Problems · by component
2008 Nissan Altima power train problems
80 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2008 Nissan Altima cite power train, 8% of all 1,031 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
80
8% of all complaints
Crashes
5
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
Reported by owners
What owners say about the power train
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“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”
“In 2018 I was driving back home from Derby, Kansas to Denver, Colorado in the middle of summertime, and my air conditioner started blowing hot air and the AC did not need to be charged. This was in my 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe that I purchased in April 2008 with 4 miles on it and have taken amazing care of it and still have it to this day and is in excellent condition other than these issues. About an hour later, my car starting making a revving noise when I accelerated but my car was not accelerating and I would have to pull off on the side of the road, in 100 degree weather, no air conditioning, with my dogs, and wait for 30 minutes and then I could start driving for about 10 minutes, and then I had to repeat this all the way back to Denver. A normally 8 hour trip took me over 20 hours due to this. I have to rent a car now I go out of town because I am not going to pay to fix whatever is wrong with it when this is obviously a major problem because there have been so many reports. I drive it when going on short trips so its driven, but its pretty much been non-reliable since 2018. I hope there is a thorough investigation of this and a recall is done because…”
“I JUST PURCHASED MY NISSAN NOT EVEN 3 MONTHS AGO AND I'VE HAD TO HAVE IT IN THE 4-5 SHOPS BECAUSE NOBODY COULD FIGURE OUT WHY IT WAS GIVING THE CODE P0335. FINALLY FOUND OUT IT'S THE TIMING CHAIN. I CANT DRIVE MY OWN CAR BECAUSE OF IT AND I FEEL LIKE I GOT ROBBED OF MY MONEY. THE DAM CAR IS STUCK IN LIMP MODE. WE WAS DRIVING ONE DAY AND ALL OF SUDDEN THE CAR JERKED REALLY HARD AN LOST POWER DIDNT HAVE A CLUE WHAT WAS GOING ON.”
“WE WERE DRIVING ON I-695 IN BALTIMORE AREA WHEN I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT WHILE PRESSING ACCELERATION PADDLE, THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING FORWARD. IT STARTED TO STALL AND EVENTUALLY STOPPED COMPLETELY. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL IT TO THE CURBSIDE BEFORE A COLLISION MAY HAVE OCCURRED. BUT SOMEONE WITH LESS DRIVING CAPABILITIES MAY HAVE ENDED UP IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE CAR STALLING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. LATER ON I FOUND OUT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NISSAN DIDN'T CARE AT ALL WHEN I CONTACTED THEM. I GOT TRANSMISSION REPLACED MYSELF. I THOUGHT I SHOULD SPEAK OUT ABOUT THIS BECAUSE A TRANSMISSION STALLING A VEHICLE AT NEARLY 65 MPH IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSES.”
“THE CVT TRANSMISSION STEP SOLENOID AND THE ACCELERATOR PADDLE NOT WORKING WRITE IT WONT GO ANYWHERE SOMETIMES ONLY LIKE 20 MILES AN HOUR HAVE TO PULL OVER AND TURN IT OFF AND WAIT 5 TO 10 MIN THEN IT'S OK FOR A LITTLE BIT IF I HIT A BUMP IT ALSO SHUTS OFF CAN U HELP PLEASE ITSBEEN DOING THIS SINCE BOUGHT FROM AN INDIVIDUAL”
Showing 6 of 80 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.