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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  Small annoying problems - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Eric - December 27 - 3:40 am

  Since buying this car nothing but small problems. The interior was put together carelessly. moon roof lining fell down, very generic. I have a starting issue in where it doesnt catch when turning over. its fine when I start it for the first time during the day, but come back after about an hour and it stalls a few times, before starting. The aluminum wheels are pretty bad. leak air from rims. The moon roof does not close all the way. Some rust near the spoiler, in which one side of spoiler is rotted through trunk. Car drives okay. Wouldnt buy this car again. To many small issues, however nothing big yet. I have about 82,000 for mileage.

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  Watch out! - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Stephan625 - December 27 - 2:00 am

  Ive had the car for 5 months and it has developed a condensation problem in the fuel system causing the car to stall. Nissan has yet to do anything about it. I also had a 2002 Mustang GT and needed a four door car and my mustang with mods pushing the car to over 300hp was better in the snow and rain.

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  Nissan needs to be shut down - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By deirdra - December 26 - 5:43 pm

  First please sign my petition we can complain all day online on blogs but unless something is done or someone dies nothing will be done. The car exterior design is great and fuel economy is great the rest of the car. Disappointing. I have everything from transmission engine and electrical issues. I have less than 60,000+ on it and started having issues after 30,000. I have taken the car to the dealer nothing was done contacted Nissan nothing was done. Nissan needs to pay for what their customers are going through. I recently had an accident do to the transmission jerking basically out of gear and I ran up on a curb that cost me $2000 in damages.

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  you need a warranty! - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By jmorri0283 - December 26 - 12:50 am

  I bought this car in may 2013 and after having it in the shop twice for the transmission they replaced it in August. My issue happened on the interstate after a few hours of driving which is why it took the dealer so long to diagnose. Its February 2014 and same issue on a road trip with the car. was in the shop for almost a week and no luck.

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  Garys Nissan Titan - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Gary L - December 25 - 1:26 am

  The Titans power is great.Trans is smooth. Passengers in the rear gets a bit choppy and jiggly on rough highways.Minor wind noisy above 75mph. The brakes feel very smooshy and unprecise but very powerful if enough force is applied.Short rear passengers(58") keeps on wrestling with the seat belts because of no height adjustments.Cheap plastics around cabin makes rattling noises when encountered with pot holes.The large storage bin can hold lots of stuff, but hard objects tend to make knocking noises when the truck encounters pot holes.Lack of height and lumbar adjustments make long trips uncomfortable.Lack of power mirrors is inconvenient.The bed is very short!

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  Good in concept, mediocre in execution - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By ssbrookhaven65 - December 15 - 9:27 am

  The Altima 2.5S is, in my opinion and experience, not worth the price. You can purchase much more for your money by purchasing an Accord, Fusion, or a Mazda 6. I had purchased the Altima brand new for 24,500. For a few grand more, I couldve had a fully loaded Accord Coupe with blue tooth, navigation, and a rear back-up camera. My Altima has no premium options that are available on cars even a few years older than it (such as my former 2007 Honda Accord EX-L). The 2.5S produces adequate torque for normal acceleration. I have timed my Altima from 0-60 in the 7.2-8.1 range on various occasions. My gas mileage figures do not come close to the quoted EPA estimates. I only average 21 MGP overall.

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  Not a Great CUV - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Car Lover - December 13 - 10:00 am

  This is not one of the greatest CUVs out there. The CVT transmission is boring and apparently beginning to cause problems. Nissan is now extending the warranty to 100k miles. The gas mileage is awful and you must use premium gas to get the vehicle to function close to optimum output. At five years old my front seat sides are tearing even though I am very gentle on this vehicle.

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  Nice But Disapointing - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By NissanGuy652 - December 9 - 2:00 am

  Overall- nice design and packaged well with some creature comforts and decent audio system.Vert disapointed in the way the car drives and handles. Does not track the road straight and shimmies all over from right to left at highway speeds. Replaced oem tires for goodyear- had wheel alignment and still doesnt drive any better. Takes the enjoyment out of owning this car.

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  Bad Experiences - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By ORD - December 8 - 10:03 pm

  Ive had in the shop so many times with the following problems: - 3 times in shop on "Service Engine Soon" light came up - two or 3 times in shop with steering problems - three times in shop for intermittent power window locking up problem - one time with SRS (Air- bag) lamp on - Door rattles even after the Nissan Recall Initiative - 2 times Interior Dome lights problems - Heater outlet behind first row seats can only be control from front and no heat comes out of ceiling vent - Computer Tire monitor keeps telling flat tire during cold weather - etc. Nissan wont accept responsibility or replace vehicle. Will involve BBB, next News media, and then lawyers. Trip to Disneyworld had 4 problems.

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  Squealing/chirping noise - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By joe t. - December 8 - 10:00 am

  The car has been back to the dealer for 3 different recalls. Also, have had a squealing/chirping noise coming from under the hood. Dealership has replaced the belts, the pulleys that hold the belts, and the alternator. Noise is still there. Seven times to the dealership in a year and a half. Has anyone else had a similar problem to the squealing/chirping noise? Any help would be appreciated.