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:

• 

  I hate this car. - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By kaylynn - June 1 - 8:46 am

  I have had non-stop problems with this car since 3 weeks after I bought it. It has problems starting and has recently quit starting all together. Constantly having to replace spark plugs. It handles poorly in the snow and rain. I have reason to believe that the dealership knew about these problems before I bought it, as seeing how they admitted it when I took it into them. The warranty doesnt cover any of the problems I have had.

• 

  lemon from the beginning - 2017 Nissan Sentra
  By bernardo nunez - May 28 - 4:10 pm

  spend a lot of gas 1 tank 4 day s in local traffic....transmissionvery noisy when shifting...power steering make noise whe spinning........already replace sensors and manifold..taken to the dealership several times

• 

  Value your money Dont buy a Nissan - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By mavis nvodjo - May 25 - 4:40 pm

  After a month of the car,I started having issues with the car> it started with just the radio resetting itself while driving am driving> the LCD screen begins to flash and my car eventually slows down and stops. The first time it happened,I had to call Triple AAA to come help me. The second time the same issue happened,I was in my neighborhood and the radio starting resetting on and off and again my car slows down and stops. After turning the car off for a good hour, the car started perfectly with no issues for about 10 days. Then,one fine Saturday this car ruins my whole day by deciding not to start at all. I took the car to Nissan and they told me, the car is not the problem it my phone. Apparently, my Samsung galaxy note Edge is so brilliant it can mess up a car. I didnt know phones could actually disabled a cars function. Is Nissan,trying to do anything to fix this car,absolutely not.Apparently since I bought a new car,I have to buy a new phone,If I believed the phone was the problem I would go a buy one. It my first car purchase and I regret ever buying a Nissan,I should have stuck to buying a toyota or a Honda. Yes the people are nice but I would stay away from Nissan from now. I wouldnt even recommend my enemy to buy a Nissan.

• 

  Good Handling - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By Marshall - April 25 - 2:00 am

  Rides like a sports car - stiff ride. gas mileage 21.5 city, 26 highway. good trunk space and fold down rear seat works well to increase carring capacity. Four cylinder has plenty of power to pass or climb hills.

• 

  Do Not buy worst car ever and sevire like no other. - 2012 Nissan Rogue
  By carman106 - April 24 - 5:53 pm

  I purchased a 2012 Rogue used. It had about 28000 mile. At 32000 miles the transmission acted up one day on my way to work. I try to take it in for service and was met by the rudest people ever. Nothing was done to fix it only excuses was made. I called Nissan Costumer Service, I was told that the dealership are not corporately owned and nothing they can do. As far as fixing the car they were not interested. At 40000 mile the car did the exact same thing. I was then told by the service manger " If the transmission only acts up ever couple of months, Its not considered a problem worth fixing or looking into fixing."

• 

  Mouse in new rogue 2016 - 2016 Nissan Rogue
  By Mony Den - April 18 - 3:39 am

  i had the car 6 weeks...It had 357 miles on it.....They say a mouse nest is in the blower...how....as it sat waiting to be bought....They told me the same thing when I bought a new sentra in 2010....This is a common problem with nissan....stop selling cars that have sat around and not clean the blowers....bs....#designflaw

• 

  worst car i ever had - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By angietornado - April 13 - 8:08 pm

  the quality of this car is horrible... evrything detaches, everything is glued even the piece over ur entry lock on the door, the visor on the passager goes bad, rusted by window area,the gas tank door like every other reviews goes bad so broke the lock because it will leave me stock at the gas station not knowing what to do to open it, now am facing major expeses to fix the whole front wheels breaking sistem including rotors and probably already damage the calipers.... again like many other reviews my motor mounts had to be replaced and cost me about 1000 dollars to fix, am just so ready to trade it but i feel really bad for the next person that would buy this thing called suv.

• 

  steering vibration, GAS TANK PROBLEM - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Ge - March 21 - 2:16 am

  This car is the worst car I have ever owned. I WILL NEVER, NEVER, BUY NISSAN AGAIN. I have so many problems: LOUD gas sloshing inside the gas tank. It is like driving with a small ocean in the rear of my car. I hear wave of splash side to side, specially, driving on slow speed, slowing down to a stop, putting in reverse. After my car is parked, I still hear the splashing inside the gas tank till it settles ( for a minute or two) I have had vibration to steering wheel, seat, pedal ever since I had my Altima, I was told by my dealership ( MOSSY NISSAN IT WILL GO AWAY IN TIME) what a bunch of bull....! It has not gone away! it only got worst. Gas tank problem, nothing they can do, it is up to Nissan. other problem continues: transmission very noisy, I feel jerking , bouncing while driving on low speed and want to slow down or stop. It makes noises down hill, RRRR noises. I want Nissan to buy this car back. I only have 3,800 miles cannot stand driving this car. it is a piece of junk. I had to give a star to write the review ... it disserve -0

• 

  Unsafe at speeds above 60 - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Ingrid Smith - February 12 - 5:20 am

  I purchased a 2015 Altima S from the dealer. Initially upon taking it home we heard a knocking in the engine. Five weeks after we had it, we took a road trip. It was one of the most horrifying experiences of my life. The car wandered and shifted from left to right at higher speeds. Keeping it on the road was a major ordeal and very exhausting. We were happy to make it to our destination and back. Once we got home the car was taken to the deal where it was purchased. The service manager explained that the new electronic steering in the new models was set that way and I would just have to "learn to deal with it." They checked out the car and claimed that nothing was wrong. At this point I would not drive the card off of the lot as I know it is unsafe and very dangerous. I was forced to buy a Rogue and loose thousands of dollars on the deal after owning the car for only 5 weeks and driving it for less than 1,000 miles. My attempts to explain the situation to Nissan Consumer Affairs were useless. Buyer beware!

• 

  Dont trade in your RAV4 for this!!! - 2013 Nissan Rogue
  By dk81081 - February 9 - 4:53 am

  This car doesnt compare to a RAV4! My wife and I traded our 2010 Rav4 for this, thinking there wouldnt be much of a change, but I was wrong. I am a tall guy, I fitted just fine in our Rav4, but I noticed it was tighter in the Rouge at the test drive. The wife like the price of the Rouge and how we were able to get all the options for the same price of a new Rav4. I listened to wife and bought this for her and its been a mistake ever since. It doesnt turn like our old car, blind spots all over, CTV transmission is noisy. You think its going to break down every time you step on the gas. I aint one to make up an account to talk about a car, but people need to be warned! Stay away!