Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, brakes, and exterior lights. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2020Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2020 Nissan Armada: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/3
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2020's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2020 Nissan Armada. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 5.6L 8-cyl | 4WD, RWD | 15–16 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2020 Nissan Armada, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
A "BCI Malfunction" message appears without warning and lights up a cluster of other dash warnings, including intelligent key, forward emergency braking, and vehicle dynamic control lights. Reports link it to random braking, no-starts, rough running, rough shifting, and a shifter that will not leave Park. Several dealers trace it to the brake switch, which some owners say has been replaced more than once. A second pattern is repeated battery drain. The truck fails to start even after regular driving, batteries are replaced again and again, and some owners keep it on a trickle charger or carry a jump starter.
Brakes engage on their own. With the BCI fault active, the truck can refuse to start, then seize its brakes or lose speed control while moving, including at highway speeds. Repairs to the brake-pedal switch are reported to hold for only about 12 to 13 months before the fault returns. Dealers sometimes cannot diagnose it unless the warning is lit at the time. Other reports describe false automatic braking when backing up or when something sits slightly in the lane, and cruise control that cannot hold speed downhill.
Brake lights stop working because of a failing brake light switch, and the replacement does not always last. One report describes 9 switch replacements in 35 months, confirmed by the dealer, along with warning lights for the forward radar cruise and swerve control systems. This matches the brake switch problem seen in other categories. A separate concern is that the dash stays lit when the headlights are off, so drivers can travel at night without headlights and not notice.
A check engine light keeps coming back after repairs. Dealers have replaced a purge valve, the fuel pump and O-ring, and the fuel cap in turn without a lasting fix. Other reports describe the engine nearly cutting out when pulling away from a stop sign or light, so the truck does not move when the gas is pressed. This happens in town and on highways, which creates a real risk in traffic, yet dealers report finding nothing wrong.
Most of these reports are about waiting for a recall repair, not about a failure on the road. Dealers confirmed the trucks needed recall work, but the parts were on backorder and the repair could not be done. Owners describe the wait as unreasonably long and mention being told of a stop-sale. One report also describes oil leaking onto the ground while the truck was parked, and that truck was still unrepaired at the time of filing.
Excerpts from complaints Armada owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
BCI Malfunction out of nowhere on a newly dealer-purchased 2020 Nissan Armada with less than 80,000 miles, which is a KNOWN AND FREQUENT ISSUE on Nissan Armadas...and causes unsafe conditions such as random braking, failure to start, rough engine, rough shifting...and lights up the dashboard with BCI malfunction light, intelligent key warning light, vehicle dynamic control indicator light, BSI light, forward emergency braking warning light.
Filed with NHTSA, July 2023
BCI Malfunction light will occasionally come on and dealer unable to explain why and when they have its led to brake swich. Twice in two years this has also led to them replacing the Brake switch in under 40K miles. now at 53 k miles brake switch is causing issues for the third time.
Filed with NHTSA, April 2024
In the 35 months that I have owned this vehicle I have had to replace a faulty brake light switch 9 times. I find this extremely unsafe as brake lights are a major saftey feature. This problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealer. I do not know if the component has been inspected by the manufacturer. There were warning lights with the vehicle forward looking radar for cruise control and swerve control. This first happened on August 9, 2023.
Filed with NHTSA, June 2026
On multiple occasions, when I stop on stop sign or light and then start hitting gas the car won’t move , engine turn off almost to the point where no sounds come off the engine. This happened on multiple occasions on high ways, in town and keeps happening. I took to Nissan service and I was told everything is fine . Then it keeps happening creating huge safety risks .
Filed with NHTSA, February 2022
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2020 ranks third for owner complaints among 9 Armada years, close to the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2020 is the fourth model year of the Armada's second generation (2017–2024).
Nissan updated the Armada for 2021, so a 2020 does not have those changes.
What changed for 2021 (not on a 2020)
Recall repairs are free at any Nissan dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Nissan Armada, 2011-2013 Infiniti QX56, and 2014-2027 QX80 vehicles equipped with 22" wheels. The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) listed on the certification label is incorrect, which can allow the vehicle to be overloaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims.".
Risk: An overloaded vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install new labels, free of charge. Additionally, Nissan will mail replacement labels to owners. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 4, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R26B1 and R26B2. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Armada and 2020-2021 INFINITI QX80 vehicles equipped with V8 engines. The impeller can swell and bind within the fuel pump module, causing it to fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 4, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R21A2. Owners may contact INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200. INFINITI's number for this recall is R21A3.
Cars shoppers compare with the Nissan Armada, with their own 2020 checklists.
2020 owner complaints, side by side
