Armada?

Owners have filed 75 complaints about the 2018 Nissan Armada with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Nissan Armada get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Nissan Armada is 15.5 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.