The nonlinear propagation of quantum ion acoustic wave (QIAW) is investigated in a four-component plasma com-posed of warm classical positive ions and negative ions, as well as inertialess relativistically degenerate electrons and positrons. A nonlinear Schr ¨odinger equation is derived by using the reductive perturbation method, which goves the dynamics of QIAW packets. The modulation instability analysis of QIAWs is considered based on the typical parameters of the white dwarf. The results exhibit that both in weakly relativistic limit and in ultrarelativistic limit, the modulational instability regions are sensitively dependent on the ratios of temperature and number density of negative ions to those of positive ions respectively, and on relativistically degenerate effect as well.