I am a senior citizen that owns a 2008 Nissan Altima, 2.5, two door vehicle. I have spent thousands trying to fix a power condition on this car that has become chronic. One mechanic told me what my car has a a known symptom by Nissan and that there has been recalls for it, therefore, I went in the internet and search recalls for 2008 Nissan cars and found out its been known this mechanical problem is known manufacturer. Sadly i never received a notice of recall and I wonder how i was missed! Another issue of this car is that the dashboard is melting for several years and its also a known issue. Now, I will describe the symptoms of the car. 1. I bout this car with Mossy Nissan dealer, San Diego, CA. in July, 2010. Since i bout the car, i used to feel a burst of power when when starting to drive. I'd press the gas and it would take a second or two to move with power, I thought this is the way the car was and I liked it. unfortunately, this burst of power got more delayed as the car became older to the point that I am in a red light and the car does not move although I am pressing the gas. now the car stalls sometimes but not often. 2. I recognize this is a safety issue because for me because i can be hit by other car from the back when the car loses power. last weekend, I was on an intersection exiting the highway and made a left just when the car staled and another car almost collided with me. According to the internet report on this car, this is a known issue to Nissan. 3. Unfortunately, the car does not give me an alarm or safety warning on the dashboard when this happens, so its hard for the mechanics to troubleshoot.
The worst 2008 Nissan Altima problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Body312
- Visibility188
- Airbags142
- Brakes93
- Electrical90
- Transmission80
- Engine74
- Steering37
- Acceleration35
- Seats24
- Fuel system21
- Suspension16
- Tires12
- Driver assistance9
- Lights9
- Wheels9
- Locks7
- Seat belts7
Specific symptoms reported on the 2008 Nissan Altima
Airbag light 66Won't start 32CVT failure 31Loss of power 17Check engine light 16Stalling 16Steering lock-up 16Transmission failure 16No deployment 15Grinding brakes 14Jerking 13Key fob 13Fire or smoke 11Whining noise 9Brake failure 6Door locks 6Headlights 6Hesitation 6Overheating 6Sudden acceleration 5Sunroof shattered 5
Trouble codes owners of the 2008 Nissan Altima mention
B1018 2
Recalls 4
Equipment: electrical: navigational system(global positioning system)
- What is wrong
- Nissan is recalling certain vehicles that were equipped with a garmin nuvi model 750 navigation system. The batteries contained in the affected GPS units can overheat.
- Risk
- Overheated batteries could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners and the repairs will be performed by garmin technicians by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the battery free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2010. Owners may contact garmin directly at 1‑866‑957‑1981 or nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 10V401000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Nissan is recalling 204,361 my 2007-2008 altima, altima hybrid, 350z, 350z roadster, my 2008 altima coupe, rogue, my 2009 murano, and infiniti my 2007-2008 g35 sedan, my 2008 g37 coupe and ex35 passenger vehicles equipped with continental automotive systems' occupant classification system (ocs) control units. A varistor in the ocs control unit located in the passenger seat cushion may have been manufactured out of specification. Under certain conditions, this could cause an interruption of signal between the ocs and the air bag control unit (acu).
- Risk
- This could result in the passenger air bag being suppressed which could fail to provide adequate protection in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will test the signal between the ocs and acu systems using a special tool to check that it is functioning as designed. If necessary, the seat cushion (containing ocs hardware) will be replaced with a new one manufactured to specification. The recall began on november 4, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261 or infiniti at 1‑800‑662‑6200.
Recall number 08V521000 · Recall details
Suspension
- What is wrong
- Nissan is recalling 1,018 my 2008 altima vehicles. The left side front suspension transverse link bolt may not have been tightened to specification. This condition could cause the bolt to become loose while the vehicle is being driven.
- Risk
- If the bolt were to come out, the driver may experience difficulty controlling the direction of the vehicle which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will tighten the transverse link bolt to specification free of charge. The recall began on august 11, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 08V363000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: module
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles that have had the body control module (bcm) replaced during service at a dealership, the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) may have been inadvertently deactivated due to an issue with the dealer service software. If the TPMS is turned off, it would not alert the driver to a decrease in the tire pressure as designed.
- Risk
- Driving on under-inflated tires is unsafe and could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will check the TPMS function and reactivate it if necessary. The recall began on january 18, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 07V599000 · Recall details
See all 4 recalls for the 2008 Nissan Altima
Defect investigations
Brake Master Cylinder Internal Leak
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE11-020 to investigate possible brake performance loss due to brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder into the brake booster in the subject vehicles.A total of 237 complaints were identified by ODI and Nissan.The majority of complaints and warranty claims reported that brake malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illumination as the only symptom of a problem.Only 12 complaints alleged any effect on brake performance and in each of these the drivers were able to stop the vehicles without incident.No crash claims could be attributed to the alleged defect. Returned part analysis data provided by Nissan showed that most of the master cylinders replaced under warranty did not have a leak condition.These replacements may have resulted from brake MIL illumination due to pad wear.For most of the warranty claims, in a few cases where a master cylinder leak was found, Nissan's testing showed that the leaks were extremely slow and would require thousands of miles or months of driving before brake performance could be affected.After an extensive study of replaced master cylinders for a presumed leak, Nissan was unable to identify any concern with the parts or design of the subject components that could affect brake performance. Nevertheless, Nissan does recognize a concern with premature brake MIL illumination and has decided to address this problem by conducting a voluntary service campaign covering approximately 1.17 million model year 2007 through 2012 Altima vehicles (up to June 25, 2011 production, the date of Nissan's running change for the longer life brake pad).Nissan's owner letter for the service campaign states, As your brake pads wear over time, the brake fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir will drop and may cause the brake warning lamp to illuminate.?Although this is a normal condition, there has been concern that the brake warning light illumination may be caused by a slow fluid leak over time.Nissan's service campaign will inspect the brake pads and test the master cylinder for leakage.If leakage is detected, Nissan will replace the master cylinder at no charge.If excessive pad wear is observed, customers will be notified and will be responsible for repairs.For more details concerning Nissan's service campaign, see the PE11-020 file on Based on the low failure rate for confirmed master cylinder leakage in the subject vehicles and the low probability that the condition would affect brake performance, this investigation is closed.
PE11020
Technical service bulletins for the 2008 Nissan Altima 118
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Wiring harness repair information
- Certification label and VIN plate replacement service information
- CAN communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines
- CAN communication – network diagnostic flow chart
- Vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start
- Windshield cracking
- Removing foreign material from the window glass
- Window glass warranty information
- Diagnosis of vehicle pull (DRIFT) and/or steering wheel off-center
- 12 volt battery testing for in-service vehicles service information
2008 Nissan Altima fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4‑cyl | FWD | 23 | 31-32 | 26 |
| 3.5L 6‑cyl | FWD | 19 | 26-27 | 22 |
What 2008 Nissan Altima owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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
just reporting same issues suspension is horrible and problem with fuel. code p0955 and p2a00
Like many others in this make/model, dashboard is melting, resulting in glare onto windshield, off-gassing of chemicals, and concerns that airbags may not properly deploy. Inspected only by vehicle repair technician, but available for inspection by others at any time.
Had to have AC system repaired three times for the same issue. Evaporator/Heater Core needed to be replaced twice along with other repairs to AC system. Nissan would not back up evaporator repair.
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.
Suspension and steering issues purchased many new tires throughout the yrs to find out it had suspension issues. There are 4 recalls listed on my insurance policy that describes exactly what's been wrong with my car since purchased. When calling nissan and checking your data base my vin # has never had any recalls for these issues but is obvious this make and model has been affected as well. Please look into this some more car is not safe and we were sold a lemon from day 1. Going back and forth to dealership lies and mechanics to find out it's always been a suspension issue I don't know the exact terms but suspension and some type of electric issue just as the recalls stated on my insurance policy description. Please advise or help Nissan make this right to keep our streets and cars safe while on the road. I need to gather all documents from places I've gone in for these very same issues of recalls shown. Financially this has been a burden investing in a used car to just have to fix right away with these same exact issues of recalls listed but to say our vehicle was not affected by those recalls is ridiculous it's obvious I been dealing with the same exact issues. Please help. Thank you for listening and hopefully you can help make a difference with this safety issue. I bought the car during covid year and been having issues since then but today's date on incident because I'm not sure of an exact date 4-5 yrs ago when issues started. Dealership lied to us I'm sure they were experiencing same issues with suspension that lead to issues with steering wheel control arms into motor mounts and tires getting bald fast and always having to change out front tires not straight or balanced out of control all the time.
At first, the passenger airbag off light always turn on when a person sit on the seat(never turn off). Then few months later the Airbag light on dashboard starts flashing with no reason, 1 long 5 shorts.
I bought this used from a private owner, on consignment at a used car lot Pinellas County FL May 2020. The previous owner installed a dashboard mat to cover up the melting, cracking dashboard, after 5 years of ownership, the dashboard is in serious degraded condition worse when I purchased it. I was unaware of the class action lawsuit 2017 over the safety concerns. Obvious resale value will be an issue as well. I continue to maintain this vehicle with 176,000 miles. I wanted to add my vehicle to the federal safety agency complaint against Nissan for this issue and the loss of value upon resale. That would be great if the federal safety agency gets Nissan to issue nation wide recall, but given Nissan dire financial issues, it's unlikely they will recall for this issue
After driving over a hour or so the rpm will stick at 3 and the mph will not go over 60. The car occasionally lose power as well. I have already had the throttle body and the alternator recently done.
Compare the 2008 Nissan Altima
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2008 Nissan Altima
Is the 2008 Nissan Altima reliable?
Owners have filed 1,031 complaints about the 2008 Nissan Altima, 2.4 times a typical Altima model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2008 Nissan Altima year score?
The 2008 Nissan Altima scores 41 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Nissan Altima: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Nissan Altima?
Body and structure, with 312 complaints, typically around 65,550 miles. Next is visibility (188).
How many recalls does the 2008 Nissan Altima have?
4 recalls, covering equipment, electrical system and suspension.
What year does the Nissan Altima have the most body problems?
The Nissan Altima model years with the most body complaints are 2005 (351 complaints), 2008 (312 complaints) and 2006 (221 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2008 Nissan Altima get?
Official estimates for the 2008 Nissan Altima range from 22 to 26 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 23 city and 31-32 highway.
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