Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Nissan Versa owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I park the Nissa Versa and I smell an over heating odor a lightly dense smoke appears over the hood. A thought comes to mind, "I just went to Jiffy Lube last week." Suddenly two people are running towards yelling, "Fire, get out of the car." I couldn't believe it I was at a loss for words I couldn't move until they literally opened the door. I started recording it. It's insane I loved that car, it was payed off and it still looked nice. -it gets worse They tow the car to North Shore Towing. I report it to my insurance and the appraiser that attempted to see the car was not allowed access because I didn't sign a release form so I go to the towing place and sign the release form. The appraiser goes for the second time and is refused entrance. Weeks went by so I call the insurance which informs me of the previous two failed entries to North Shore Towing. …
I was driving just about to get onto the highway but as I was turning onto the on ramp I suddenly couldn't turn the wheel and crashed into the guard rail and my power steering light was on. My car underwent extensive damage on the outside and the alignment is now very bad. It had to sit overnight and when we got back to it the light was off. This is a very dangerous issue. (miles per hour below is an est.) this just occurred and in the process with insurance.
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. …
I was driving my vehicle just turning the corner when my vehicle stopped running. I noticed smoke coming out from under the hood. I open the hood and saw my engine was on fire. The battery area was fully enfulfed in flames, there were other areas of fire in the engine area, but I did not stay there to examine the situation. I immediately dropped the hood and ran to safety to call 911. My vehicle was properly maintained by downtown nashville Nissan dealership. I reported this incident to them and to Nissan north America, neither of which will take any responsibility. This is a serious situation. There should have been no reason for my vehicle to have burst into flames while driving it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to operate after the key was removed from the ignition. When the key was placed in the ignition, there was an abnormal grinding noise. In addition, the vehicle experienced a loss of power. The vehicle was able to be operated after the vehicle was restarted manually. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer to have the air bags replaced. The dealer could not replicate the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure occurred three times. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
I was driving down the highway, when I saw sparks fly on the left hand side of road beside my car, the ABS light and another light came on the dashboard and immediately went away when I braked and pulled off highway. I checked tires and everything appeared okay. Drove approximately 10 more miles, heard a loud pop under the hood, car and lights shut down completely. Pulled off the highway, opened hood and battery was on fire. Vehicle has original battery and mileage around 51,000. Called fire department to extinguish fire and they said something like that shouldn't have occurred on a vehicle that was pretty new.
The driver side clock spring has developed a problem that affects all of the air-bags in the car. None work. This was detected only after they had worked on the problem for a very minor defect. The trouble lights come on and off at any given moment. I went over the depressions in the center of the road to pass a car and the tire problem light came on. Now none of the power windows work. I don't believe I should have all these problems with a car that is only 8 years old.
I was merging from the lh to the rh lane on an intersection when my car was hit on the passenger side by an on-coming pick-up truck. At the time of the collision I was struck on the rh side of my head by the car's radio which was apparently dis-engaged from the car's instrument panel. I was the only passenger in my vehicle, was wearing my seat belt. The passenger side air bags deployed. My head injury was treated on-site by an ems unit and I was transferred to a local hospital where I was diagnosed with a concussion. On 8/13/2014 my car was transferred to my local Nissan dealer (where I purchased the vehicle) for inspection by my insurance company. At the dealership the radio issue was communicated by my husband to to the dealership collision manager, a dealership salesman and my insurance company adjustor. …
Our 2007 Nissan Versa has a ignition starting problem. It is a brand new car and will not start. You have to crank it to get it to start. There are complaints across north America on this problem. The sales manager at orlando Nissan told me I will have to go through the service department and I already know others have failed at getting this problem fixed numerous times. This is a material defect and I am concerned for the safety of my wife and seven year old. It also has a loud clicking in the car when you turn the wheel hard to the left. There is no fix and the service departments will surely string this out and cost us time away from work and home and replace other things that are not causing it just to look proactive. I am not satisfied with that and would like the department to consider investigating this to recall this vehicle for an unsafe engine.
Replaced the continuously variable transmission on 09/13/2011 at 92524 miles. Approximately 2 weeks later my daughter was driving vehicle and the car stalled. The car will run but when put it in gear it will not go anywhere or rev up. This car has been to three mechanics including Nissan dealership and the problem cannot be found. Numerous parts were changed out but did not solve the problem. Sometimes it will drive for a short distance (less than a block) and then will be unmoveable again. This car has been undrivable since September 2011. They are a hazard on the highway due to the fact you never know when they are going to shut down. Also we are paying for a car that is undrivable.
Electrical complaints in other Versa years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2008 Nissan Versa?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 Nissan Versa, 7% of the model year's 381 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Nissan Versa electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2008 Nissan Versa, though it has 7 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 Versa electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 46,000 miles, and 37% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 4 fires and 2 injuries to electrical system 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.