Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
14 mpgcombined; city 12, highway 17; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$23,200U.S. average; Ohio $20,730 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
Owners have filed 266 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Armada. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Service brakes
138
8
1
8
Service brakes, hydraulic
51
2
1
2
Electrical system
24
1
7
1
Air bags
22
7
0
7
Engine
9
0
1
0
Engine and engine cooling
9
0
2
0
Power train
9
1
0
0
Unknown or other
9
0
0
0
Structure
8
2
0
1
Electronic stability control (ESC)
7
2
0
2
Fuel system, gasoline
6
0
1
0
Suspension
5
0
0
0
16 more parts
Equipment
4
0
3
0
Parking brake
3
0
0
0
Seat belts
3
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
3
0
0
0
Visibility
3
1
0
0
Wheels
3
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
2
0
0
0
Steering
2
1
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
1
0
1
0
Forward collision avoidance
1
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, air
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, electric
1
0
0
0
Tires
1
0
0
0
Traction control system
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2006 Armada over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.
Risk: THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE STALLING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2009 TITAN, ARMADA, AND INFINITI QX56 VEHICLES. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE MAY INACCURATELY DISPLAY THAT THE VEHICLE STILL HAS SOME FUEL, TYPICALLY ABOUT ONE QUARTER TANK, WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY.
Risk: THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND STALL ON THE HIGHWAY, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL SENDER UNIT INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WITH A NEW IMPROVED SENDER CARD. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN IS RECALLING 180,664 MY 2005-2006 TITAN, ARMADA AND INFINITY QX56 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED AFTER MARCH 17, 2005, THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH A VISTEON AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER FAN MOTOR. THE FAN MOTOR MAY NOT BE PROPERLY SEALED ALLOWING EXCESSIVE WATER INTRUSION AND INADEQUATE DRAINAGE OF MOISTURE.
Risk: THIS COULD CAUSE CORROSION IN THE MOTOR LEADING POSSIBLY TO OVERHEATING AND A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A 'THERMAL PROTECTOR KIT' AND TEST THE AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER FAN MOTOR AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 2, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 82 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2006 Armada, the latest on Apr 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (15), electrical system (13), power train (11), engine and engine cooling (7), service brakes (7).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Preliminary evaluation PE08037 ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2006 Armada.
EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Armada Rear-Wheel Drive
5.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
12 / 17 / 14
Armada 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
5.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
12 / 17 / 14
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data