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Nissan ArmadaModel year report

2006 Nissan Armada Problems

Complaints
266filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
83,500miles, 230 complaints with mileage
Recalls
3campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
14 mpgcombined, 5.6L 8-cyl RWD · 12 city / 17 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2006 Nissan Armada (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of the 2006 Nissan Armada most often describe intermittent brake problems: the brake warning light comes on while driving, the pedal goes low or hard, and braking power drops sharply, sometimes with grinding or a spring-like noise from the front. Many say the condition clears after the engine is shut off and restarted, and that dealers often could not reproduce it or replaced the brake booster with mixed results. Other complaints cover airbag warning lights and control modules, occasional stalling or no-start electrical faults, exhaust odor entering the cabin, and a small number of underhood fires.

  1. Brakes

    Intermittent loss of braking power with warning light

    • 168 complaints (63%)
    • median 80,000 mi at 7.8 yrs old (149 state mileage)
    • 11 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $982 (median of 19 quotes)
    • filed 2006–2025

    Owners describe a brake warning light coming on while driving, followed by greatly reduced braking power, a pedal that goes to the floor or feels hard, and a grinding or spring-like noise, sometimes with vibration like ABS cycling. The condition often appears at low speed or approaching a stop but is also reported at highway speed, and many say it goes away after the engine is shut off and restarted, only to return weeks or months later. Complaints describe dealers either finding nothing, reprogramming a control module or sensor, or recommending brake booster replacement; several owners say the problem continued afterward. Some reports mention pads or rotors being replaced without changing the outcome. Reported across a wide mileage range, from a few thousand miles to over 200,000, with many complaints between roughly 40,000 and 120,000 miles.

    4 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask whether the brake booster, brake pedal sensor or related control module has been replaced or reprogrammed, and request the service history. During a test drive, note whether the brake warning light ever comes on and whether the pedal feel is consistent.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “As I was driving entering the interstate from the on ramp a car in front of me hit their brakes. As I went to apply my brakes they made a loud grinding sound, the brake light flashed and the brakes did not work. I had to swerve to the shoulder to avoid a crash. Drove car to nearest Nissan dealership doing approx 20mph and avoiding other vehicles. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10533007, filed 2013-08, 92,563 miles

    “I was driving one day with my 3 kids in the car and the vdc slip and brake light came on out of no where. I contacted the dealer and I brough the vehicle in to have it checked after paying for them to diagnosis it they said they found nothing wrong with it. The light continued to ccome on several times and each time I would take it in and they would say nothing was wrong. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10322396, filed 2010-03, 45,000 miles
  2. Electrical system

    Stalling, no-start or fire from under the dash

    • 9 complaints (3%)
    • median 84,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
    • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2008–2023

    Complaints describe the engine stalling while driving, with restart only after several cranks, and in some cases a no-start condition tied to key or CAN communication faults. A few owners report smoke or fire originating under the hood or beneath the passenger-side dash area, sometimes noticed while driving with no warning light. One complaint attributes stalling to the intelligent power distribution module, and owners note the related recall covering a relay inside that module. Spread from low to very high mileage, with several reports above 100,000 miles; fires reported between about 60,000 and 200,000 miles.

    Recall 10V517000Recall 08V2840004 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask whether recall 10V517000 for the IPDM relay and 08V284000 for the air conditioning condenser fan motor were performed. Watch for stalls or hard starts during a test drive and check the key/immobilizer behavior.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “1. While driving on I-285 eastbound, I was told by one of the drivers that my 2006 Nissan Armada was on fire. 2. Fire started on the front driver side of the car. I am not an expert, therefore, do not know what caused fire. However , I want to file a claim for someone look into. H.e.r.o unit mentioned to me that it could be due to short circuit. I have heard things about Nissan Armada's electrical issue. I never knew it could cause fire like that. My vehicle is totaled. I have pictures and vehicle available for inspection.”

    NHTSA complaint #10410963, filed 2011-07, 80,000 miles

    “Car stalls while in motion. Restarts after 4-5 cranks. This occurred about ten times before car taken to dealer. When car stalls / engine stops and the loss of steering ability and brake assist is reduced. This occurred once on the interstate in the #1 lane with no emergency lane available. Causing several near misses by other cars in trying to coast to the rightside of the road. The car restarted after several cranks and was driven to the local dealer. The ipdm was replaced under the diagnose of a intermittent open circuit inside the module. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10289485, filed 2009-10, 59,243 miles
  3. Air bags

    Airbag warning light and control module codes

    • 14 complaints (5%)
    • median 124,000 mi at 8.7 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2006–2022

    Owners report the airbag warning light staying on or flashing, sometimes traced to a clock spring at the steering wheel that also takes out horn, cruise and radio controls. Fault codes associated with the airbag module are mentioned, and some complaints describe airbags not deploying in a collision while a diagnostic code had been present earlier. Dealers are described as diagnosing a seat belt pretensioner or an electrical short in some cases. Mostly reported at higher mileage, generally above 100,000 miles.

    4 related service bulletins

    What to check: Check that the airbag light goes out after the bulb-check at startup; a light that stays on or flashes points to a stored code. Ask whether the driver air bag cover campaign (PC944 and related) was completed and whether the clock spring has been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “The electrical systems on the steering wheel do not work. I was informed this is due to a bad clock spring. Among the systems that do not work (radio controls, cruise control) the air bag system is not working (lights on). I wonder why there is no recall for this when one of the most important security features of the vehicle is not working.”

    NHTSA complaint #10865636, filed 2016-05, 130,000 miles

    “On monday while I was driving my daughter, sister, niece and nephew to school I noticed that the air bag light was flashing. At the time I assumed it was the seat belt light so I had everyone check to make sure that their belts were buckled. After realizing that everyone was buckled I asked my sister to google search what the light meant. Come to find out that there is an issue with the air bags in this vehicle, I drove to my fathers house and he hooked up his code reader and we found two codes one was b1182 and b1023. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11123124, filed 2018-08, 155,000 miles

Buying note. Have a pre-purchase inspection focus on the brakes, including the booster and pedal sensor, and ask for records of any related reprogramming or replacement. Also confirm the IPDM relay and air conditioning fan motor recalls were completed, and check the airbag light and exhaust smell during the test drive.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 266 consumer complaints for the 2006 Nissan Armada. 230 of the complaints include a mileage, and 23% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 83,500 miles. Of all complaints, 14 involved a crash, 13 a fire, 12 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns and 82 technical service bulletins for this model year.

Not compared (before 2008). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Equipment (5), Suspension (5), Seat belts (3), Vehicle speed control (3), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (3), Wheels (3), Steering (2), Exterior lighting (1), Forward collision avoidance (1), Latches, locks and linkages (1), Tires (1).

Example complaints

Brakes: “The emergency and importance to recall my vehicle which is a 06 Nissan Armada and I'm sure there is plenty more out there. The issue is that my brakes will not engage out of nowhere. They will stop working and it feels as if the brakes are locking and grinding . This happens when going down hill , the most dangerous times it has happened to me is driving while in the freeway.”

NHTSA complaint #11301279, filed 2020-01, 150,000 miles

Electrical system: “Brakes are making a noise and the ABS, vdc and slip lights are coming up on the dashboard. We have tried turning on and off vehicle. This made the lights go off at first. We have checked brake fluid. We have had the brakes inspected. No visible reason for this to occur. I have seen numerous reports on this same problem. Why is my vehicle not covered in the ntb06-040 recall?”

NHTSA complaint #10462115, filed 2012-06, 40,000 miles

Air bags: “For several month now off and on while I'm driving the truck makes a loud noise, steering wheel shakes then I heard a spring noise. It almost feels like the truck is going to fall apart. Then the slip amd vdc off sensor comes on. Then it stops sensor lights go away. Then it happens again, it's been real frequent lately.”

NHTSA complaint #11184453, filed 2019-03, 248,000 miles

Other or unknown: “At 61000miles 2005 Armada taken to tracy ca Nissan dealer they gave me estimate$ 2900 dollars to replace catalyst converter system . But I figure out Nissan give warranty for cat up to 75000 miles .that means they are doing bull shih they spouse to be let me know that it will be free , right. …”

NHTSA complaint #10745498, filed 2015-08, 61,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

23% of the 230 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 50,000 and 120,000 miles.

7%0–104%10–2512%25–5019%50–7521%75–10026%100–15011%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (230 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 83,500 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

’08’11’1436’17’20’23’26
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2006 Nissan Armada. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Armada · sedan RWD/AWDnot rated4 / 5——3 · 21.9% risk

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2006 Nissan Armada version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Armada 2WD5.6L 8-cyl5-speed automatic121714$4,800
Armada 4WD5.6L 8-cyl5-speed automatic121714$4,800

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2006 Nissan Armada → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

NHTSA investigations

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 82 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 82 bulletins →

Other model years of the Nissan Armada

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
202693,5002—18—Too new
20252114,5482—18—Too new
20235—1416—Too new
2022960,0001—16—Not enough data
20211334,0002—16—Not enough data
20202758,500241641 · TypicalRising
20197922,000141678 · MoreStable
20187648,200141650 · TypicalRising
20178142,0000—1648 · TypicalStable
20152150,0003—15—Rising
20141366,5001—15—Not enough data
20131736,0002—15—Rising
20121748,5001—15—Rising
20114054,0001—1518 · FewerStable
20104864,0004—1557 · TypicalFalling
20092380,0003—14—Falling
200816179,0006—1484 · MoreFalling
20078675,0002—14Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200626683,5003—14Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200537380,0003—14Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200446467,0001——Not compared (before 2008)Falling

All Nissan Armada model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2006 Nissan Armada?

Owners of the 2006 Nissan Armada most often describe intermittent brake problems: the brake warning light comes on while driving, the pedal goes low or hard, and braking power drops sharply, sometimes with grinding or a spring-like noise from the front. The issues reported most often: Intermittent loss of braking power with warning light; Stalling, no-start or fire from under the dash; Airbag warning light and control module codes.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2006 Nissan Armada have?

NHTSA recorded 266 consumer complaints for the 2006 Nissan Armada as of Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2006 Nissan Armada is reported most often?

Brakes is named most often, in 192 complaints (72% of the total), followed by electrical system with 24.

Has the 2006 Nissan Armada been recalled?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2006 Nissan Armada get?

The EPA rates the 2006 Nissan Armada (Armada 2WD, 5.6L 8-cyl) at 14 mpg combined, 12 city and 17 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $4,800 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2006 Nissan Armada reported?

Among the 230 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 83,500 miles and the middle half falls between 50,000 and 120,000 miles; 23% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.