Most common 2008 Nissan Versa problems
Share of the 381 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Nissan Versa complaints by model year
Best Versa years: 2019, 2017, 2018. Years to avoid: 2024, 2012, 2009, 2008. Compare all years →
2008 Nissan Versa recalls (7)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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.
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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,…
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and 2007-2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver frontal air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to moderate absolute humidity, temperatures, and temperature…
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the subject inflator with a new one manufactured by a different supplier, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2018.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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.
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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,…
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.
Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
Nissan (Nissan North America, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Nissan Versa vehicles manufactured May 8, 2006, to November 12, 2012, that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota,…
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front coil springs, free of charge. The recall began on February 2, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Show 1 more recall
Equipment › Electrical › Navigational system(global positioning system)
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.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2008 Nissan Versa:
Front Coil Spring Fracture
In a letter dated September 10,2015, Nissan North America,Inc. (Nissan) notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a safety defect that may result in coil spring fracture in approximately 218,019 model year (MY) 2007 through 2012 Nissan Versa vehiclesproduced from May 8, 2006 through November12, 2012 and originally sold or ever registered in the following 22 states and the District of…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
What 2008 Nissan Versa owners say
Air bags all 171 →
Traffic stopped suddenly when I hit my brakes they failed to work and the airbags didn't work either so I ended up hitting my head on the roof of the car when I ran into the truck that suddenly stopped in front of me at speed of about 50mph. I don't feel good but have no way to get medical attention right now. And was just released from having some head trauma the day before the accident. My car was totaled in the accident so I don't need additional recall information on it, and no insurance to fix it so now I don't have any way to get a new car.
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
Suspension all 70 →
I found a piece of a broken coil spring in my driveway (where multiple cars are parked) in NJ. A quick visual inspection of all the vehicles typically parked near that area did not show any sitting uneven or any obvious evidence of any with problems. A few weeks later, after driving approx 1000 miles on my nissan, I noticed that the front suspension seemed shorter and quicker to bottom-out. This was obvious when rolling over speed humps. Another, more in-depth inspection of the front springs revealed an unseated spring on the left front. The spring appears to have slipped off or through the bottom cup and is not centered on the strut. After looking the vehicle up on NHTSA site this appears to be related to Manufacturer Recall NumberPM565. The NJ vehicle is currently in NC. I plan to take it to a Nissan dealer to have the recall work performed.
On 6/10/16 I was driving on the highway via my 2008 Nissan Versa when a loud noise occurred, unable to drive, both front tires blew out. Car was shaking a bit uncontrollable. I contacted aaa, technician said both front tires blew out due to failure of spring coils and I could have been killed or killed someone due to this issue on the highway. Dealer replaced front spring coils due to recall, but said I needed to buy two new tires and to put into Nissan a reimbursement claim for the tires. I filed the claim with Nissan on 6/17/16, to date no response and it is 7/5/16 - no phone calls, no response from Nissan. My two tires were damaged and destroyed by Nissan's failure/defective equipment. I had to pay approx $300 for two new tires. I have contacted my credit card company to dispute the transaction as I acted in good faith - Nissan does not act in good faith not as of 7/5/16. …
Fuel & propulsion system all 32 →
Takata recall (Nissan Versa hatchback) airbag light will not turn off in car. This relates to vehicle safety for any passenger in front seat of car in case of an accident. Have had to replace sensors and catalytic converter once and have been told recently I need the major catalytic converter replaced again. Sometimes an unusual smell comes from engine when I start car.
Stopped on our way home from a small trip and refueled the Versa. Noticed a small drip coming from the gas tank. Assumed it was coming from an overflow tube inside the fuel filler tube. The next day we took the Versa to our mechanic and told him about it. He investigated and found the fuel leak coming from the fuel pump attached to the top of the fuel tank. The leak as he described it coming from under the plug in where the wiring harness connects to provide power to the pump.under the plug in was a crack . There was also a hole that appeared in color of a burnt mark to the rear inside corner of the plug in wall exposing a metal stem goes to the prong that connects to the wiring harness. This area is above fuel tank surface or outside the top of the tank. …
2008 Nissan Versa engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8L 4-cyl | CVT | FWD | 27 / 33 / 29 |
| 1.8L 4-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 26 / 31 / 28 |
| 1.8L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 24 / 32 / 27 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Nissan Versa a good car?
Based on 381 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2008 Versa rates use caution: 1.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the Versa at the same age. It is one of the Versa years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Nissan Versa?
The air bags — 171 complaints, 45% of all complaints for this model year, most often about side/window. Next are the suspension (70) and fuel & propulsion system (32).
How many recalls does the 2008 Nissan Versa have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2008 Nissan Versa, the most recent from January 9, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Nissan Versa?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2019, 2017 and 2018. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2012, 2009 and 2008. See the full Nissan Versa years comparison.
At what mileage do 2008 Nissan Versa problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 52,000 miles; 46% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.