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Concerns on Armada Reliability Ratings?

39K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  Pdxrealtor 
#1 ·
Hello.

I am a new member to the forum.

I would like to hear from Armada owners about their satisfaction with their overall reliability with their suv's.

We bought a 2011 SV 4x4 in Feb 2012. Prior to buying this SUV, I read the owner feedback on other forums (ie. Edmunds.com) and was satisfied with what Armada owners had to say about the reliability of the vehicle. We have put about 7000 miles on our Armada. It has been trouble-free and my wife is very pleased with it.

I am a Consumer Reports subscriber, and today I received the December 2012 issue that had a section on new and used car reliability ratings. I saw on p. 66 of the issue that the Armada is one of the lowest rated Large SUV's. I know that Consumer Reports historically did not recommend the Nissan Titan (the truck on which the Armada is based) due to various mechanical glitches. The same page of the article went on to give the Armada's "sister ship" (Infiniti QX 56) a very favorable reliability rating.

I would like to hear some responses from Armada owners about this. Based on your experience, do you see any reason for such a low reliability rating for your Armadas?
 
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#3 ·
Let's see... In the nearly 5yrs that I've owned my '07, the only issue that I've really had was intermittent AC controller failure. Nissan swapped that out under warranty, and a cracked radiator a couple of weeks ago, after 112,000 miles of service.

The common concern that consumer reports may gripe about is the gas mileage. Like a tell people when they ask about how I feel about mine. Great space, comfort, strong... A good, overall, tank-sized hauler.


Sent from my iPhone using Autoguide.com App
 
#4 ·
140,000 plus and driven harder than most. I had to replace my transmission around 110,000 but that was mainly due to the PGM 90mm TB upgrade and more my fault than Nissan's.

I would not hesitate to get another Armada.
 
#6 ·
Mine's got 67k on it. Things that went bad are- factory battery clamps-2000 miles. Switched to solid core high end clamps. Electrical system-2000 miles, messed up brakes, shifting, abs, et al. Put in the grounding cable kit and fixed all electrical woes. Oem General brand tires-800 miles, Nissan wouldn't back the tires, had to buy two replacements, went with nitto terra grapplers e series- fixed that problem. Compressor mounts for auto leveling system- 30k, 60k, gold warranty covered. 67k, failure to hold pressure, working through it now. Front shocks-800 miles. Nissan denied problem existed, replaced with bilstein 5100's- magic! Changed front end from 49 jeep performance to new cadillac performance. Tranny cooler hose leaks-3000 miles. Added real clamp, fixed that problem. Body to frame bushings wore out (all 10) -2000 miles. Been back to dealer 15 times, they are still dancing around that problem. Oem universals (4whl dr)- 40k, dealers (4) denied problem. Replaced with precision 280/330 with grease fittings. Fixed that problem. With all that, best traveling car I've ever driven. 4 light bulbs failed before leaving lot- when new. Nissan doesn't cover light bulbs! Nissan does not do pre-delivery inspections even though they charge you for dealer prep. All fluids were at minimum level or below when the car left the lot. Oil, trans fluid, diff fluids, radiator water, brake fluid, transfer case oil, etc, but by 8k, you should be past many of the trigger points. Would I but another one? Yes.
 
#7 ·
My Nissan 100k mile Gold Security+ Extended Warranty paid for itself 3-times over and it provides a free tow + free rental car anytime yours is in the shop for any type of repair. That warranty has made me a very happy consumer, without it I would've sold the Armada for something else after the first pinion seal failure. At this point the Armada, Titan, & Z are the only Nissan/Infiniti vehicles that I would consider owning and after my experiences with this Armada and a 2005 Murano I would not buy any Nissan w/o a 100k mile warranty being thrown into the deal.
 
#9 ·
I'm at 72k on my 08' and all I had was the clock and fuel guage recall done and a bcm module.

Not bad enough for me to run out and buy a 11' Titan I have 21k on and no issues.

Vehicles have gotten so complex these days it seems reliability becomes hit and miss. I have two different friends that each have a Ford F150 with a ecoboost and one has had no issues and the other is always in the shop....
 
#10 ·
I had a 2007 and ran it till 98K miles before trading it. From 0-98K miles I followed the scheduled maintenance for oil changes, transmission and dif fluid exchange.

I replaced a c clamp for the cooling system that was deffective (under warranty)
My AC panel had a glitch that every now and then would switch the fan speed to high (panel replaced under warranty)

That was it. I never had to do brakes, replace any major parts, the only out of pocket I had was mods and I replaced the front shocks with Bilstiens like many of us do.

As a point of comparison I had 2 GMC Yukons (which your H2 was based) prior to the Armadas I have owned and they were good to just a few more issues. I was so happy with my mada I bought another ever though my buddy owns a GMC dealership and I could have gotten a steal on a Yukon Denali.

Good Luck
 
#11 ·
At 50k on the my Hummer I've had to do

idler/pitman arm,
one hub
ball joint
currently chasing an electrical issue where my seat heater turns on and off on its own.

Around 40k I had to replace a heater control module

A side from that it's been normal maintenance. Our Acura MDX, 77k, nothing but brake pads.

I'm ready for something a little bit more luxurious. The Hummer is fun, especially after the long tube headers and chip, but it's no luxury SUV that's for sure.
 
#13 ·
mine is at 120k miles, early 05. it's a DD until recently (gas prices). had problems such 1)front brake recall 05 2) cracked front wheels, dealer replaced 2x and still cracked. so i decided to go aftermaket, solved! 3) tranny oil fluid leak due to hose clamps 4) 2 front shocks and 1 rear died early (40k miles) 5) cracked exhaust manifolds (still on going issue) 6) intermittent air conditioning problems (solved) 7) leaked radiator early (70K). and small number of issues like rattles and lost of power during acceleration

Despite all these, i loved my Mada and will not hesitate to get another one.
I was able to address and repair all these by myself (DIY, thanks to CA). so today, i only have the exhaust manifold issue and that beast runs strong and solid!! Doing 1k mile drives from Calif to Denver , CO and back, this machine is the woot!

to the OP, i can recommend the armada any day as long as you know it's quirks
 
#14 ·
I have only 13000 miles left on my 100k extended warranty, and I wish the damn exhaust manifolds would fail! The dealer has checked them twice and keep saying their fine. With my luck, they'll crack just after the warranty expires.
 
#15 ·
Thanks to everyone who responded. I will watch for the kinds of defects you referenced in your notes.

I do not have a concern with the quality of Nissan products in general. In addition to our Armada, we have a 2005 Nissan Altima SE V6 5 speed manual. I bought it new and I have taken very good care of it. It now has 75,000 miles. I am very pleased with this car. The interior is free of squeaks and rattles. The body and paint are holding up great. The engine and transmission have been flawless, and the Altima is still just as fun to drive as the day I bought it.

My experience with the '05 Altima influenced my decision to buy the 2011 Armada. I am hoping the Armada turns out to be a reliable vehicle that our family will enjoy long after we have paid it off.
 
#16 ·
Welcome to the Club!!
I've got 165,000 miles on mine and it runs better than the day I brought it home! A few little quirps that went with the early models (brakes, which have been upgraded) and lots of go fast goodies, I'll buy another when the time comes, no questions asked!!
 
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