2019 Nissan Armada

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the smart alternator had caused the battery to drain. The dealer informed the contact that the alternator kit needed to be reassembled, and an unknown system needed to be reconfigured. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

My 2019 Nissan Armada has a recurring electrical issue that causes the battery to drain and the vehicle to not start, even though the battery tests “good.” This problem began last year — we took the Armada to Nissan and had to pay over $200 for a new battery, which is now less than a year old. Despite this, the issue continues. Recently, AutoZone tested the battery again and found it only 60% charged. I took the Armada back to Nissan and paid $99 for a diagnostic test, and they quoted $725 to reset and reprogram the vehicle’s systems — just to address a problem that should not be happening on a vehicle I purchased less than two years ago. The Nissan technician even stated that many Armada owners are experiencing the same issue, yet my VIN is not included in any recall or service campaign. This is not just inconvenient — it is a serious safety risk. If my Armada dies while traveling or loses power while pulling into traffic, it puts me and my three small children in immediate danger. I believe this is a widespread defect and am asking NHTSA to investigate whether this battery drain / no-start issue should be escalated to a recall. Nissan should not be charging families hundreds of dollars to fix a known problem that is leaving people stranded in unsafe situations.

The front infotainment system goes out every 2 1/2 to 3 minutes this also includes the hands free phone features and backup camera. Additionally, with the hands free phone the person on the other end of the line is unable to hear the driver of the car causing the driver to not be able to make hands free calls which is a law in Colorado. I took the car into the dealership as per recommendation of Nissan Customer Care. The dealership found that the Telematics communication module is failing and a new one is required, the rep stated this has been happening a lot with the same make, model and year vehicle as mine. Additionally, the silver colored trim around the center console puts off a very bright glare that catches the drivers eye and is blinding for a couple of seconds, the only way to resolve this is to cover up the whole center console so as to be able to see when driving.

Vehicle had the battery replaced 11months ago, after it was replaced by the dealer prior to purchasing. Starting having starting issues again, which is what led to the initial battery replacement. Had a diagnostic done to figure out where the patristic draw was coming from to learn that Nissan issued a memo/bulletin in 2019 for this exact issue (Body Control Module) causing an intermittent parasitic draw and killing the battery. An update is known and needed to resolve. Why has this not been a recall? Why do I have to pay to have this completed when Nissan knows it is an issue!?

In June 2022, my wife and children were stranded at a state forest, with no one around to assist, due to the vehicle not starting. My wife explained the vehicle symptoms and I expected it to be a battery or key fob issue, so I left work, grabbed the spare fob and jumper cables and headed to their location. First I tried to start it with the spare fob but that did not work, so I jumped battery and the vehicle started right up. We took the vehicle to a Nissan dealership to have it looked at, thinking it was an issue with the charging system. After the dealership looked at it, they came to the conclusion that the battery was bad and also the vehicle was pulling too much power from the battery. The battery was replaced under warranty on June 10, 2022. Almost exactly 2 years later, June 13, 2024, the same incident occurred. My wife and children were stranded yet again, at a gas station. This time someone was able to assist, they jumped the battery, it started right up. I immediately contacted the same dealership, and took it there the following morning. This time the battery tested good, but said the vehicle is pulling to much power from the battery causing it to drain. They recommended having the battery saver settings changed in BCM and modify the smart charge system. They also stated that this is becoming a known issue with this vehicle model and has been having several others in with this same issue.