NISSAN VERSA · model year

2008 NISSAN VERSA

461 NHTSA complaints, 36 crash reports, and 8 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008NISSANVERSA carries 461 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 36 crashes, 16 fires, 29 injuries, and 5 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 VERSA is air bags with 167 filings, followed by suspension (65) and steering (22). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 8 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 2008 VERSA, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

461
Complaints
36
Crashes
16
Fires
29
Injuries
5
Deaths

Total Complaints

461 filings

Crashes Reported

36 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS167
SUSPENSION65
STEERING22
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM20
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE15
POWER TRAIN14
WHEELS14
UNKNOWN OR OTHER14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING11
SERVICE BRAKES11
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM10
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS8
ENGINE7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE5
TIRES5

Recalls (8)

16V34900024/05/2016

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, Mississ

17V44900017/07/2017

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, temper

15V57300014/09/2015

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,

10V40100010/09/2010

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.

17V02800010/01/2017

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

22E06600009/08/2022

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag inflators designed to fit Infiniti 2002-2003 QX4, 2006-2010 M35 and M45; Nissan 2

20V00800009/01/2020

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. The vehicles are

18V45200006/07/2018

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,

Recent Complaints

20250227CrashSERVICE BRAKES

See attached document for complaint.

20240320AIR BAGS

The contact owned a 2008 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that he had been receiving recall notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22E066000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list because he no longer owns the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted.

20240105AIR BAGS

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)

20230925CrashAIR BAGS

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.

20230925CrashSERVICE BRAKES

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.

20230925CrashUNKNOWN OR OTHER

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.

20230817AIR BAGS

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

20221025AIR BAGS

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.

20220727FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

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 ask the staff male on the phone why he didn’t allow the insurance agent entry to inspect vehicle I had signed

20220727FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 ask the staff male on the phone why he didn’t allow the insurance agent entry to inspect vehicle I had signed

20211101AIR BAGS

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

20210820SUSPENSION

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.

20210308SUSPENSION

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN VERSA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT COIL SPRING WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED COUNTY LINE NISSAN NORTH (522 WINSTED RD, TORRINGTON, CT 06790, (860) 482-5555) AND WAS INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE REPAIRED WITHOUT CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 158,000.

Mileage: 158,000

20200818CrashAIR BAGS

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.

Mileage: 227,000

20200217AIR BAGS

AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHING / AIR BAGS RECALL HAS BEEN FIXED

Mileage: 170,000

20200128STRUCTURE:BODY

OUTER DOOR HANDLE ON PASSENGER SIDE CAME OFF.DEALER FIXED IT AND I PAID FOR REPAIR. HANDLE CAME ODD 4 DAYS LATER.I RETURNED TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD A PART NEEDED TO BE REPLACED THAT IS BROKEN AND THE ADDITIONAL CHARGE WOULD BE 350.00. I FEEL THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF WHEN I FIRST WENT TO DEALER. I AM REQUESTING THE HANDLE BE REPLACED BY DEALER NO CHARGE SINCE IT WAS NOT PROPERLY REPAIRED WHEN I FIRST TOOK IT IN.THAT PART SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED WHEN THEY INITIALLY SO FIXED IT.

20200117AIR BAGS

MY AIRBAG LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR A FEW DAYS NOW AND I'M SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR

Mileage: 17,000

20191023SERVICE BRAKES

NO SENSE QUE PASO PERO UN DIA NO ME ENCENDIO Y LET ENCONTRARON AGUA AL MOTOR

Mileage: 140,000

20191023ENGINE

NO SENSE QUE PASO PERO UN DIA NO ME ENCENDIO Y LET ENCONTRARON AGUA AL MOTOR

Mileage: 140,000

20191023STEERING

NO SENSE QUE PASO PERO UN DIA NO ME ENCENDIO Y LET ENCONTRARON AGUA AL MOTOR

Mileage: 140,000

Compare 2008NISSANVERSA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 5 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 NISSAN VERSA have?
The 2008 NISSAN VERSA has 461 NHTSA complaints, 36 crashes, 16 fires, 29 injuries, and 5 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2008 NISSAN VERSA?
Yes, the 2008 NISSAN VERSA has 8 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 NISSAN VERSA?
The most-complained component for the 2008 NISSAN VERSA is AIR BAGS with 167 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SUSPENSION and STEERING.
Is the 2008 NISSAN VERSA safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.