Six problems related to brake master cylinder have been reported for the 2008 Nissan Altima. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2008 Nissan Altima based on all problems reported for the 2008 Altima.
Brakes felt as if the emergency brake was on all the time and vehicle would only go in first gear and if I let off the gas the car would come to a halt. Car was towed to dealer for master cylinder changeout. Nissan claims my vehicle id was not a part of a known service bulletin for this vehicle 2007-2012. I think this matter warrants further looking into as my son is the primary driver.
I had noticed months ago that the brake performance was not up to par, but as conditions were generally dry, it was not a problem. I did have new rotors and pads installed at 50,000 miles, but had no better brake performance. As soon as we experienced snowy/icy conditions it became a problem as the vehicle would then slide with the brakes locked, even though snow tires were installed. I then determined that the rear brakes were not working at all, and the hash marks from manufactures grinding on the new rear discs was virtually untouched. The rear brakes were bled, and there was no evidence of air in the line which pointed to a problem upstream. With the rear of the car raised and the brake pedal fully depressed, the rear wheels could still be turned by hand. There is evidence that the master cylinder is weeping at the booster.
Master cylinder leak, had to replace master cylinder or it could have lead to a brake failure.
Service brakes, hydraulic-foundation components-master cylinder : after a few days of driving with a brake indicator light coming on, crown Nissan service representative indicated that the master cylinder was leaking into the power booster, lowering the brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir. Total charges were $684. 55 to repair. This is a 3 year old car with 41,321 highway miles driven lightly. It appears to be a similar situation as the 2007 and 2008 Nissan sentra and although the two models do not share the same parts, the manufacturer is likely to be the same. This should be a factory recall issue.
Master cylinder found to be leaking. Warning light was coming on.
"brake" indicator light began coming on intermittently while driving. Took the car in for service, found out the brake master cylinder is leaking and needs replaced. Vehicle is a 2008 Nissan Altima and only has 41,000 miles on it. Vehicle was recently in for maintenance service in December 2010, no indication of problem was given following inspection.