2005 Nissan Armada Problems, Recalls & Reliability
501 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Nissan Armada, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 77/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 68,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2005 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 2005 sits among all Armada years
What owners report
“While i am driving my emergency brake light turns on and my brakes locked and it's really hard for me to break the brake pedal also shakes almost leading into an accident.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Armada
“The fuel gauge does not indicate actual fuel level. The fuel gauge stops around 1/4 tank ... And the tank could be empty.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Armada
“In my 2005 nissan armada the fuel pump gauge does not notifiy you when the suv is running out of fuel as well as the gas light it does not come on to let you know you are low on gas.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Armada
“The brakes light comes on frequently and brakes stop working properly when going over a bump in the road decrease speed then engine fails. Has to be turned off then on to start engine.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Armada
“The instrument panel fuel gauge inaccurately displays that the vehicle still has some fuel, about one quarter tank, when the fuel tank is empty. The vehicle stop working on several occasions while i was driving on the road with my family in the truck. I did not now that it was because of the gas.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Armada
“The windows and locks and truck stop working periodically sometimes for days. Have replace the manifold/pass catylcataylic converter replacement 920$$ and was told the drivers side would soon follow at 920$ also. Ridiculous. Seatbelt stays on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Armada
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 437 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,355 and 117,690 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2009 TITAN, ARMADA, AND INFINITI QX56 VEHICLES. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE MAY INACCURATELY DISPLAY THAT THE VEHICLE STILL HAS SOME FUEL, TYPICALLY ABOUT ONE QUARTER TANK, WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL SENDER UNIT INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WITH A NEW IMPROVED SENDER CARD. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY…
NISSAN IS RECALLING 180,664 MY 2005-2006 TITAN, ARMADA AND INFINITY QX56 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED AFTER MARCH 17, 2005, THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH A VISTEON AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER FAN MOTOR. THE FAN MOTOR MAY NOT BE PROPERLY SEALED ALLOWING EXCESSIVE WATER…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A 'THERMAL PROTECTOR KIT' AND TEST THE AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER FAN MOTOR AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 2, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT…
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
Led to recall campaign 08V284000.
Technical service bulletins
94 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and brakes & stability — are on file for the 2005 Nissan Armada. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2005 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 2005 Nissan Armada reliable?
The 2005 Nissan Armada drew 501 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 77/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2005 Nissan Armada problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Nissan Armada are brakes & stability (224 complaints), fuel system (67), and other (46).
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Armada problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Nissan Armada problems around 80,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,355 and 117,690 miles.
Does the 2005 Nissan Armada have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 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.