2008 Nissan Altima Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2008 Nissan Altima, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Body & structure31026.6%
- Visibility18816.2%
- Airbags14212.2%
- Brakes938.0%
- Electrical907.7%
- Engine746.4%
- Powertrain (other)695.9%
- Driver assistance423.6%
- Steering373.2%
- Interior & seats322.7%
- Fuel system191.6%
- Suspension151.3%
- Tires & wheels121.0%
- Other / unspecified110.9%
- Transmission110.9%
- Seat belts100.9%
- Exterior lighting70.6%
- Heating & air conditioning20.2%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The dashboard of the car melted that causes a very bright glare.
My 2008 Nissan Altima's dash is degrading and has caused a sticky residue to form on it. This stickiness is very shiny and causes a glare to occur on the windshield. I live in Kentucky and when the sun is shining, and actually basically anytime driving, the glare makes it nearly impossible to see. I almost hit another vehicle because I could not see but instead went off the road to avoid a collision. This is very unsafe.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
Glare off dash board is blinding on sunny days. Dashboard is melting, the melted dash reflection is distraciton/ binding on sunny days, and smell from dash is not pleasant. Not knowing actual product that is melting is concerning since melting plastics and vinyl can be toxic. Took car out for ride on sunny day had to pull over because of glare dashboard. Tried to contact Nissan about any products to resurface and contain the melted mess an smell. They offered no solutions besides take in to local dearliship. Not shelling out 500 dollars for nationally known defective material. You can contact any quality managment firm or producer that have working knowledge with plastics and vinyl to confirm that this is a major quality defect. I can not even find out what actual material was used to cover for soft dash.
The dash as a sticky substance that causing a bad glare.Back rear window as a film on it blocking vision.And car as foul Oder when you get in it.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Passenger air bag indicator light has been on for 2 years and have been unable to locate issue. All air bag systems test good except error code for passenger side air bag.
At first, the passenger airbag off light always turn on when a person sit on the seat(never turn off). Then few months later the Airbag light on dashboard starts flashing with no reason, 1 long 5 shorts.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
While pulling into a parking spot and coming to a halt, I put the car into park mode. My foot was still on the brake. Instantly the engine went into "overdrive" and lurched forward over a parking curb and through heavy brush and finally came to a stop after hitting a pine tree. The engine was still screaming and the tires still spinning until I hit the off button. I had my foot on the brake the entire time to no avail. The heavy brush slowed the car somewhat. The airbags didn't deploy. I had several witnesses and they all stated they saw my brake lights on. I plowed approx. 50 feet through the brush before hitting the tree. I was the only one involved and was not hurt. This was Thurs. Sept. 28, 2023. It was in a state park and no police report made. Park Ranger took down info.
Brake switch or Stop Light Switch goes out which causes brakes to become very stiff and not light up the brakes which causes car’s push start to not start car more than 5 times a week. I will always have to stomp the brake petal to activate the brakes to start the car.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Altima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V521000 (Air Bags, Electrical System). The contact called the dealer and made an appointment; however, the contact was informed that the part might not be available for the appointment. The contact arrived for the appointment and was informed 3 hours later that the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact was informed by the dealer that several other dealers and was informed that parts were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that other dealers would be contacted for parts availability, and a case was filed. The contact stated that a week later, the contact called the manufacturer again and was informed that the part was found and sent to the local dealer. The contact called the dealer and was informed that there was no knowledge of parts being sent to the dealer location and that there had not been any communication with the manufacturer about parts. The contact stated that upon sitting in the passenger’s seat, the air bag sensor failed to recognize a passenger seated in the passenger’s seat. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
Parked car due to electrical and transmission issues had left it for a couple hours to receive assistance and the car was gone it had no plates because I was attempting to register the car that same day
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
After driving over a hour or so the rpm will stick at 3 and the mph will not go over 60. The car occasionally lose power as well. I have already had the throttle body and the alternator recently done.
Leaking power stearing fluid. The seems to be an issue with fuel system. No light just does not seem to accelerate properly.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
The drive train I believe it’s called Or transmission is malfunctioning and yes it is available for inspection upon request Our safety was put in risk when the vehicle started driving at a low speed and would not accelerate eventually stopping completely The problem hasn’t been inspected or confirmed by a dealer or service center There was no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure
Parked car due to electrical and transmission issues had left it for a couple hours to receive assistance and the car was gone it had no plates because I was attempting to register the car that same day
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
While pulling into a parking spot and coming to a halt, I put the car into park mode. My foot was still on the brake. Instantly the engine went into "overdrive" and lurched forward over a parking curb and through heavy brush and finally came to a stop after hitting a pine tree. The engine was still screaming and the tires still spinning until I hit the off button. I had my foot on the brake the entire time to no avail. The heavy brush slowed the car somewhat. The airbags didn't deploy. I had several witnesses and they all stated they saw my brake lights on. I plowed approx. 50 feet through the brush before hitting the tree. I was the only one involved and was not hurt. This was Thurs. Sept. 28, 2023. It was in a state park and no police report made. Park Ranger took down info.
I pulled into Regions bank parking lot to use ATM machine and before I could even park my car accelerated for no reason. I had my foot on the brake but it just made it go faster. I crashed into the building and airbag deployed. This was the scariest driving experience I’ve ever had. The car is totaled and caused serious damage to bank. I escaped by the grace of God with sprained wrist and elbow and knee abrasions.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
Suspension and steering issues purchased many new tires throughout the yrs to find out it had suspension issues. There are 4 recalls listed on my insurance policy that describes exactly what's been wrong with my car since purchased. When calling nissan and checking your data base my vin # has never had any recalls for these issues but is obvious this make and model has been affected as well. Please look into this some more car is not safe and we were sold a lemon from day 1. Going back and forth to dealership lies and mechanics to find out it's always been a suspension issue I don't know the exact terms but suspension and some type of electric issue just as the recalls stated on my insurance policy description. Please advise or help Nissan make this right to keep our streets and cars safe while on the road. I need to gather all documents from places I've gone in for these very same issues of recalls shown. Financially this has been a burden investing in a used car to just have to fix right away with these same exact issues of recalls listed but to say our vehicle was not affected by those recalls is ridiculous it's obvious I been dealing with the same exact issues. Please help. Thank you for listening and hopefully you can help make a difference with this safety issue. I bought the car during covid year and been having issues since then but today's date on incident because I'm not sure of an exact date 4-5 yrs ago when issues started. Dealership lied to us I'm sure they were experiencing same issues with suspension that lead to issues with steering wheel control arms into motor mounts and tires getting bald fast and always having to change out front tires not straight or balanced out of control all the time.
MY CAR HAS A SLOW TAKE OFF AND IT TAKES A WHILE TO DRIVE PROPERLY LIKE IT HAS TO WARM UP . THE POWER STEERING LEAKS OUT AND I DON'T NO WHY.MY SENSORS FOR CHECK ENGINE IS ON AND I TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE TO GET IT CHECKED AND IT'S A SENSOR AND JUST NEED A TUNE UP BUT THE TIRE SENSOR STAYS ON AFTER I PUT AIR IN THE TIRES IT SO MANY SMALL THINGS THAT CAN TURN INTO BIG ISSUES.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The passenger side air bag is faulty due to AN INTERRUPTION OF SIGNAL BETWEEN THE OCS AND THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT. This has been verified by an independent service center and puts passengers at risk. The airbag will not work without the entire seat being replaced. The airbag light shows that the system is “OFF”. This make and model had a recall issued but my VIN was not included but should have been included.
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the dashboard had melted and was sticky. There were also cracks on the dashboard. The failure caused a glare on the front windshield, which obstructed her view of the roadway while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the dashboard needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
After driving over a hour or so the rpm will stick at 3 and the mph will not go over 60. The car occasionally lose power as well. I have already had the throttle body and the alternator recently done.
Parked car due to electrical and transmission issues had left it for a couple hours to receive assistance and the car was gone it had no plates because I was attempting to register the car that same day
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
Suspension and steering issues purchased many new tires throughout the yrs to find out it had suspension issues. There are 4 recalls listed on my insurance policy that describes exactly what's been wrong with my car since purchased. When calling nissan and checking your data base my vin # has never had any recalls for these issues but is obvious this make and model has been affected as well. Please look into this some more car is not safe and we were sold a lemon from day 1. Going back and forth to dealership lies and mechanics to find out it's always been a suspension issue I don't know the exact terms but suspension and some type of electric issue just as the recalls stated on my insurance policy description. Please advise or help Nissan make this right to keep our streets and cars safe while on the road. I need to gather all documents from places I've gone in for these very same issues of recalls shown. Financially this has been a burden investing in a used car to just have to fix right away with these same exact issues of recalls listed but to say our vehicle was not affected by those recalls is ridiculous it's obvious I been dealing with the same exact issues. Please help. Thank you for listening and hopefully you can help make a difference with this safety issue. I bought the car during covid year and been having issues since then but today's date on incident because I'm not sure of an exact date 4-5 yrs ago when issues started. Dealership lied to us I'm sure they were experiencing same issues with suspension that lead to issues with steering wheel control arms into motor mounts and tires getting bald fast and always having to change out front tires not straight or balanced out of control all the time.
The contact owned a 2008 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at approximately 80 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff, and the contact lost control of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. As a result, the contact crashed into a concrete barrier. The front of the vehicle was severely damaged including the front driver and front passenger side doors. The air bags were deployed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where it was deemed destroyed and discarded. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed for the failure. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a concussion, whiplash on her neck, and bruising on her nose that required medical attention. The contact currently was still recovering from her brain injury and receiving treatment from a neurologist. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V363000 (Suspension) as possibly being related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
215/60R16 This is the second tire that failed at the sidewall needing to be replaced. First failed after less than 4000 miles. And the second w sidewall failure at about 10,000 miles of use. i have photographed the second tire failure. Seems odd that out of five brand new tires have sidewall failures 2 (40%) have very low use failures.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE TPMS, BRAKE, AND AIR BAG WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,777.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
Suspension and steering issues purchased many new tires throughout the yrs to find out it had suspension issues. There are 4 recalls listed on my insurance policy that describes exactly what's been wrong with my car since purchased. When calling nissan and checking your data base my vin # has never had any recalls for these issues but is obvious this make and model has been affected as well. Please look into this some more car is not safe and we were sold a lemon from day 1. Going back and forth to dealership lies and mechanics to find out it's always been a suspension issue I don't know the exact terms but suspension and some type of electric issue just as the recalls stated on my insurance policy description. Please advise or help Nissan make this right to keep our streets and cars safe while on the road. I need to gather all documents from places I've gone in for these very same issues of recalls shown. Financially this has been a burden investing in a used car to just have to fix right away with these same exact issues of recalls listed but to say our vehicle was not affected by those recalls is ridiculous it's obvious I been dealing with the same exact issues. Please help. Thank you for listening and hopefully you can help make a difference with this safety issue. I bought the car during covid year and been having issues since then but today's date on incident because I'm not sure of an exact date 4-5 yrs ago when issues started. Dealership lied to us I'm sure they were experiencing same issues with suspension that lead to issues with steering wheel control arms into motor mounts and tires getting bald fast and always having to change out front tires not straight or balanced out of control all the time.
The hood under car is messed up and makes noises while driving. I heard there was a recall on the hoods underneath. I need fixed as I live on disability. Tire light won't go off sensor is not working right.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO PROPERLY ACCELERATE AND WOULD RANDOMLY DECELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GERALD NISSAN NAPERVILLE (1575 WEST OGDEN AVE, NAPERVILLE, IL) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED IN 2014 PER AN UNKNOWN MANUFACTURER'S CAMPAIGN FOR THE EXACT SAME FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 212,000.
I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA FROM LOS ANGELES TO LAS VEGAS. WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO CROSS THE CALIFORNIA LINE INTO NEVADA, MY CAR STARTED SOUNDING LIKE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. WE LOST SPEED AND I TRIED SHIFTING MY CVT TRANSMISSION INTO MANUAL MODE. THE SPEEDS WOULD NOT CHANGE. AFTER MAKING AN EMERGENCY STOP. I PUT THE CAR ON REVERSE AND THEN SHIFTED TO DRIVE AGAIN. THE CAR WOULD MOVE, BUT THE SPEED WOULD NOT CHANGE. AS SOON AS I ARRIVE TO VEGAS, MY CAR LOST ALL SPEED AND IT WOULDN'T MOVE IN DIRECT OR REVERSE. SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE CAR. I PARKED THE CAR AND TURNED IT OFF. WHEN I CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY TO TOW THE CAR TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALER, THE CAR WOULD TURN ON, THE ENGINE WAS WORKING, BUT THE DASHBOARD WOULD NOT TURN ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE EITHER IN DIRECT OR REVERSE. I BOUGHT THE NISSAN ALTIMA BRAND NEW FROM THE BUENA PARK NISSAN DEALER IN CALIFORNIA. THE CAR HAS HAD ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND I EVEN TOOK THE CAR TO GET THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED AT 48,000 MILES. MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS 72,345 MILES IN IT. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER IN VEGAS, ANOTHER PERSON CAME IN WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES. HER VEHICLE HAD 75,000 MILES AND IT HAD BEEN SERVICED AT THE VEGAS DEALER DAY PRIOR TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILING. *TR
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT WAS OCCUPIED, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FAILED TO REGISTER THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS IN USE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBLE RECALL ON THE VEHICLE RELATED TO THE FAILURE. TWIN CITY NISSAN (3247 ALCOA HWY, ALCOA, TN 37701, (865) 970-4132) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG FAILED AND THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,430.
SUPPLEMENTAL SAFETY AIRBAG SEATBELT THE LIGHT KEEPS BLINKING AND DOES NOT GO OFF THIS A SAFETY ISSUE I TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY SAID IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE A SEATBELT MALFUNCTIONING
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. CAR WILL BE IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY FLAT LAND/UPHILL/DOWNHILL ANY LAND AND MY CAR WILL INTERMITTENTLY LOOSE POWER ITS A 2008 ALTIMA 2.5S I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO STOP MY CAR ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY IN A DEADLY AND HEAVILY USED CANYON WITH NOT MANY PLACES AVAILABLE TO PULL YOUR CAR OVER. IF THERE IS IT'S VERY TIGHT. WHEN I PULL OVER I SHUT IT OFF FOR ABOUT A MINUTE OR TWO THEN I START IT BACK UP WHILE IN PARK I GENTLY PRESS THE GAS TO ACCELERATE IT A LITTLE AND NOTHING HAPPENS. THE RPM STICK WONT MOVE. I HAVE BEEN COMING DOWN AN OFF RAMP ONTO THE FREEWAY AND I WONT BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE IN ORDER GAIN A SAFE AND LEGAL SPEED TO ENTER ON A HEAVILY TRAFFICKED HIGHWAY WITH NO WHERE TO PULL OVER, ALMOST CAUSED A HUGE DEADLY ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS HOWEVER THE CAR RPM STICK WENT UP AND DOWN THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO ACCELERATE AFTER A FEW "ATTEMPTS" FROM THE ENGINE IT WENT FROM ME FEELING THE CAR ALMOST FORCEFUL ENGINE SHUT OFF WITH THE LOSE OF ACCELERATING AND UNABLE TO ACCELERATE AND HEARING THE CAR ALMOST DIE AND WENT FROM ME DECELERATING HARD AT 40 MPH ON A SLIGHT DOWNHILL OFF RAMP FREEWAY AT 40 MPH TO ALL OF A SUDDEN TAKING OFF AS IF THE CAR WAS A ROCKET AND DIDNT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH MAINTAINING SPEED. THIS HAS HAPPENED 9 TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED AND HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY. THE CAR WILL NOT TYPICALLY HAVE THIS ISSUE IF I MAKE A SHORT IN TOWN TRIP OR A FEW ERRANDS IN TOWN NO FASTER THAN 30MPH SPEEDS AND NO HARD IT FAST ACCELERATION ON FLAT LAND. I LOST THE PAPERWORK FROM THE AUTOMOTIVE SHOP HOWEVER CAN EASILY OBTAIN IT SHOWING THAT THE CAR NEEDS A NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPAIR COSTING AROUND 1300. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINS ON EVEN AFTER BEING CLEARED WILL THROW THE SAME P024 ERROR CODE. I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR BOUGHT AND AM UNABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE IT WITHOUT A DEADLY OUTCOME.
I PARKED MY 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA 3.5 SE IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE TOOK GROCERIES INTO THE HOUSE I RETURN TO THE CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. THE KEY SYMBOL WAS ON. I CAN WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKE CHANGE MODES JUST WONT START. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Heating & air conditioning
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN DRIVING ON LONG AND SOMETIMES SHORT TRIPS, THE AIR FLOW STOPS BLOWING, LIKE A VENT WAS CLOSED. THE BLOWER FAN MOTOR IS STILL WORKING AND THE A/C IS STILL WORKING BECAUSE IT IS STILL COLD AT THE VENT BUT THERE IS NO AIR FLOW. *TR
TL ' THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD IN THE VEHICLE WAS DETERIORATING. THE DASHBOARD WAS MELTING INTO OTHER COMPONENTS IN THE VEHICLE AND CREATED A FOUL ODOR. IN ADDITION, THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS INOPERABLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD AND EVAPORATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. JCC UPDATED 09/05/14*LJ UPDATED 09/10/2014 *JS UPDATED 9/8/14*CN UPDATED 09/12/2014 *JS UPDATED 1/7/2014 *JS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .