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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  Engines that fall apart - 1998 Nissan Altima
  By Cash - June 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in 2001,when the car was just three years old. It ran great for the ppast two and a half years. There were no major problems with the vehicle. About a week ago I found out that my engine basically came apart. There was plenty of oil in the car and the car was well maintained because I have a mechanic in the family who has been working on cars for the past twenty years. He fixes government vehicles for a living. The car was bought a Nissan dealership and was supposed to be a certified used vehicle.This may have just been bad luck but I advise you to be very careful when purchasing this vehicle.

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  A little dissapointment - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By MOD - June 21 - 10:00 am

  Purchased the car, not even a month, found out the car has a minor oil leak. The car vibrates as if its going to die after driving a few miles. Going to take it back to be serviced. Cant believe Nissan would allow this car to be off the production line.

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  Stay Away - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By unhappy in maryland - June 18 - 4:43 am

  Had the car for two months and water has entered on the drivers side. Although the dealer is attempting to determine the cause and will fix under the warranty, I now worry whether there has been any damage to the wiring or computer systems most critical to this vehicle, as the water has entered up under the dash. Particularly, the keyless starting system and the possible rust to the floor boards due to the amount of water that has been deposited since I do not know how much water has entered the car. I am retired and have not driven much and there have been at least 4 heavy rains.

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  Highly dissappointed!!!! - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By VERY DISSAPPOINTED.. - June 17 - 9:26 pm

  To make a long story short. Ive had my van for 3 1/2 yrs. Now... Ive spent 1500 to repair a pair in the engine and the service depart. Did not fix the problem... When I return the van 2 days later they decided that it was now the transmission that needed to b replaced (which they would pay 1/2) after Id already spend 1500. Ive had new brakes front and back and new rotors... Ive spent at least 2500 in 09 for repairs! Not happy at all with this van..

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  ying/yang - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By arm/lo - June 12 - 10:00 am

  Overall, when you first see it, its a stylish beauty.Moonroof leaks, service stinks, rattle on side doors, many manufacture defects! Rear hatch panel bowed and replaced with one that bows out even more!The miles til empty gauge was poorly designed, in my previous minivan it told me exactly how many miles I had left til I ran out,very helpful info when running errands, to know when to refuel. This minivan as soon as it hits 1/4 tank, the light turns on and the gauge turns to a * symbol and the guessing game starts!Have more complaints but space is limited!!

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  I had it all wrong - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By ange - June 11 - 8:00 am

  I wrote a review on 5/1/04 in favor of the armada, i guess i was excited.If you are thinking about buying an armada listen to me and save your money and time. Lets start out with 4 brake jobs (rotor problems of course), wind noise in the rear window, a defective fan, a cupholder that opened everytime you applied brakes and shall i go on! Of course with your warranty they will keep fixing it over & over & over. I decided to seek a remedy with a lemon law attorney. You do know that after 4 repeated repairs of an important part your vehicle is considered a lemon. Dont let nissan get away with this. Fight, fight,fight for your rights!! I hear the titan and the 2005s are no better!

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  2007 Nissan Pathfinder Tranny/Coolant cross-contamination --DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE - 2007 Nissan Pathfinder
  By joelv698 - June 11 - 3:28 am

  I purchased this vehicle brand new to replace a 2003 SE with high-mileage. The quality of the interior appeared to be subpar as most of the items are made of cheap plastic. At about 55k mi, i had a problem with the fuel sending unit, which was covered under warranty since this was common malfunction of the vehicle. Now after owning the vehicle for 7 years, it finally had a potentially catastrophic failure. The plastic inlet hose nipple to the heater core broke and sprayed coolant all through the engine compartment. I looked in the radiator and overflow tank and both had thick milky coolant which indicates cross contamination of ATF/AF. This is a common problem w/ this vehicle over 100k

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  Decent car, minor annoyances - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By ragged1234 - June 9 - 12:01 pm

  Bought my 2.5SL about a month ago and its my first Nissan after owning Toyotas and Hondas for the past 10 years. I feel the car is attractive (inside and out), smooth to drive, and has nice features such as blind-spot monitor, reads text out loud, back-up camera, Bose speakers, and very comfortable leather seats. Heavy traffic commuting=24 mpg. Two issues have annoyed me: 1) the high-pitched morse-code whine at low speeds resonating from the power-steering pump (that lots of other people also notice), and 2) a buzz from the engine @1500 rpm under light acceleration (also noticed by lots of other owners). Without these problems Id give the car 5/5 stars, but now feel it only gets 3/5 stars.

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  to my friends @ nissan usa - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By john hellberg - June 7 - 10:00 am

  the plastic scratches to easily on the inside. fuel economy is extremely poor. brakes are horrible, wear out easily. make the interior more appealing. front mudflaps are a joke for the money u charge. make it moulded into the runners along the vehicle. i am personal friends w/the owners @ smithtown. i do not hold them personally responsible with what i call poor interior workmanship. i really think u need to address the interior quality of the vehicle. all plastic and there is alot marks too easily!

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  Not as expected - 2009 Nissan Sentra
  By leonardosd - June 2 - 10:58 pm

  Purchased the car new in march 2009, in Mexico. Not as easy buying a new car here. Inmediately had problems with the breaks, always made a lot of noise. Dealer couldnt fix it, arguing they were eco-friendly. Besides that, tyres got worn on outside edge in 1 year. Again, dealer said it was normal. Had transmission problems just after the third year, when the warranty passed. Luckily, I had the extendend warranty, and they covered everything. After that, the engine started making weird noises, and dealer said I needed a new one. Apparentely, a cilinder got deformed. (Seriously). When this happened, I was through with it. Previously had a 99 Altima, never complained with it.