2008 Nissan VERSA - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2008 Nissan Versa 4-DR w/SAB has received a 4-star rating for both the front crash driver side and front crash passenger side. However, the overall safety rating is labeled as "Not Rated" as several categories such as overall side crash, rollover, and side pole crash ratings are also "Not Rated." The car does not come equipped with electronic stability control, forward collision warning, or lane departure warning systems. It is concerning that there have been 379 complaints reported for this model, along with 8 recalls and 2 investigations. Overall, potential buyers should take these factors into consideration when evaluating the safety of the 2008 Nissan Versa.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

379

Recall Count

8

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2008 Nissan Versa 4-DR w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2008 Nissan Versa 4-DR 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.

No
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 Versa 4-DR w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2008 Nissan Versa 4-DR 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 2007 Score 2008 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

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

Test 2007 Score 2008 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 4 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

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

Test 2007 Score 2008 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2008 Nissan VERSA

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:
"i had not driven the car prior to noticing the air passenger light blinking and continuing to stay on. this is occurring whether someone is in the seat or not. regards, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2025-06-12

Complaint:
"i have a recall for airbag, i made appointment with dealership. on august 16 2023, went to the appointment and it took 4h to replace and they gave me a report that its been fixed, they replaced both driver and passenger side airbag, and the airbag light is off (attached picture of report) when i took the car i noticed the airbag light is still on. i went back and told them the issue and they retook the car for inspection. i waited another 1h and they brought me an invoice that there is a cable from airbag to the car, this needs to be replaced and it cost 400$ without tax and without labor. my complain is that they pretended to replace and fix the airbag and they made sure there is no light on. upon taking the car i noticed it wasn't true. now they demand money for repair. i believe the dealership is not going to remedy the recall without charging"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2024-04-08

Complaint:
"the contact owned a 2008 nissan versa. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 17v449000 (air bags) and 16v349000 (air bags) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list since he no longer owns the vehicle. the local dealer and the manufacturer were contacted."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2024-01-10

Complaint:
"about 6 months ago my driver air bag light came on. we told shortly after that their is a recall on that exact thing i have been but still get no. i am worried as it now is flashing instead of steady"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-07-05

Complaint:
"today was in an accident, car slid and rolled multiple times. the car is completely totaled and i was informed that 100% air bags should have deployed but they did not. checked for recalls and there is recalls for this vehicle for airbags but my vin does not match the database."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-06-08

Complaint:
"air bag light flashing / air bags recall has been fixed"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-04-09

Complaint:
"my airbag light has been on for a few days now and i'm scared to drive the car"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-03-01

Complaint:
"takata recall - i cannot get my local dealers to return my call to schedule an appointment to get this issue fixed. i continue to get warning notices from nissan usa, but local dealers avoid scheduling recalls, always saying they must "confer with the production manager to ensure parts are available", they then promise to call back but never do. i have left phone numbers and email addresses and never heard from either of them. at this point i believe they are stalling on the fixes hoping the older cars simply die and go to the graveyard first."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2020-10-02

Complaint:
"we received a notice from nissan that the airbag on passenger side was very dangerous. do not let anyone ride on the passenger side. i went to the nissan dealer and they said that they couldnt get the parts to fix it. it was approximatley 8-9 months later when they finally received the parts. lt was a real hardship to not carry any passengers in the front seat for that long. the dealer allowed me to take one of their cars for 1 weekend but i couldnt ask for any more. i am not sure about any dates anymore."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2017-02-10

Complaint:
"tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2008 nissan versa. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 17v449000 (air bags) concerning both the front driver and passenger air bags. the contact scheduled an appointment with an unknown dealer for the front passenger air bag. the vehicle was repaired, according to the dealer. shortly after the repair, the horn failed to function. the horn was not repaired. the dealer stated that the part was unavailable for the driver's air bag. the contact waited for months, but the part was still unavailable. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the failure mileage was not available. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2017-01-02

Recalls for the 2008 Nissan VERSA

Component Recalls

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

Recall:
"nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 maxima, 2002-2006 sentra, 2002-2004 pathfinder, 2007-2011 versa sedan and versa hatchback, 2001-2004 infiniti i30 and i35, 2002-2003 inifiniti qx4, 2003-2008 infiniti fx35 and fx45 and 2006-2010 m35 and m45 vehicles. the vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (psan) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous takata recalls. these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling."
Consequence:
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or Infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2020-01-09

Recall:
"nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2008 nissan versa sedan and versa hatchback vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, arizona, arkansas, california, delaware, district of columbia, florida, georgia, hawaii, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, louisiana, maryland, mississippi, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, south carolina, tennessee, texas, virginia, west virginia, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. virgin islands. the passenger air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation due to exposure to humidity and temperature cycling."
Consequence:
If an inflator were to explode it may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 25, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: The vehicles covered by this recall are in addition to those covered by recall 16V-349.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2018-07-06

Recall:
"nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2012 nissan versa hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan) and the u.s. virgin islands, or "zone a". additionally, if not included in "zone a" above, nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 infiniti m35 and m45 and 2009 nissan versa sedans and hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia, or "zone b". additionally, if not included in "zone a" or "zone b" above, nissan is recalling certain 2005-2008 infiniti fx35 and fx45, 2006-2010 infiniti m35 and m45, and 2007-2008 nissan versa vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in alaska, colorado, connecticut, idaho, iowa, maine,..."
Consequence:
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on June 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2017-01-10

Recall:
"nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 infiniti fx35 and fx45, 2003-2004 infiniti i35, 2006-2010 infiniti m35 and m45, and 2007-2011 nissan versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, nissan is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 infiniti fx35 and fx45, 2003-2004 infiniti i35, 2006-2008 infiniti m35 and m45, and 2007-2008 nissan versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia, or "zone b." lastly, unless included in "zone a" or "zone b" above, nissan is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 infiniti i35 vehicles..."
Consequence:
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2016-05-24

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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