Overview & Reviews

Nissan was born in Japan, and like other marques from its homeland, the brand is known for crafting vehicles that place an emphasis on quality and reliability. The company's roster of products is broad, and includes sporty coupes, family sedans, minivans, trucks and SUVs.

The automaker got its start in 1933 as the Jidosha Seico Co., Ltd. The following year, this outfit merged with another Japanese manufacturer, and the new company was christened Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. Nissan initially marketed its vehicles under the Datsun brand, with the first Datsuns being built in 1934. Postwar, the brand made its presence felt worldwide, building a partnership with the U.K.-based Austin Motor Co. and establishing a presence in the United States. The first Datsuns hit American shores in 1958. Vehicles like the Datsun 1000 were based on Austin platforms.

The '60s witnessed Nissan's merger with Prince Motor Company, a union that helped the Asian manufacturer create more luxury-focused vehicles. In the U.S. it began offering its first vehicle styled for the U.S. market, the Datsun 510 sedan. By the end of the decade, Datsun had exported more than 1 million vehicles. Datsun rose to prominence in the 1970s on the popularity of its 240Z sports car. Powered by an inline six-cylinder engine, the car was coveted for its blend of style, performance and affordability. By the time the '70s drew to a close, the automaker's cumulative vehicle exports had surpassed the 10 million mark.

In 1981, Nissan shelved the Datsun name and began selling vehicles worldwide under the Nissan moniker. The '80s also saw Nissan's launch of a tuning division called Nismo for the development of performance-oriented vehicles and accessories. Nissan also brought its production to American shores, with the construction of a Georgia-based plant.

The early '90s saw Nissan's fortunes rise in the U.S. thanks to fun-to-drive cars like the 300ZX, Maxima and Sentra. But this trend didn't last long and by the late '90s Nissan's offerings consisted of anonymous vehicles. The company's future was uncertain.

After the turn of the new century Nissan bounced back, helped by a 1999 alliance with Renault that boosted the company's finances. Its redesigned Sentra and Altima boosted sales and consumer interest, as did new models like the 350Z sports car, Armada SUV and Titan pickup. Today the manufacturer is known for offering a wide range of well-regarded vehicles, including the popular Murano SUV, the incredible GT-R supercar and the all-electric Leaf.

User Reviews:

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  My Altima Broke Down 5 Times - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Steve - August 4 - 6:47 pm

  I bought a used Altima in 2019. I'm grateful I bought a warranty, because I needed multiple repairs within the first year. The issue that happened was I would press the gas and the car wouldn't respond at all. It would slow down and come to a complete stop. Nissan "fixed" it 3 times in different ways. I thought I was out of the woods, but in July of 2022 it died on me in the the middle of nowhere, Arizona, on a scorching day. Nissan told me to replace the head gasket, at a cost of $1500 to me. (Nissan paid the other half, so this repair cost $3000 total.) I picked it up from the shop to drive home and it broke down again after only two hours on the road. That was the last time. I sold it back to Nissan today. In trying to rectify this, I was treated like a nuisance and they don't even offer loaner vehicles. This car is unsafe and unreliable and Nissan's customer service has been nonexistent. Do not buy a Nissan ever.

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  Dim headlights - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Pat Sevigny - October 28 - 3:28 pm

  There is an issue with hradlights going dim. You cannot see at all and it is very very dangerous. High beams work fine.i noticed several people have sued and should be reimbursed but nissan was 0 help. 1300 to fix. Sad they care so little about their customers safty. Font buy nissans

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  Not good for off road - 2015 Nissan Xterra
  By K Robitaille - June 21 - 12:49 am

  I had this vehicle for 3 weeks in Costa Rica. It couldn't cut the remote rugged off road nature of the country. Good on highway roads that were paved but when it came to medium maintained roads or roads that experience some wash from rain I didn't feel it was up to the task.

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  Total power loss - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Tim - July 23 - 8:56 pm

  Had my nissan for 5 day and one day in busy traffic, the car would just move 3 miles a hour from a traffic light . Total power loss. I brought it back to the car lot and they had it check out and said it work fine till the engine is warm that when total loss of power. So I went back to a gm car. I thought being a japen car ,it would be good like toyota but no dont bother with nissan worse then a ford.The worse car I drove.

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  Ok, but disappointed - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By JLPearl - December 31 - 11:16 am

  I was disappointed in this car. Have heard foriegn cars are better, and this was my first one - no more for me. Check engine light came on before we even got it home! Went round & round with the dealer who finally agreed to the repair - intake manifold gasket (exact same problem I had with my GM!) Car sits low - it will rust, even if you constantly wash it. Car is light and has a rough ride - feel every bump in the road. Exterior trim started falling off one day for no reason. Power drivers window was very sluggish. Gas mileage was horrid - I the best I got was 24mpg. I went back to GM and am happier. I get 28-30mpg consistently with my current full size GM product (V6).

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  Rattle Trap - 2017 Nissan Rogue
  By dogwood - December 24 - 7:47 pm

  This car is too small and was a rattle trap with 25,000 miles. I drove the car for 2 weeks and found it to be very inadequate. Interior is low budget materials with distracting orange lights in the dash at night. This is very unacceptable. The car seems to be of low quality and would most likely not hold up over time.

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  Leaking Versa w/ bad gas mileage - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By MSL - December 23 - 11:56 am

  Purchased this Nissan Versa in April, 2008 as a commuter vehicle. I have a 64 mile round trip daily commute. I have had the Versa back four time to the dealership. Once for highway mileage that is only 27 mpg. The other three times have been for roof or door leaks. All have been part of warranty coverage, with free loaners to use during work. My floors are slopping wet and have been wet more than half of the eight months I have owned the vehicle. The last time I noticed wetness was after a free car wash that my dealership offers with each oil change. Living in Maine, a wet vehicle means frozen interiors to your windows each morning. Wish I had not purchased this vehicle.

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  2nd review after more miles. Still Junk and getting worse... - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By bradhenson - December 10 - 3:52 pm

  The 2013 will probably go down in history books of how NOT to build and market a car. The transmission still isnt working right (2 dealer trips as of today, and still wont admit to hearing a clattering noise coming from transmission billed as being unusually smooth), but lets make some impressive titanium paddle shifters that dont turn with the wheel (stupid). That will take their minds off all of the clattering and squeeling under the hood. I honestly hope someone steals this car for (crappy) parts. Its pretty on the inside and outside, but it has the character of worn out old truck. Pathetic. Really

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  TERRIBLE RELIABILITY!! DO NOT PURCHASE MURANOS!! - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By bobby125 - December 9 - 5:40 am

  HEARD ALL OVER OF THE SAME PROBLEMS ONCE I STARTED HAVING ISSUES W/MY MURANO. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND MURANOS!!! Bought used, had engine timing/engine chain problems HAD TO REPLACE WHOLE ENGINE MOTOR!! can cost thousands, mechanics also report problems w/ under hood accessibility on front end due to everything being compacted so poor front end design which takes more time&labor costs for mechanics to fix, also had work done on ball joints, tie rods and rear sway/axle bars TOO MANY MECHANICAL PROBLEMS for a foreign vehicle w/ only 120k miles.

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  2004 Titan - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By mel62 - December 7 - 4:36 pm

  purchased new and has been spraying gasoline out filler neck when re- fueling. Dealer has replaced evaporative canister 3 times and fuel tank once. Just returned at 43k and dealer and Nissan refused to repair item.