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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  Japanese Gas Hog!!! - 2001 Nissan Frontier
  By Nunya - March 5 - 10:00 am

  Bought ours new. Have appox. 57,000 miles now. Not to happy with no way to be comfortable resting arms.I was out of state when wife bought it after finding Ford escape testing to be pathetic. Dealership took advantage og a female and charged her a 10% apr!! And thats with a fico score of 810!

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  Its not all good - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By JIM - March 5 - 5:36 am

  Bought it new. Have 20k miles. Still happy with performance but not real happy with anything else. Im glad its my wifes daily driver, not mine. Alignment was off from inception and it wore the tires prematurely on the inside tread. Dealer realigned the car but nissan refused to replace the worn tires at 14,000 mi. Ever since then there is an extremely offensive howl from the front end. All guest passengers comment on the noises and finish with "well, i wouldnt buy one". Im going to have to replace the tires when they appear to be only 50 % worn due to the how.L. Its been back to the dealer several times due to the problem. No guarantees that $500 new tires will fix the noise.

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  Bad rear axle and tires - 2013 Nissan NV200
  By junkvan - March 3 - 8:21 pm

  It is very golf cart like but it get the job done. I have owned it for about a year and put 15000 miles on it. I carry about 400 lbs in the rear for work. No problem getting around with it loaded. The problem is the rear axle and tires. The camber is off on both side and it has chewed up the tires. there is no adjustment and the dealer says its in spec, and also that I need to replace the tires because they are chewed up. They want $200 ea for tires.

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  What happend to the pathfinder? - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By patty no more - February 28 - 3:36 am

  I have owed 3 Nissans. My first was a 2000 LE pathfinder and this was the best of the the 3. Sturdy, off road, luxury..had everything. I owned my 2000 for 9 yrs no problems. I made a mistake getting an 08 fully loaded v8 LE pathfinder. It squeaked rattled and steering and handling was horrible. I felt every bump in the steering wheel and I took off road onceÂ….big mistake. It rattled horribly in the frame, door panels everything. They turned the pathfinder into a soccer momÂ’s minivan! I traded in the v8 patty for a new 2010 off road xterra. Much sturdier vehicle (less rattles) but has no options. Too bad the xterra doesnt have the options of the pathfinder. It would be a perfect SUV!

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  Needs Work!! - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Regretting - February 24 - 10:00 am

  At 15K miles, has been in shop for warped front brake rotors, torn sunfoof visor, broken rear wiper, rear window washer leaking inside, A/C vent controls not functional, fastener cover missing on grab handle, and FOBs inoperable. Have driven on short and long trips - too many rattles, too much road noise, trucklike ride. Handles poorly in heavy rain - even in auto 4wd.

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  One problem after another... - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By amb - February 21 - 2:00 am

  Many problems. Have had to replace center adjusting armrest, door panel (leaking). Also had recall on airbag just after purchase, have replaced windshield once, and it needs to be replaced again. Nissan refuses to pay stating environmental. However, the glass cant seem to withstand any rocks hitting it. Right now, the vehicle is in the shop because it died in traffic yesterday and would not restart. This is the second time this has happened. The first time it was in a heated garage for three days and would not start. The second time it stalled out in -5 degree weather. Nissan reports that it is an "Altima" problem they are trying to figure out.

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  Brakes stink - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By brian - February 20 - 7:06 am

  52,000 miles I have been through 8 pair of brakes and rotors once. This has cost me a fortune. Everyone tells me this is normal.

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  Nothing But Problems - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By junkcar3 - February 18 - 8:42 am

  I bought this car based on Features it has to offer. After driving 5000 miles problem started. The break lights comes on randomly while driving. took it to dealership 3 time and they said nothing wrong. Car stopped on road with engine sign. They replaced part and after driving another 100 miles it stopped again. Dealer replace another part. Air conditioning stop working. they have to replace compressor. Side mirror came loose and was making rattling sound. They fixed that and after a month side mirror switch stop working. Navigation is also not refreshing while driving so they said they have to replace SD card. Complain to North America Nissan but they are not doing anything to replace this

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  Mixed reviews - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Harley - February 16 - 10:43 pm

  Had the car for 1 month catalyst backed up into engine. Nissan replaced engine. Torque steer very pronounced, makes handling a 2 hand job. The car is fast and handles nice, but needs some refinement.

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  Inexpensive but built cheaply... - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Mark Davis - February 16 - 1:50 pm

  I own a 2006 Nissan Sentra 1.8 S Special Edition Pkg. I bought this car for $13,500 and there are obvious reasons why this car is priced under its competition. Although there are many features, build quality is suspect, the 1.8L engine is anemic and the suspension archaic. The seats are poorly designed and very uncomfortable if driving in excess of one-hour. The car does acheive respectable mileage and has a Rockford Fosgate 6 CD changer w/ 9 speakers. Power windows, power mirrors and an alarm system are included. This is an ideal car for a college student or someone on an extremely limited income. I would recommend driving a Honda Civic, Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla before deciding.