2018 Nissan Armada: What to check before buying

Random no-starts are the dominant failure. The engine clicks or will not crank, sometimes for up to 10 minutes, and batteries keep dying even after repeated replacement while dealers find no fault. Many reports pair this with a BCI Malfunction warning and a cluster of dash lights that disables cruise control, 4-wheel drive, ABS and traction control. One report is crash-related. Owners suspect the brake or stop lamp switch, the body control module, or the charging system. Swapping the switch often helps only briefly. Separately, the center display can go black, taking radio, climate and navigation controls with it.

The transmission shudders or slips at light throttle between about 15 and 40 mph, and RPMs wander as if it is hunting for a gear. Owners blame the torque converter. Other reports describe failure to engage reverse, refusal to shift, stalling in traffic, and sudden loss of acceleration at highway speed, with several near-collisions. Repeat repairs are common. Valve body and full transmission replacements do not always cure the problem, and a dealer declined to cover one transmission replacement.

Knocking and outright failure appear, which owners tie to cylinder 7 scuffing, with one failure reported at 68,000 miles. Owners cite a manufacturer service bulletin that calls for a short block or a complete engine replacement, and they report no coverage once the warranty ends. Another report describes a sudden loss of motive power while driving at around 70,000 miles. One describes an engine that hesitates on throttle but pushes forward at a light with the brakes applied. An oxygen sensor code, P0138, also appears.

Sections of the instrument cluster go dark or flicker. The 0 to 20 mph stretch of the speedometer and parts of the tachometer are common trouble spots, and the dark area can spread across the gauges. That forces longer glances away from the road. One report puts the problem at 82,456 miles. Owners call it common on 2017 and 2018 models and cite a dash replacement of roughly $1200 before labor. A separate complaint says the headlights glare at oncoming traffic.

The brakes apply on their own. Reports describe sudden hard stops in traffic and while backing out of a driveway with nothing nearby, plus one case of brakes locking hard enough to produce smoke. These episodes usually come with a BCI Malfunction warning, ABS warnings and a spread of other dash lights. Afterward the transmission may refuse to leave park or its current gear until the car is restarted, and sometimes it will not restart at all. Owners suspect a brake pressure sensor or switch fault.

The car brakes itself unexpectedly. In one report it stopped completely at 55-60 mph on the highway with nothing ahead, raising the risk of a rear-end collision. The Forward Emergency Braking light flickers on and off, or a BCI Malfunction message appears along with most of the dash lights. Afterward the car cannot accelerate normally until it is parked and restarted, and it does not always restart right away, which leaves occupants stranded.

The fuel pump fails at high mileage. One failure mode is stalling after refueling with the check engine light on. The other is a cracked pump near the fuel hose connection that leaks fuel onto the ground and gives off a strong fuel odor while parked, with no warning light beforehand. The reports come at about 114,000 and 157,000 miles, and both point to replacing the pump.

The air bag warning light blinks on and off. In the one detailed report, it came back after an earlier repair for the same fault at 80,000 miles. The cause was not yet determined. The second complaint contains no details. With only two filings and just one usable, there is no wider pattern to report.