IllustrationINTELLIGENT KEY SYSTEM LIGHT IS ON AND CAR WILL NOT START. BRAKE WILL NOT FULLY PRESS AND ENGINE DOES NOT RESPOND WHEN BUTTON IS PUSHED. ALL DASH LIGHTS/INDICATORS COME ON, AS WELL AS LIGHTS AND RADIO. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN NISSAN ALTIMAS REGARDLESS OF THE YEAR MODEL. *TR
2008 Nissan Altima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Altima years
Owner complaints for the 2008 Nissan Altima are substantially higher than the model-year median of 231.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Altima years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1010–25K
11425–50K
16050–75K
11975–100K
139100–150K
52150K+
685 reports with mileage · 343 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 312 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 168 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 142 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
53 crash reports13 fire reports26 injury reports
What owners actually said
1,028 reportsPOWER DOOR LOCKS MALFUNCTIONING ON 3 OF THE 4 DOORS. DEPENDING ON DAY, SOMETIMES ONE OR MORE LOCKS WILL NOT LOCK WHEN USING KEY FOB OR WHEN USING POWER LOCK BUTTON ON DRIVER DOOR. AT OTHER TIMES, ONE OR MORE LOCKS WILL NOT OPEN WHEN USING KEY FOB OR WHEN USING POWER LOCK BUTTON ON DRIVER DOOR. I AM FEARFUL THAT AFTER A CRASH I …
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POWER DOOR LOCKS MALFUNCTIONING ON 3 OF THE 4 DOORS. DEPENDING ON DAY, SOMETIMES ONE OR MORE LOCKS WILL NOT LOCK WHEN USING KEY FOB OR WHEN USING POWER LOCK BUTTON ON DRIVER DOOR. AT OTHER TIMES, ONE OR MORE LOCKS WILL NOT OPEN WHEN USING KEY FOB OR WHEN USING POWER LOCK BUTTON ON DRIVER DOOR. I AM FEARFUL THAT AFTER A CRASH I WILL TRY TO UNLOCK DOORS TO NO AVAIL. I HAVE ALSO FOUND MY DOORS UNLOCKED WHEN RETURNING TO MY VEHICLE, EVEN AFTER HITTING THE LOCK BUTTON WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE. I AM FEARFUL THAT A CAR THIEF OR MURDERER MAY HAVE ACCESS TO MY VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. ADDITIONALLY, I HAVE TRIED TO ACCESS MY VEHICLE QUICKLY IN DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT I'VE HAD TO TRY MULTIPLE TIMES TO UNLOCK THE DOORS. *TR
THE AUTOMATIC DOOR SYSTEM IN THIS CAR IS NON-FUNCTIONAL, ALL 4 DOOR DO NOT LOCK OR OPEN. IT HAS TO BE DONE MANUALLY. *TR
DRIVER DOOR POWER WINDOW CONTROL PANEL NOT WORKING TO OPERATE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW AT ALL. *TR
I DROVE MY CAR YESTERDAY WITHOUT ANY INCIDENTS. I HAVE NOTICED THIS "KEY" SYMBOL ON DASH WARNING LIGHT INDICATING I NEEDED TO INSERT THE KEY INTO THE CAR IN ORDER TO START THE CAR FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS. THERE IS NO DIAGNOSTIC CODE AND I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP AT NISSAN THAT IT WAS JUST INDICATING LOW BATTERY ON THE KEY…
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I DROVE MY CAR YESTERDAY WITHOUT ANY INCIDENTS. I HAVE NOTICED THIS "KEY" SYMBOL ON DASH WARNING LIGHT INDICATING I NEEDED TO INSERT THE KEY INTO THE CAR IN ORDER TO START THE CAR FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS. THERE IS NO DIAGNOSTIC CODE AND I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP AT NISSAN THAT IT WAS JUST INDICATING LOW BATTERY ON THE KEY REMOTE (EVEN THO I JUST REPLACED THE BATTERY IN NOVEMBER). I WENT TO START MY CAR THIS MORNING AND ALTHOUGH THE DASH LIGHTS UP, THE CAR WILL NOT START. I TRIED TO JUMP START IT AND STILL WOULDN'T START. THE BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON AND THE DASH LIGHTS UP, BUT THE CAR WILL NOT TURN OVER AT ALL. THERE ISN'T A FAST CLICKING SOUND LIKE IT COULD BE THE STARTER. THE KEY DOESN'T WORK TO UNLOCK THE DOORS OR THE TRUNK EITHER. APPARENTLY THIS IS AS A RESULT OF A FAULTY STEERING LOCK UNIT. *TR
MY DASHBOARD STARTED TO MELT WITH THE RISING TEMPERATURES THIS SUMMER AND IS SPREADING AND GETTING WORSE AS THE TEMPERATURE RISES...... WHICH IS CAUSED BY THE SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS THEY USED TO MANUFACTURE THE DASHBOARD... <<<< IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE >>>> AND HAS DEVELOPED A SHEEN THAT IS REFLECTING A LA…
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MY DASHBOARD STARTED TO MELT WITH THE RISING TEMPERATURES THIS SUMMER AND IS SPREADING AND GETTING WORSE AS THE TEMPERATURE RISES...... WHICH IS CAUSED BY THE SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS THEY USED TO MANUFACTURE THE DASHBOARD... <<<< IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE >>>> AND HAS DEVELOPED A SHEEN THAT IS REFLECTING A LARGE GLARE BACK AT THE WINDSHIELD WHICH MAKES IT UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON SUNLIT DAYS. *TR
I'VE BEEN HAVING AN ISSUE WITH MY 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA DASHBOARD MELTING AND CAUSING A GLARE ON THE WINDSHIELD THAT IMPAIRS DRIVING ABILITY. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNSAFE ON THE ROAD, AND VISIBILITY CAN OFTEN BECOME AN ISSUE WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE HIGH. *TR
REAR SWAY BAR SNAPPED ON DRIVERS SIDE. BAR IS HOLLOW. CAR IS DRIVEN ON FREEWAYS 90% OF THE TIME, SO NO HARD TURNS. *TR
I HAD ONLY ONE ISSUE WITH MY 08 ALTIMA. THE CAR WOULD OCCASIONALLY NOT RECOGNIZE EITHER OF THE KEY-FOBS FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE NO REASON. IT DID NOT SEEM TO MATTER WHAT TIME OF DAY, TEMP., OR WEATHER. I EVEN REPLACED THE BATTERIES OF THE KEY-FOBS AND THE CARS BATTERY AS WELL. (WHICH WAS SUGGESTED AS THE FIRST TRY TO REMEDY THIS PR…
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I HAD ONLY ONE ISSUE WITH MY 08 ALTIMA. THE CAR WOULD OCCASIONALLY NOT RECOGNIZE EITHER OF THE KEY-FOBS FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE NO REASON. IT DID NOT SEEM TO MATTER WHAT TIME OF DAY, TEMP., OR WEATHER. I EVEN REPLACED THE BATTERIES OF THE KEY-FOBS AND THE CARS BATTERY AS WELL. (WHICH WAS SUGGESTED AS THE FIRST TRY TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM). ON MAY 3, 2013 WITH ABOUT 66,000 MILES OR SO (STILL A BABY AS FAR AS CAR MILEAGE GOES) I HAD NO ISSUES STARTING THE CAR OR WITH IT RECOGNIZING THE KEY-FOB. THE 'ISSUE" HAPPENED AS I WAS MAKING A LANE CHANGE. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL THE CAR CAUSING US (2 CHILDREN AND MYSELF) TO CRASH. MY CAR WAS TOTALED... AND AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE I WILL NOT BE PURCHASING OR RIDING IN ANOTHER NISSAN AGAIN. I'M CERTAIN HAD I BEEN ON A MAJOR HWY WHEN THIS OCCURRED WE WOULD HAVE DIED AND OTHERS INJURED/DEAD AS WELL. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO START VEHICLE WITH THE KEYLESS FEATURE OR BY USING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT HAD TO WAIT A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE BEING ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR A DIAGN…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO START VEHICLE WITH THE KEYLESS FEATURE OR BY USING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT HAD TO WAIT A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE BEING ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE BRAKE SWITCH WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 27,750.
Official recalls
410V401000 · Equipment:electrical:navigational System(global Positioning System)
Sep 10, 2010
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
08V521000 · Air Bags; Electrical System:software
Oct 7, 2008
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).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:software
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).
Consequence: 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.
Air Bags
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).
Consequence: 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.
08V363000 · Suspension
Jul 31, 2008
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
07V599000 · Electrical System:ignition:module
Dec 28, 2007
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE11020 · Brake Master Cylinder Internal Leak
Opened May 23, 2011 · Closed Mar 14, 2012
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder
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 www.Safercar.gov. 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.