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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  Read other transmission reviews - 2012 Nissan Sentra
  By Cane - April 23 - 12:43 am

  We purchased this car brand new, had every recommended service performed on time, and gently drove the car. Still, the transmission went out and had to be replaced under 100k miles.

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  Not impressed at all - 2018 Nissan Rogue
  By Alexander Todorov - April 18 - 9:02 pm

  I rented a Nissan Rouge for a week, during the winter season. The heating is horrible compared to Toyota. I have driven the car on a highway mostly using the ECO mode, and have never reached 33mpg. The acceleration is terrible very slow comparing to the same SUV models. To connect my iPhone with a Bluetooth was a kind of pain till I figure out that the name is not My car its my Rouge. To turn off daily highlights was a kind of tricky and overcomplicated. I definitely will not consider buying Rouge.

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  This Car Sucks - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By vicjosh - April 17 - 1:56 pm

  i bought a 2011 nissan rogue thinking id made a good investment. within 1 yr the cvt in the transmission went out while i was driving onthe interstate barely making it to safety. i called Nissan Consumer affairs to be advised that the 2011 model is not under the extended warranty and given a 3500 est of repair.. help anyone is there any petition to get this vehicle recalled or is there an open class action suite filed... any help would be appreciated

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  Sold the car after three months! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By barry5k - April 15 - 11:14 am

  Initially, this car had it all. It drove well, comfortable, fun to drive. Since then it has been back and forth to the dealer with the power steering whine, cvt issues, and other odds and ends. I had to deal with Nissan corporate. They were not helpful and after repeated call on my part, they admitted the problems, fixed all, but after 800 miles, everything returned. The cvt was sluggish and made all kinds of noise. I finally decided to take the loss and get rid of this car. Dont buy this car!

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  3 Major Failures within 50k miles - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By jmayor88 - April 10 - 5:21 am

  I bought this car used at 40k miles, history was good. I have driven it for 50k miles (so at 90k now). Since I have purchased it, there have been 3 major failures, and also a recall that turned out to be nothing. The first major failure was the exhaust manifold cracking and needing to be replaced. An exhaust manifold should never crack that early, and the exhaust shop told me he has seen a lot of Altimas with this problem. Second major problem was the Electronic Steering Column Lock. This failure caused me to be stranded, as the car would not start. As of two days ago the final major failure occurred. Dealer is saying it is a rod bearing! STAY AWAY - much better options out there.

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  Lemon that Nissan has yet to fix or replace - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By bleedblue165 - March 31 - 2:18 pm

  Would NOT buy again. This was our second Rouge and wife loved Nissan, until 1 year after purchase. Began having severe mechanical problems & Auto Centers Nissan, Woodriver Illinois was unable to fix the problem. They contacted the engineering department at Nissan, they were told only 1 other vehicle had ever exhibited these problems. The vehicle frequently has a bucking or jerking motion, as if the transmission was slamming in to gear. It did this to their mechanic and shut down on him while he was driving, as well as eventually shutting down on my wife while she was on the interstate in downtown St. Louis, Mo. Hasnt been fixed and Nissan has refused to replace.

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  The Worst Vehicle I Have Owned - 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
  By dman316 - March 22 - 8:17 pm

  I bought a 2014 Pathfinder SL in Nov. 2013. I have owned a dozen Nissans, all high quality and reliable. How Nissan could turn out a vehicle with so many complaints about the CVT Transmission is very disappointing. I feel betrayed and will NEVER buy Nissan again. They remind me of Detroit quality control in the 1980s. I will sell it asap. I have had it in the shop 5 times in 3 months for acceleration problems, shakiness, poor power range. I could go on, but why. I have read the complaints of others and know I am not alone. So if anyone reads this with Nissan, I hope you are satisfied at how much of your customer base is revolting against the product that endangers our families.

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  2006 Nissan Xterra - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By nonissan2 - March 22 - 8:00 am

  33,000 miles, vehicle in distress Purchased - NEW The Nissan Xterra looks like a very nice SUV from the outside. But if you own one, you know that this vehicle has alot of problems that have not been fixed. Most common, are the front drive shaft U joints that go. NTBS has issued warnings as for front wheel bearings which include the front U joints. No recall issued by Nissan, not under any warranty Tension arm blew at 7000 miles, started blew at 22000 miles, now front u joints at 33,000 miles. Very nice vehicle if you like to restore cars Dont buy this vehicle years 2005 to 2009

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  A HOT car...as in on fire.... - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By rhaines - March 22 - 4:13 am

  #1 - 2 days ago this car spontaneously combusted. It appears something went wrong in the electrical. #2 Previously replaced drive shaft sensor and fuel pump in the 1.5 years I owned it. #3 wife backed into car @ less than 5 mph....caused $1,500 + damage. Easily falls apart. No get up and go. Left my family sitting watching it burn up. Wish I never bought this car. Also no heat / AC for the rear. My son nearly froze / over heated because there is no air vent in the back. The front air vents do not produce enough air to supply the back seats with the proper temperature. He had to ride with blankets in the winter with the heat on.

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  Worst car ever - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By soccermom - March 21 - 8:40 pm

  Everything about the 04 Nissan quest has been a disaster. The brakes go bad quickly, the windshield wiper just stopped working one day, the interior features (ceiling lights) just fall off when the doors are closed, the seats are coming apart, esp the back seats with the skirts, the tailgate door handle fell off, the compression stick in the tailgate door fell off, the radio never gets good reception... and on and on. I dont have enough characters remaining to list all the problems!!