2004 Nissan Armada Problems, Recalls & Reliability
636 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Nissan Armada, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 59,812 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2004 Nissan Armada sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2007, 2009–2011, 2018–2020.
Avoid
Where 2004 sits among all Armada years
What owners report
“The brake light comes on while driving and you lose some braking ability which is quite dangerous”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Armada
“Brakes, at about 65mph car shakes violently, tv in the middle sounds like its falling out, engine turning over but not starting”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Armada
“My cats are going bad after i just spent $600 to get a whole new exhaust system! The car chokes up when i accelerate and almost feels like it will lose power. I also have a code coming up for p0430”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Armada
“On sudden brake n battery sign comes up n stop brake stops workinbrg .. Once restart all signs on dashboard disappear and everything works fine.. Thn again after driving couple of mins or miles brakes n accelerator-stops working.. N took to nissan dealer they couldn't find anything wrong but it…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Armada
“My fuel gauge showed 1/4 tank of gas and i ran out of fuel on a major highway and stalled out. I was in fear for my families life and had my wife steer the car while i pushed it over to the shoulder. A passer bye in a pick up had a can of gas and it was enough to get me to a gas station. There is a…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Armada
“The vdc off light, slip light and brakes pop up on the dash. The car begins to make a springy sound maybe from the brakes. The car has to slow down and it stops for a minute but it continuously does it while i'm driving. It happens with no discrimination as to where you are (city, highway,etc...) .”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Armada
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 483 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 67,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 13,000 and 108,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS…
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
CERTAIN HOPKINS AFTERMARKET TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL CONNECTION HARNESSES SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES WHICH ARE LISTED ABOVE. THE INTERNAL PART NUMBERS WITHIN HOPKINS ARE: 1010476025, 1040376025, 1110476025, 1170376025, 1290376025,…
Fix: HOPKINS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE ORIGINAL HARNESS WITH A REVISED HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 17, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT HOPKINS AT 800-835-0129.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
104 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and visibility & wipers — are on file for the 2004 Nissan Armada. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 Armada TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Nissan Armada reliable?
The 2004 Nissan Armada drew 636 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2004 Nissan Armada problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Nissan Armada are brakes & stability (339 complaints), other (49), and engine (35).
At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Armada problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Nissan Armada problems around 67,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 13,000 and 108,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Nissan Armada have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Nissan Armada. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.