2008 Nissan ALTIMA HYBRID - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid has received high ratings in front crash and side crash tests, with a score of 5 for both the driver and passenger sides. However, the overall safety rating is listed as "Not Rated," suggesting that further evaluations may be needed in other areas. The vehicle does not have stability control, but it does offer the option for electronic stability control. Additionally, it does not come equipped with forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the Altima Hybrid has had a significant number of complaints totaling 1027. There have been 4 recalls issued for this vehicle, indicating a need for attention to certain safety-related issues. These factors should be considered when evaluating the overall safety of the 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

1,027

Recall Count

4

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2008 Nissan Altima 4-DR Hybrid w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2008 Nissan Altima 4-DR Hybrid w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Optional
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2008 Nissan Altima 4-DR Hybrid w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2008 Nissan Altima 4-DR Hybrid w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2008 Score 2010 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2008 Score 2010 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2008 Score 2010 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2008 Nissan ALTIMA HYBRID

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"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."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2018-02-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 nissan altima. the contact stated that the dashboard was melting due to extreme heat. the contact stated that there was a glare reflecting off the dashboard and onto the windshield which would obstruct her vision while driving. the contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and it was stated that they could repair the dashboard. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 50,000."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2014-01-02
Complaint:
"the dashboard is melting when it reaches a certain high temperature. this happens whenever the temperature is above 80 degrees farenheit."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2022-06-08
Complaint:
"the dashboard of vehicle has developed a shine to it that reflects onto the windshield when driving in sun light obstructing vision of road. the dash also feels like it has become sticky and soft like it is melting."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2020-01-07
Complaint:
"dash melting and sticky and causing a glare in the windshield. *tr"
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2018-01-06
Complaint:
"reflective dashboard that is melting from the sunlight causing it to be very sticky, gummy, & shiny. causing a blinding glare on the windshield & effecting my visibility to see where i'm driving & i can not see other persons or vehicles. it a safety hazard to me other people i meet in the road & also a health hazard to me from having to breath, inhale the toxic chemicals that are coming out of the material of the dashboard. please help me with vehicle that i am having driving hazards with. my name is [xxx], my phone number is [xxx] & my email address is [xxx]. i need to get help getting this dashboard fixed as soon as possible before it creates an accident that could kill me , my passengers & whom ever i meet on the highway. thank you! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr"
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2021-08-05
Complaint:
"the dashboard is melting and turning to goo and now is also crumbling. i started contacting nissan corp approx 3 years ago . i have attempted to file 3 claims and all have been denied. the dealership agrees that the dashboard is defective but states since the car is out of warranty they can't help. the dashboard puts off a glare that is a safety hazard, especially on sunny days. this is the same issue that a lawsuit filed in texas and florida resulted in the dashboards. there is also an odor at times and the vapor leaves a film on the windshield. you can't clean the windshield because the rags or paper towels stick to the goo. this issue is a safety hazzard. i have researched and have found multiple consumers are experiencing the same issue and have been denied by nissan. the nissan rep would not even allow me to speak with her supervisor or anyone in charge. she simply said i have presented your information and our decision is final getting replaced. basically i was told that i am not part of the florida or texas suit so sorry about your luck. nissan did say that if i wanted to buy a new car they would offer me a special deal. really why would i buy something from a company that knows the dashboards are defective."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2017-01-06
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle's dashboard was melting and the material created a glare from the sun. the dashboard was also fractured. the contact called nissan van nuys (located at 5425 van nuys blvd, sherman oaks, ca 91401, 818-787-8400) and was referred to the manufacturer. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in a recall or warranty. the approximate failure mileage was 151,316. *ln *tr"
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2019-01-09
Complaint:
"my dashboard has melted. it was parked in our driveway, in the sun, on a cold winters day, while there was snow on the ground, in new jersey. how is that possible? aside from how terrible it looks, it's a safety concern. the surface is sticky + glossy, the fumes + odor are toxic & the real danger is the blinding glare reflecting up onto the windshield. the car cannot be driven in the daytime. we read about the recall in florida only, but last we checked, the sun shines across all 50 states."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2020-08-03
Complaint:
"the dash of my 2008 nissan altima coupe has melted so severely that it's almost impossible to drive in the daytime. the material once melted becomes extremely sticky and dangerously reflective. what i mean by reflective, is that when the sun shines, it reflects so much light from the dash to the front windshield right into my, the driver, eyes. the reflections are extremely and dangerously blinding which makes it very difficult to see the road or anything else for that matter! not to mention the glue like surface that makes it impossible to put something on the dashboard to try reducing the deadly reflections! the manufacture's defective product is extremely dangerous to the direct safety of myself and my family and every other motorist, pedestrians, animals etc."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2020-05-06

Recalls for the 2008 Nissan ALTIMA HYBRID

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2008-10-07

NISSAN Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

NISSAN ranks 5 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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