Was driving and heard a knocking sound similar to taps coming from the engine. Pulled over turned car off and turned it back on and knocking sound stopped. Drive about another mile and black smoke came out the vents. Pulled over and got out of vehicle. By the time I was out of the vehicle the car was on fire. By the time the fire department arrived car was completely engulfed. No check engine light was on and car gave no previous warning as to what could have happened.
2008 Nissan Altima: fire, smoke or burning smell
11 of the 1,031 complaints about the 2008 Nissan Altima describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 119,000
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 17 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
While driving on i95 the car shut off and was steered very difficultly to the off ramp and the side of the road. Smoke started to come out of the front of the car and I exited the car and the car proceeded to be engulfed in flames burning the front half of the car to the front seats. Fire rescue arrived to put out the fire.1116
Loud bang and oil cooler busted while driving down the road at 55 MPH, it started smoking and then fire coming from under the hood I pulled over turned of the ignition and got out and the car was fully engulfed in flames within minutes
At around 11:50 pm monday august 21, 2017 my son parked his nissan altima on residential street in front of a friends house while he ran in for a bit before heading home, about 10 minutes later 2 loud "pops" rattled the home. They stepped out front to find that his 2008 nissan altima was fully engulfed in flames 20-30 feet high. At 00:11 the fire department arrived and worked to extinguished the car, finally finding it safe to leave at 01:17. They car is obviously a total loss. I am requesting an investigation into the cause of this random "explosion" of the vehicle while parked. Thankfully, no one was injured and no other structures were damaged (possible damage to the city road), this very well could have resulted in a devastating outcome.
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 nissan altima. While driving at approximately 35 MPH, black smoke emitted from the ventilation unit and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact mentioned that after exiting the vehicle, it caught fire and the front passenger side door failed to open. As a result, the front seat passenger was trapped inside the vehicle and sustained smoke inhalation related injuries that required medical attention. The fire department had to remove the front seat passenger from the vehicle and was able to extinguish the fire. It was later determined that the fire was caused by a faulty ignition switch. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000. The VIN was not available.
While my husband and children were driving through ely, nv on their way to the lake, 300+ miles from home the car began to smoke. Upon pulling the release to pop the hood, the car burst into flames. My family escaped the vehicle injury free. My car is now a pile of melted metal. Someone please explain to me how this happens? And who is responsible? I had a year left to pay on this vehicle and barely 120,000 miles. What is my recourse? How do I replace my vehicle? Please help.
I was driving on hwy 610 in houston, texas when the vehicle engine shut off and caught fire. I had gone to the dealership several times initially for a start up key issue, then tires, hub cap, and then the engine shut off on the hwy january 25th 2014, the warranty company noted that there were underlying issues with the vehicle when it was first sold, made a proposal to the dealership, and dealership eventually placed an engine I was told later by a younger gentleman named [xxx] that is was a sued engine. I had taken it home, and next day had issues again. Took it in to get spark plugs changed, but the end result was fire on the hwy way may 12, 2014. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Was driving to work on the highway using cruise control and then I tried to get out of cruise and step on the gas pedal but it got stuck, I realized I wasn't able to get over to the first lane due to traffic, so I tried to slow down to pull over to the median closest to the third lane, however, the brakes stopped working and I wasn't able to stop the vehicle, I even tried to press the button to shut the car off but it wouldn't shut down, there was no smell of smoke or anything and than as the car begin slowing on its own, all of a sudden smoke just poofed up and I grabbed my purse and phone and jumped out of the moving car . Ran away from the car and realize that I had taken my wallet out of my purse previous and I turned to go back but the car was engulfed in flames. I called 911 to get assistance.
2008 nissan altima, purchased november 2007. While traveling on the merritt parkway in conneticut, the service engine light came on, and there was a loss of power. After pulling off to the side of the road, black smoke started coming from the engine compartment and a few seconds later, the car erupted in flames. The car is a total loss and pictures are available if required.
I bought a car in march 2009. Last saturday, may 15 2010, I was driving to my friend graduation,shortly after leaving houston,I started seeing smoke coming from the hood of the car. Alarmed, I pulled my car over as far as I could and decided to step outside to see where the smoke where coming from. I popped the hood, saw flames. I had gotten a few hundred feet away and watch my car burn. Helpless. I do not understand how a car would catch fire by itself.I really believe that the fire wasn't the result of my negligence . I have done all my maintenance and every thing. And now that it happened,I made some research and it turns out that some of the model of nissan altima was subject to a recall and it fits the profile sort of speak.
There were no events leading up to the failure. The car had been parked all night and at 330 a.m. It caught on fire. It had never been any problems with the vehicle. The fire department was called and they put out the fire. They said that the electrical fuse box caught on fire.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Wiring harness repair information
- CAN communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines
- CAN communication – network diagnostic flow chart
- Vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start
- 12 volt battery testing for in-service vehicles service information
- Silicone-based lubricant or grease CAN damage electrical components service information
- Intelligent key replacement or swapping between vehicles
- CAN communication – network diagnostic flow chart
Related recalls
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
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
Questions about the 2008 Nissan Altima fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2008 Nissan Altima?
11 of 1,031 owner complaints about the 2008 Nissan Altima (1%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2008 Nissan Altima?
There are 2 recalls and 17 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms 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 13Whining noise 9Brake failure 6Door locks 6Headlights 6Hesitation 6Overheating 6Sudden acceleration 5Sunroof shattered 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 Nissan Altima?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history