Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
In 2018 I was driving back home from Derby, Kansas to Denver, Colorado in the middle of summertime, and my air conditioner started blowing hot air and the AC did not need to be charged. This was in my 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe that I purchased in April 2008 with 4 miles on it and have taken amazing care of it and still have it to this day and is in excellent condition other than these issues. About an hour later, my car starting making a revving noise when I accelerated but my car was not accelerating and I would have to pull off on the side of the road, in 100 degree weather, no air conditioning, with my dogs, and wait for 30 minutes and then I could start driving for about 10 minutes, and then I had to repeat this all the way back to Denver. A normally 8 hour trip took me over 20 hours due to this. …
The drive train I believe it's called Or transmission is malfunctioning and yes it is available for inspection upon request Our safety was put in risk when the vehicle started driving at a low speed and would not accelerate eventually stopping completely The problem hasn't been inspected or confirmed by a dealer or service center There was no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure
Parked car due to electrical and transmission issues had left it for a couple hours to receive assistance and the car was gone it had no plates because I was attempting to register the car that same day
I had picked up a nail in my tire on my way home that I didn't know about which came out while I was on highway 94 (traveling at the posted speed limit of 65mph) which cause my vehicle to veer to on coming traffic so. I try to correct it and the my vehicle wasn't responding like it should have because of the transmission started slipping and wouldn't power out of the pull from the deflated tire so I had to over correct which caused me to lose control of the vehicle sending my into a revean and then over a 5 wire fence subsequently damaging my vehicle more than I would've had the transmission been operating properly I had less than 100,000 miles on the vehicle well under the recommended service interval not to mention that I received a citation for careless driving because I was unable to control my vehicle.
Transmission recall. The CVT transmission is bad on these on model altimas. They overheat and lose all power and the car wont accelerate . There is no warning light, no warning sound, it just goes out, where ever while in motion! My car did this last time on the freeway. You have to sit until the transmission cools off .. I have been on the side of the road in many places, I almost got hit the last time in the middle of the freeway. You can't drive more than 2 hours at 70 without it happening. Nissan recalled the part and extended teh warrantys but the parts still do it. The transmision shouldn't even be serviced until 100000 miles! Theses cars should easily get 200-250,000 miles. Nissan is negligent in not recalling them at all! Thousands of people have this "known" issue and it could cause someone to be killed! I am on the 4th transmission repair and it still does it! …
I need a new transmission at 126,000 miles! Car began making noise as if it was stuck in a gear, it became sluggish as I was trying to accelerate, the car would not accelerate. Drove it to sheehy Nissan a few days later and was told that I would have to call consumer affairs because I was outside the extended warranty of 120,000. My mileage was 126,000. Received call from sheehy service specialist leo saying that it would be fixed free of charge. The next day received another call from service specialist and was told that it was not approved by consumer affairs for repair. I called consumer affairs and was told that I would receive a call on Friday, sept. 18 from Nissan's regional specialist, quinashay, that more information was being gathered from sheehy Nissan. …
While being shifted into reverse from a stop in a parking space, our '08 Nissan Altima coupe 6spmt made a loud clunk from the engine compartment and the clutch pedal went immediately to the floor. The shared brake/clutch reservoir was found to be drained to the level of the clutch takeoff. While this presented no immediate safety issues, had it happened while shifting at highway speed, I can imagine it would be, to say the least, highly distracting for the typical driver and perhaps more so for a less experienced one. I have experienced clutch failures in other cars but typically the system deteriorates slowly, unlike this sudden failure. …
I own a 2008 Nissan Altima with 125000 miles which I purchased new. I called Nissan USA to report the dashboard melting problem and also report a whining noise coming from the transmission. A case was opened and within a couple of days I was told there was nothing they could do. Nissan would have replaced the transmission if I had 120,000 miles, but when I called to report the noisy transmission my actual miles were 124400 miles. They claimed that I'm no longer under the warranty because of the extra 4000 miles. I have owned three previous Nissan cars and so far I was very happy with the quality and reliability of the cars. It is clearly that the issues is related to the materials used and parts used in this model and year. I would like Nissan to take responsibility for the products they manufacture and sell.
CVT transmission replaced at 82,139 miles. An extension of the warranty was done for a large number of CVT transmissions extending to 120,000 miles. My daughters vehicle is at 147,000 miles and the car just about quit running on the interstate 55 south on her way back to college. We had to have it towed 200 miles home and the transmission must be replaced again at a cost of $3500 and the car is not worth that much money. Nissan did not correct the transmission problem, they just put another CVT transmission in the first time. This was an unsafe and unethical practice. They will not do anything about it nor give any credit because they say there are too many miles on the car. Although there is only 65,000 miles on the transmission itself.
Tl* the contact's husband owns a 2008 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently. The vehicle was taken to conyers Nissan in conyers, ga where the dealer stated that the vehicle needed a tune-up. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced. However, the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to conyers Nissan in conyers, ga where it was diagnosed that the transmission had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that they would pay for half of the repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.
Transmission complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2008 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 80 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2008 Nissan Altima, 8% of the model year's 1,030 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Nissan Altima transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2008 Nissan Altima, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Nissan Altima transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 110,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.