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
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Structure312
  2. Visibility/wiper168
  3. Air bags142
  4. Electrical system90
  5. Power train80
  6. Service brakes, hydraulic58
  7. Engine54
  8. Steering37
  9. Vehicle speed control35
  10. Service brakes33
  11. Seats24
  12. Engine and engine cooling21
  13. Visibility20
  14. 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
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20073
200833
200930
201047
201155
201232
201383
2014200
2015160
2016107
201772
201859
201941
202042
202119
202218
20239
202410
20257
20264

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.

03 —Owner reports

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 11, 2024StructureODI 11607772

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 23, 2023Unknown or other, Visibility/wiperODI 11551334

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 30, 2025Air bagsODI 11696545

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…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 19, 2025Electrical system, Air bagsODI 11643609

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 23, 2024Power trainODI 11584856

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 5, 2026Service brakes, hydraulicCrash reportedODI 11769097
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.