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Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2021 Nissan Armada

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 13 safety complaints about the 2021 Nissan Armada with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering equipment and the gasoline fuel system.

The most complained-about system is the fuel and propulsion system, named in 4 complaints, 31% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2022 to July 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

13 complaints on file

13

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 31%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 23%
ENGINE 3 · 23%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 · 23%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 15%
AIR BAGS 1 · 8%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 8%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 13.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 7.

8 6 4 2
22 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2021 Nissan ARMADA, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV RWD
Overall Not rated Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated Not rated
Frontal, driver Not rated Not rated
Frontal, passenger Not rated Not rated
Side crash Not rated Not rated
Side barrier Not rated Not rated
Side pole Not rated Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover 21.9% 23.7%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

26V455000 · July 15, 2026

The defect
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."
The risk
An overloaded vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will install new labels, free of charge. Additionally, Nissan will mail replacement labels to owners. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 21, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R26B1 and P6A13/4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 168,149 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULE

21V373000 · May 20, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 24,140 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

I was driving a RENTED 2021 Nissan Armada. The brakes of this vehicle locked up when I was trying to avoid rear ending a car that had suddenly jumped in front of me. Instead of being able to control the braking, once I put the brake on, I tried to let up a little to see if I could stop the vehicle from skidding. However once I put my foot down on the brake it continued to stay depressed. I noticed that the vehicle was sliding and the steering wheel was also locked. I couldn't swerve to the left or right. I hit the van in front of me, the air bags deployed--driver's side air bag broke open and let out noxious gas. I have never driven a vehicle with such AEB troubles. If this is how the 2021

NHTSA complaint 11447227, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Stalling out in traffic, and have to keep restarting. Very dangerous

NHTSA complaint 11752971. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

34,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that while driving, the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was jump-started. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a low-voltage battery. The battery was replaced. After the battery was replaced, there was battery acid leaking from the battery. The battery was replaced a second and a third time; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000.

NHTSA complaint 11734259. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
My emergency breaking will come on and almost stop my vehicle driving down the road with no one near me. It’s very scary and it happens frequently. I will put my most recent incident below

NHTSA complaint 11728005. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My family and I traveled to Ohio to visit family. After stopping for fuel, 6hrs into our drive, our 2021 nissan Armada started bucking, skipping, and eventually stalled 50 yards from the fuel station. Several attempts at restarting the vehicle resulted in a sputtering idle and stall. This put my family is grave danger as we were beginning our acceleration onto the interstate at 11pm eastern standard time. After some research, our vehicle doesnt fall under the recall for faulty pump. The pump assembly is $900 as well as a $700 tow bill. This is very dangerous and its evident their's more Armadas with the faulty pump than nissan originally recalled. My wife and I are extremely disappointed

NHTSA complaint 11705865, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
On April 5, 2023, I purchased a used 2021 Nissan Armada SL with 74,429 miles on it. On August 29, 2025, I took the vehicle in for front & rear differential and transmission fluid services. On August 31, 2025, I drove the SUV to Boston MA. The vehicle began a jerking motion and slow acceleration. I assumed it was due to a possible low grade of gas. I filled the vehicle with 93 octane gas. The issue continued. On September 15, 2025, I took the vehicle into Nissan for a further look and was told I needed to replace the entire transmission! After speaking with Nissan's Consumer Affairs, I was told there was nothing that can be done for this issue. The vehicle is less than 5 years old. I have

NHTSA complaint 11687438, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I purchased a 2021 Nissan Armana back in September 2024. The vehicle has been giving issues leaving me stranded and with my vehicle battery drained. I’ve purchased two batteries for my vehicle within a 9 months period that I’ve had the vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11673217. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Nissan Armada

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 8 2 —
2025 21 2 —
2022 9 1 —
2020 27 2 —
2019 77 1 —
2018 75 1 —
2017 81 0 —
2015 21 3 2
2014 12 1 —
2013 17 2 —
2012 17 1 —
2011 40 1 —
2010 48 4 —

Other 2021 Nissan models

Every Nissan on this site — 205 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst