Problems · by component
2008 Nissan Altima structure problems
312 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2008 Nissan Altima cite structure, 30% of all 1,031 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
312
30% of all complaints
Crashes
5
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the structure
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“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.”
“The dashboard of this vehicle has become sticky to the touch and excessively shiny, and appears to be melting in spots, causing glare on the windshield that obstructs vision while driving.”
“2008 Nissan Altima: Noticed this year a shiny gleam on the dashboard. This windshield gets hazy. The dashboard is melting, it is sticking and shiny. When a fingernail is pressed, it will actually sink into the dashboard and leave a mark. The dashboard cannot take any cleaning or friction. When the dashboard is touched it leaves fingers sticky. Became more of an issue this year now that I have a grandchild. MY other vehicle is a mini cooper 2 door which is not feasible to hold a car seat and baby. I now have the carseat in the Nissan and now it has become more of a problem because i cannot use the other car as alternative transportation when I have my grandchild. It is very difficult to drive with the glare it causes, and it is a safety issue not only for me but for others. When the sun is out and it is hot (this summer) it is worst and causes the windshield to get hazy. Not sure if it is leaking chemicals as the dashboard is now soft, shiny and cannot be removed by cleaning. The glare is very dangerous and difficult to drive under the conditions. Thank You, [XXX]”
“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.”
“The dashboard in this vehicle similar to other Nissan models that have already been recalled is cracked, sticky, shiny and glossy. It’s dangerous to have cracks in the dashboard in case of airbag deployment. The glossy shiny dashboard creates a blinding glare and is extremely dangerous while driving. It creates a glare that makes the front windshield appear black and unable to see through.”
“Problem - Car dashboard is melting and becoming sticky due to heat. Safety - Severe glare from the black dashboard on the windshield makes it a safety risk to drive on the roads during day time. Potential health hazard due to melting dashboard material and any harmful gases from dashboard material while driving the car with heater or AC ON. This is a known issue to Nissan and a class action lawsuit was filed and settled in the state of FL.”
Showing 6 of 312 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.