My 2019 Nissan suddenly lost braking ability while driving. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor, and the front passenger-side wheel was covered in brake fluid. A mechanic found a cut in the brake hose, which likely caused the fluid leak and brake failure. Cause: UNKNOWN. It may have been mechanical failure, wear, or external damage. Further investigation is needed to determine the exact cause.
Nissan Armada brake failure problems
168 of the 1,857 owner complaints about the Nissan Armada describe brake failure, most of them for the 2004 model year.
- owner complaints
- 168
- worst model year
- 2004
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 78,000
By model year
Often reported together
Grinding brakes 62ABS 37Fuel gauge 4Shudder 3Premature wear 3Loss of power 3Jerking 3Harsh shifting 2
Trouble codes mentioned
C1179 11P1832 1P1831 1P1828 1C1189 1
What owners say
On July 29, 2025, while pulling into the driveway, my 2023 Nissan Armada experienced a complete electrical and brake failure. I put the vehicle in Park, and the entire dash and infotainment screen went black while the engine was still running. The vehicle began rolling forward even though it was in Park and bumped into the house. (Minimal damage thankfully) When I tried to stop it, the brake pedal went completely to the floor with no braking power at all. The shifter was locked in PARK, and I could not put it into Reverse or Neutral. I had to press and hold the Start/Stop button to turn the vehicle off. After restarting, everything returned to normal and I was able to then shift into reverse, but this is a major safety issue there was a total loss of braking and transmission control. Currently Nissan is telling me that it could have been because the car needed a “software update” and also can be caused by a “bad battery” and they have had several customers with similar break issues and electronic failure due to the battery. This is completely unacceptable and dangerous. My babies were in the car we were TERRIFIED!! Currently I just have a tow receipt as Nissan of Boerne still has the vehicle.
We bought this Armada used about two years ago and it had about 85,000 miles on it then. On Monday August 26th 2024 my wife came home and as she pulled in to park the brake pedal went to the floor. The passenger side front steer tire inside was covered in brake fluid. I pulled it in to our garage and removed the tire and had her pump the brake pedal to find the fluid loss spot. Upon inspection I discovered the Steer tire had rubbed through the brake hose causing brake fluid loss. I replaced the hose and inspected the driver side to discover it was almost rubbed through to the cords inside the hose. It will be replaced too. I have saved the passenger side hose and will save the driver hose after I replace it. My pictures are of the passenger side front brake hose.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Brakes and front sensor. Yes How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Collisions Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes’ , front sensor failure light appeared and brakes failed. On two occasions, the brakes have failed when we are in the drive-through, causing us to rear end the vehicle in front of us. We had the car towed to a Nissan dealer. They were unable to re-create the problem as they did not take it through a drive-through or where they would be in close proximity of another car. After bringing it home, we drove it again no issues until we were in a drive through where the brakes failed as we were pushing on them. The light came on saying front sensor failure again we rear ended another vehicle.
My breaking system has a malfunction that comes on and off. Sometimes the brakes automatically stop working and start grinding as if I have no brakes, but when I brought it to be looked at they couldn't find the problem. I notice that when you turn the car off and turn it back on the problems of sides for a little while will eventually come back later. For someone to detect it, they cannot shut the car off at the time that is presenting itself.
On a continuing basis, while vehicle is in motion, applying the brakes causes brake pedal to sink to the floorboard with loss of braking power and with loud grinding noise coming from front of vehicle. Turning vehicle off then back on temporarily fixes the issue.
I was driving on the road and my brake light came on and my brakes failed. As I tried to stop my brakes made a grinding spring noise. I turned the car off and after about 3 minutes I restarted and everything was fine. I continue to drive and less than 10 minutes later it did it again. I have went online to look for information and I see that there was a lawsuit about the booster Delta sensor. I called Nissan and they denied this, and I went to the Nissan dealership and they will check it out because they have not seen any recalls on my vehicle for this problem yet online there's a whole lot of customer complaints about this model doing the exact same thing. Here is the Case# 46966578 Nissan gave me to document the call. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.carcomplaints.com/news/2014/nissan-delta-stroke-sensor-brake-lawsuit.shtml&ved=2ahUKEwiW_sjo1rn5AhXiIEQIHVLABjMQFnoECBsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2DxxR2-Vd0tjpN2-V2JVBq
This issue had been going on for years with my 2004 Nissan Armada. Driving down the freeway at approximately 70mph and the brake light comes on out of no where. When this happens there us no way to safe stop the vehicle because the brakes will not engage. There is this rattling and grinding sound that happens each time. The only way to safely continue is turn the truck off and back on. This needs to be corrected immediately before there is a fatal because of brake failure. Nissan refuse to research all the complaints.
The vehicle will start having erratic rpms, hesitation to accelerate, engine rpms will not go above 2000-2500 or below 1000-300 without severe hesitation, then sometimes it will just completely shut down everything no matter if stopped at a light or driving highway speeds. Total loss of vehicle control happens... No brakes, power steering, no acceleration. Every light turns on on dash and if your driving at the time you better hope that you can quickly throw it in neutral, crank the engine at least 2-4 times before it'll start up, then kick it back in drive to gain control of the vehicle again so you can pull over somewhere safe before you get into a serious wreck. Taking it to nissan was pointless since after you get the armada restarted, it doesn't retain any codes that the dealership can use to diagnose the problem nor can the mechanic replicate the issue on test drives. At which point I look like I'm the crazy one, then they send me off on my way with no answers. The only other problem that the armada had long before this problem, during it, and currently is a cracked exhaust manifold which, too, is apparently a very common issue that plagues other armadas which nissan refused to acknowledge as a very common problem and issue a recall. This issue is hard to support with pics or documents since it almost always occurs while the vehicle is in motion so you're too occupied trying not to kill yourself or others on the road and when you do go to nissan there no codes to pull since I guess the vehicle erases it after the complete loss of power. Feels like I'm chasing my tail...
I was on the freeway going 60 MPH when this happened .having problems with the brake booster brake pedal goes all the way to the floor and doesn't wanna break on time also makes a weird noises this only happens when the brake light is on I have to turn off the vehicle and start again and then it won't do it for a while and then after a while it happen again so scary
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Titan and Armada vehicles manufactured February 22, 2013, through May 3, 2013. The affected vehicles have a brake master cylinder which may intermittently reduce the pressure supplied to the front brakes.
- Risk
- If the front brake pressure is reduced there would be less braking power, requiring a longer distance to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan has notified owners, and dealers will replace the master cylinder, free of charge. The recall began on October 21, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 13V451000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- Nissan is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 titan, armada, and infiniti qx56, and model year 2008-2009 nissan quest vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin end was not spin-formed to specification during the manufacturing process of the brake pedal assembly. The pivot pin could slide and cause the brake pedal to partially disengage from the brake pedal bracket.
- Risk
- The driver will experience unusual and noticeable looseness in the pedal and a reduction in braking force increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect to see if the pivot pin had been formed properly and will replace the brake pedal assembly if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on march 22, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 10V072000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Armada brake failure
Which Nissan Armada years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2004 (67 complaints), 2005 (41 complaints) and 2006 (39 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix brake failure on the Nissan Armada?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 22 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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