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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  A lemon for sure - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By ckmontgomery1 - June 11 - 8:36 pm

  I handled all the small problems like rattling doors, doors that had their own mind and spontaneously opened, moonroof that leaked, doors that squished my children but at 100000 miles my entire computer system/ electric system was corroded and left the van inoperable. Nissan Corp has not helped AT ALL. The part was ordered by a dealer and it is now on 2 months of being unavailable with no excuse or reason why. We have made every effort to speak with Nissan to get answers to no avail- nothing past the call center who claims they resolved our problem- part will be in in 3 more weeks Only that was said 1x already. I just cannot wait to get the car fixed + gone!

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  Give me tires or give me death!!! - 2001 Nissan Frontier
  By mgm - June 6 - 7:53 pm

  Nice truck overall. Interior nice but a little small. Back seat okay for kids but not for adults. Replaced the supercharger under warranty. Gas mileage horrible compared to my 93 frontier. Biggest problem are the tires. The high performance 17 inch tires are no good. They only get 15- 18k miles and I get many flats on the dirt rds I travel. The only available tire is $220.00 apiece. UGH!! I find the 4ft bed too small as well. I put a cap on mine which eliminates the use of the bed extender. Truck looks nice and have had minimal function problems. I have 54k for mileage and had to replace the back springs and need a whole exhaust system. Can you say time to trade.

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  Keep on giving me check engine lights - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By nissan_no_good - June 5 - 11:43 pm

  Dont know if Im just unlucky on this car or what, starting around 80k miles, check engine light keeps on coming back, I replaced 4 o2 sensors so far (the 1st one was actually around 50k miles), now the check engine is on again for p0325. Since then Ive spent more than $5000 repairing o2 sensor and other issues. Every time I tell myself this is a good car, this is the last time Ill need to spend big money on it. It just never stops. Im selling it now.

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  Dissapointed with 03 Altima - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By harkel - June 5 - 2:00 am

  I have had the vehicle for 18 months. In which time I have had to replace the tires twice and evidently the only tires available for this model are the ContiTouring and they are very cheaply made tires. I have had to have the driver side window mechanism replaced 3 times and it is going into the shop this week for another repair. Also, the driver side door latch will not work, which means the door cannot be opened from the inside. At 15000 miles I replaced 4 tires and then again at 30000. I have had to have wheel bearings fixed at 22000 miles.

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  My Review - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By PSK - June 4 - 10:00 am

  I got my 2002 Altima because my 2000 Altima was a lemon. The Dealership was great in working to buy back my car. The 2002 overall is just fair. I have an annoying rattling sound coming from dome light that I have to take back to the dealershio again (second time) to fix. The design of the exterior is beautiful. Renault (parent company) is showing its crappy history of not paying attention to build quality & detail.

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  2006 Nissan Altima 2.5 Excessive Oil Consumption - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By evukmanic - June 1 - 12:46 pm

  My 2006 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL appears to be part of a recall (NTB06-028) for excessive oil consumption. The car began exhibiting the symptoms of the recall concerning excessive oil burning at 120K miles in late June 2012. The problem started suddenly, burning one quart every 600 miles and with in two weeks one quart every 300-350 miles. Throughout my ownership of the car the vehicle had always been properly maintained at my local Nissan dealer. At 138k miles the vehicle began making a noise that sounded like a bag trapped underneath the car. Just after arriving home, the car exploded in thick, black smoke that billowed from under the hood and into the vehicle through the vents. Recall campai

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  $20000 problem - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By eelface75 - June 1 - 10:00 am

  Runs pretty strong for a 4 cyl. However, this thing has horrible rattle problems, every area of car has rattles. Had dash removed once, temp. fixed worst rattle that clicked nonstop from Pittsburgh to Lexington,KY. Several recalls wasting my time going to dealership. Calling Nissan Monday to try to get out of junk car. Paint smears when waxed like my previous 01 Sentra (yes, I know how to wax a car, only Sentras have done this to me and I use best polishes.) Cracked brake pad make horrible barking noise after only 7000 miles. Could go on for days.

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  Disappointed - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Rick - May 21 - 8:40 pm

  Overall I have been disappointed with this vehicle. When it is running I would say it is a good car but I have had so many mechanical problems that I rarely get to see how fun it can be. At times it seems this car has been in the shop more than it has been on the road. I have had it die on me in rush hour traffic 4 times, had the struts and rotors replaced within a year of buying it, and now I have to replace the catalytic converter and header pipe. The shifter bezel has come apart on me for the third time and my headrest cover continues to come apart. I purchased this car thinking I would get a reliable car to get me to and from school and work but all it has done is let me down.

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  not what i expected - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By zzollwalk - May 20 - 10:00 am

  The design was good..engineering not so good. Transimission problems still persists even after replacement. Nissan does not offer a solution that would make us whole again after buying this vehicle. We are still going thru the replacing this vehicle process under the lemon law. I has taken an attorney and lots of phone calls to get something out of Nissan. They know and have admitted to having a problem with this vehicle but do not want the vehicle back. They are reluctant to work with us. FYI..tell them the news media will be involved..that seemed to help them speed replacement up..

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  My fourth Nissan - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By Kelly B - May 19 - 3:48 pm

  Bought this car used with only 12k miles. I have had it for two years. The drive is solid and there is nothing fancy about it. Hate the interior. Seats hang onto dog hair for dear life. Random pieces of plastic are found floating around the interior (figured out where two of them belong but cant get them back on the place they should be). The cloth on the rear passenger door handle has come off and will need an upolstery person to fix it. The interior is very cheap feeling and looking. I am the type that buys a vehicle and drives it until the wheels fall off but have arranged for my husband to take this one off my hands until my son starts to drive. My next car will be a Mazda or Honda.