Problems · NHTSA complaints
2008 Nissan Altima problems
Owners filed 1,031 complaints about the 2008 Nissan Altima with NHTSA between Nov 2007 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is structure (312).
Complaints
1,031
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
54
Reported by owners
Fires
13
Reported by owners
Injuries
34
People reported injured
Deaths
2
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Structure312
- Visibility/wiper168
- Air bags142
- Electrical system90
- Power train80
- Service brakes, hydraulic58
- Engine54
- Steering37
- Vehicle speed control35
- Service brakes33
- Seats24
- Engine and engine cooling21
- Visibility20
- Fuel/propulsion system16
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
3
33
30
47
55
32
83
200
160
107
72
59
41
42
19
18
9
10
7
4
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 3 |
| 2008 | 33 |
| 2009 | 30 |
| 2010 | 47 |
| 2011 | 55 |
| 2012 | 32 |
| 2013 | 83 |
| 2014 | 200 |
| 2015 | 160 |
| 2016 | 107 |
| 2017 | 72 |
| 2018 | 59 |
| 2019 | 41 |
| 2020 | 42 |
| 2021 | 19 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 | 4 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Structure
312 reports5 crashes2 fires
“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/wiper
168 reports1 fire
“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.”
Air bags
142 reports19 crashes1 related recall
“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.”
Electrical system
90 reports5 crashes4 fires1 related recall
“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…”
Power train
80 reports5 crashes
“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”
Service brakes, hydraulic
58 reports4 crashes
“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 vehicle failed to respond. The driver sustained injuries to the face with cuts and bruises to the stomach, chest, arms, back and neck pain. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was serviced at a Nissan dealer. The local dealer was notified. The vehicle was totaled. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.