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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  Never buy Nissan - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Dillon - March 6 - 12:28 am

  I bought a 2003 Nissan Altima with 165,000 miles on it about 4 months ago. In those 4 months I had to replace; camshaft position sensor, radio, 2 door handles, and alternator. Before the timing chain skipped a few teeth at 169,000 miles. Its just a money pit Im getting rid of it. Anybody need a parts car?

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  Transmission Is not repairable - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By Brandi - February 25 - 3:08 am

  Stay far away from this car. My transmission is shot for the 2nd time and Nissan is doing nothing about it. Theyve known about it for years and take no accountability. LEMON!

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  BEWARE OF THE 2012 NISSAN VERSA CVT !!! - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By Jess B - February 18 - 10:10 am

  I have never made an automobile review before but I am so disappointed with this car that I encourage anyone who experienced this to file a class action lawsuit against Nissan. At 64,000 miles the CVT transmission failed. You will be driving on a freeway and the tachometer will start getting wacky. The rpm will jump from 1,000 to 3000 rpm and back. After sometime your transmission will seem to disengage and your rpm will drop to below 1,000 rpm. At that time you are dead! The car will slow down to a halt and even if you press your gas pedal, the engine will not increase rpm. It seems like the cvt transmission is telling the computer to prevent the car from running. I brought this to the dealer and they said they have several problems with Nissan cvt transmission and encouraged us to file our complaints to the Consumer Protection Bureau. I called Nissan and they passed me from one person to another and told me they cant help. They have no solution to the problem other than replace the CVT transmission for $3,000. I told them I never had any car before where I have to replace a transmission at 64,000 miles, 4,000 miles after their warranty expired. It is totally unfair. I reported this to the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA). If our government consumer protection agencies are doing half of their job, no one especially a big manufacturing company should be allowed to get away with this.[non-permissible content removed]

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  BAD TRANNY POOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS HELP - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By Adam - January 13 - 6:11 am

  My son bought my 2011 Nissan Rogue with 32,000 miles on it, has it regularly serviced the other day the check engine light came on with only 68000 miles on it. He took it to a Nissan dealership, the service manager told him the tranny (problematic cvt tranny nissan knows about) was needed to be replaced. Oh by the way it was 5600$ dollars to replace. He called nissan for any type of assistance and Nissan rep was not only rude but very unwilling to talk to him, all he kept sorry I understand how you feel. This is our 5th Nissan and he didnt care just kept reading from a script sounded like. A car with Nissan supposed quality and known transmission problems you would think they would help in some manner

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  Awkward Altima - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Taylor - December 27 - 8:52 pm

  This is the worse waste of money! This car has a lot of recalls and should be taken off the road! The brakes freeze and you could die! Nissan should be ashamed!

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  Trouble Car to Buy - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By victorwill - December 15 - 9:18 am

  I have a 2006 Maxima w/ 104K miles that is having the same jerking issues. In Aug 2011, the car lurched and jumped so bad in traffic while slowing down. It also happens whenever I am pulling from a stop light or reversing. This issue continued and sometime I have to stop the car because I thought I was going to get into an accident. Since this appears after the car is driven for about 15 minutes, I will let the car sit for a while before I drive it again. It will drive fine for a few miles and start lurching again. I took the car to our local Nissan dealer and needed to pay $105 for an inspection. I tried to tell them the prob. but they acted they didnt what i was saying! Dont buy Nissan

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  This Car Stinks - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By xoOMGox - November 28 - 8:56 pm

  All weve had was problems with it the engine is terrible has no good features the head gasket blew at around 60,000 miles and all weve had to do was put extra money out for the car its a piece of trash and nissans customer service is terrible to they dont care about there customers at all i recommend dont get this car or any Nissan at all just avoid them at all costs just a month ago we were in an accident with it and i have to say it lasted pretty well but the airbags never went off so it could have been deadly its not a safe car and takes more money to take care of it and fix it then it actually costs and also when we bought it used it was in a huge hailstorm no one told us

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  Complete transmission and sensor nightmare!! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By S - November 9 - 10:21 am

  2013 Altima 3.5 SV. 58000 miles and 3 replaced transmissions later...Nissan corporate puts you on ignore. Dont get suckered into this vehicle...it looks pretty, goes fast, but major design flaw that Nissan has no interest in addressing...your drivetrain warrranty WILL expire and youll be stuck with the tab of $4-$5 grand per trip. Have spent over a month in a rental car since buying this new. The last trip to dealer "we need to fix your 02 sensors for $1200 before we can even address your transmission...out of your pocket !" UNNNNNNNREAL! Nissan regional warranty manager will not call you back for days and days, and when she/he does, they dont call you back during a time of day that you can actually pick up the phone (even after youve told them when you are availible). Then you call them back, and you have to wait another 3 days. My service writer at Nissan admits they are having a ton of problems with the CVT transmission, and that these O2 sensors should last at least 100,000 miles, but im still stuck paying for them. NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE. Dealer service writer can not get a hold of or get a call back from regional warranty rep either. Nissan is costing me alot of time, stress, and $$. Sad, because we have been loyal Nissan customers 7 vehicles in a row...NO MORE !!!

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  Just problems. - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By Stephanie - September 15 - 8:55 am

  Got the car. Had it about 2 3 months and started driving funny. Between the transmission, brakes, stalling, wipers, hole in my driver side seat from not stitching. Needing an alignment and they cant align the back of the car, so now when I drive it grinds when I make a right turn. I just wish I didnt go Nissan. Im stuck and I wish I wasnt. I got the car thinking it was going to be a smart buy and its been nothing but a peace is [non-permissible content removed]. 6-2016 update. Still HATE it! Im stuck in it because Im upside down in my payments. The backend is eating my tires and I have to get a whole new backend! I hate hate hate this car!

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  2009 Nissan Altima Poor Quality Interior - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Michael - September 5 - 7:44 am

  I have a 2009 Altima with 25000 miles and the dashboard is melting. Nissan refuses to replace it. They have poor customer service. The regional manager I was speaking to hung up on me. Poor quality, Buy a Toyota it’s a better car. Look into the class actions law suite regarding melting dash board and the concerns around safety. Nissan refused to replace mine because it is out of warranty. They are currently involved in a Class Action suit that goes to trial this summer. This is not an isolated problem. There are many reports of the 2008 and 2009 years with this issue. It is truly a safety problem. The dash gets so shiny that when driving into the sun you cannot see. Nissan as well as the other Japanese auto makers are fully aware of the substandard dashboards. Toyota stepped up and extended the warranty on both the Toyota and Lexus brands. Nissan refuses to do anything unless they lose the class action suit and even then I fully expect them to drag their feet. The dealer I took my car to for the inspection wished me luck but basically said Nissan Corporate will do nothing to help you. They said they see the melting dash issue all the time here in South Florida. http://www.wftv.com/news/action-9/action-9-melting-dashboards-causing-safety-issues-for-drivers/155341084