2008 Nissan Altima problems
NHTSA has received 1,379 complaints about the 2008 Nissan Altima, and 23% of them involve body & structure. After that come wipers, windshield & visibility (14%) and air bags (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,379 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 74 and 22
- Injuries and deaths
- 41 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 912 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 106 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 107 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 139 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 166 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 123 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 108 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 70 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 39 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 27 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 15 |
| 200k+ miles | 12 |
What the data shows
Among the 912 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 72,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 65,000 miles (190 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 74 complaints mention a crash; 22 complaints mention a fire; 41 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 32 model years of the Nissan Altima with enough data (552 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Vehicle crashed with only side curtains deploying, no front airbag deployment at all. Resulting in occupant's death ..updated 08-28-14..updated 10/28/14 updated 11/6/2014 updated 08/24/2017
A one car wreck occurred with a 4 yr old in a proper child restraint in bartlett, tn. The car flipped and landed on the passenger side. My complaint is the fact that there was a graco booster seat for a lager child of 6 in the car that was not in use. Because there is no way to strap this down securely to the car the booster seat then became a projectile object and hit the 4 yr old. There was blood on the back of the booster seat and the pad and in the cup holders.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, another vehicle crashed into her vehicle. The impact was received on both passenger side doors and the air bags did not deploy. The driver and the three passengers were transported to the hospital by ambulance. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop. The police reported to the scene and a report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.
I am the owner of a 2008 nissan altima with a defective dashboard due to use of low quality materials. When the dashboards become exposed to heat and sunlight it converts into a vicious, sticky and reflective surface that projects a glare onto windshield obstructing the driver's view, thus endangering everyone on the road. I purchased the vehicle in missouri but came special order from texas according to my salesman.
My dashboard is melting. The interior dashboard is beginning to melt and deteriorate creating a glare when driving which is dangerous and distracting.