2008 Nissan Altima Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Altima years
- Far more complaints than other years 6th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 1,030 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Nissan Altima. That ranks 6th out of 32 Altima model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is structure (312 complaints, 30%), typically at around 65,550 miles. Complaints mention 54 crashes, 13 fires, 34 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 1,030owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 54complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Nissan Altima problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure problems | 312 | 30% | 65,550 | “dashboard melting” (37%) | $2,800 |
| Unknown or Other | 199 | 19% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper problems | 168 | 16% | 73,000 | “dashboard melting” (35%) | — |
| Air Bags problems | 142 | 14% | 71,700 | “air bag” (51%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 90 | 9% | 76,465 | “push button” (10%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 80 | 8% | 110,000 | “cvt transmission” (23%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 58 | 6% | 35,000 | “master cylinder” (48%) | $790 |
| Engine problems | 54 | 5% | 100,000 | “exhaust manifold” (11%) | — |
| Steering | 37 | 4% | 72,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 35 | 3% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 33 | 3% | 66,536 | — | — |
| Seats | 24 | 2% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 21 | 2% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 20 | 2% | 53,812 | — | — |
| Suspension | 16 | 2% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 15 | 1% | 117,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 12 | 1% | 11,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 9 | 1% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 9 | 1% | 92,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 8 | 1% | 171,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 7 | 1% | 58,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 1% | 114,352 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 0% | 39,881 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 0% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 13,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 23,400 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Nissan Altima recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:electrical:navigational system(global positioning system)
Problem: Nissan is recalling certain vehicles that were equipped with a garmin nuvi model 750 navigation system. The batteries contained in the affected gps units can overheat.
Risk: Overheated batteries could result in a fire.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners and the repairs will be performed by garmin technicians by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the battery free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2010. Owners may contact garmin directly at 1-866-957-1981 or nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Electrical system:software; air bags
Problem: Nissan is recalling 204,361 my 2007-2008 altima, altima hybrid, 350z, 350z roadster, my 2008 altima coupe, rogue, my 2009 murano, and infiniti my 2007-2008 g35 sedan, my 2008 g37 coupe and ex35 passenger vehicles equipped with continental automotive systems' occupant classification system (ocs) control units. A varistor in the ocs control unit located in the passenger seat cushion may have been manufactured out of specification. Under certain conditions, this could cause an interruption of signal between the ocs and the air bag control unit (acu).
Risk: This could result in the passenger air bag being suppressed which could fail to provide adequate protection in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will test the signal between the ocs and acu systems using a special tool to check that it is functioning as designed. If necessary, the seat cushion (containing ocs hardware) will be replaced with a new one manufactured to specification. The recall began on november 4, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.
Suspension
Problem: Nissan is recalling 1,018 my 2008 altima vehicles. The left side front suspension transverse link bolt may not have been tightened to specification. This condition could cause the bolt to become loose while the vehicle is being driven.
Risk: If the bolt were to come out, the driver may experience difficulty controlling the direction of the vehicle which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will tighten the transverse link bolt to specification free of charge. The recall began on august 11, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Electrical system:ignition:module
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles that have had the body control module (bcm) replaced during service at a dealership, the tire pressure monitoring system (tpms) may have been inadvertently deactivated due to an issue with the dealer service software. If the tpms is turned off, it would not alert the driver to a decrease in the tire pressure as designed.
Risk: Driving on under-inflated tires is unsafe and could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will check the tpms function and reactivate it if necessary. The recall began on january 18, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Brake Master Cylinder Internal Leak (PE11020) — opened May 23, 2011, closed Mar 14, 2012.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact's mother owned a 2008 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while her mother was driving 20 MPH, the brakes suddenly stopped responding when the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle crashed into a pole. The brake pedal was depressed, and the parking brake was activated, but the…
just reporting same issues suspension is horrible and problem with fuel. code p0955 and p2a00
Like many others in this make/model, dashboard is melting, resulting in glare onto windshield, off-gassing of chemicals, and concerns that airbags may not properly deploy. Inspected only by vehicle repair technician, but available for inspection by others at any time.
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.
Had to have AC system repaired three times for the same issue. Evaporator/Heater Core needed to be replaced twice along with other repairs to AC system. Nissan would not back up evaporator repair.
Other Nissan Altima years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Altima | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 Altima | 7 | 2 |
| 2024 Altima | 41 | 1 |
| 2023 Altima | 30 | 0 |
| 2022 Altima | 31 | 0 |
| 2021 Altima | 70 | 2 |
| 2020 Altima | 158 | 6 |
| 2019 Altima | 233 | 7 |
| 2018 Altima | 226 | 2 |
| 2017 Altima | 391 | 3 |
| 2016 Altima | 554 | 4 |
| 2015 Altima | 955 | 10 |
| 2014 Altima | 1,114 | 8 |
| 2013 Altima | 2,313 | 12 |
| 2012 Altima | 426 | 4 |
| 2011 Altima | 241 | 1 |
| 2010 Altima | 381 | 3 |
| 2009 Altima | 1,547 | 4 |
| 2008 | 1,030 | 4 |
| 2007 Altima | 471 | 3 |
| 2006 Altima | 824 | 3 |
| 2005 Altima | 1,091 | 1 |
| 2004 Altima | 276 | 1 |
| 2003 Altima | 883 | 4 |
| 2002 Altima | 1,047 | 5 |
| 2001 Altima | 159 | 1 |
| 2000 Altima | 160 | 1 |
| 1999 Altima | 87 | 0 |
| 1998 Altima | 123 | 0 |
| 1997 Altima | 108 | 1 |
| 1996 Altima | 92 | 0 |
| 1995 Altima | 180 | 3 |
See all Nissan Altima problems by year, every Nissan model, or the Nissan VIN decoder.
Similar Nissan models
Embed this 2008 Nissan Altima badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Nissan Altima?
Owners most often report structure, unknown or other, visibility/wiper problems. The top one, structure, accounts for 312 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Nissan Altima?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Nissan Altima a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Altima model years, the 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.