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:

• 

  Keep looking - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Bill - September 8 - 5:30 pm

  I owned the quest for 28 months. During this time I put 35k miles on it. It has been back to the dealer for the following, drivers window stuck open, transmission stuck in 2nd, a/c failure, Rattling (Seats, Doors, Windows), various recalls, exhaust leak, doors not closing, engine light, no sound from radio, loose interior trim , excessive paint chipping. The last time I brought it in they told me they needed to remove the dash to trace a wiring problem in the a/c. In the past I have called nissan directly, they claim to open a file, but I never heard from them. Today I traded it in for a Honda. It got to a point where I was living with the problems until I had a list of things to be repaired at onc

• 

  DO NOT BUY - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By mkedra - September 8 - 4:53 pm

  Everything was great til 50k miles. Im at 62k now and within the past year I had the transmission replaced twice (common jerking problem between 1st and 2nd gear), the AC works whenever it feels like it, window defroster takes forever to defrost, Cd changer keeps skipping, the telescopic steering wheel is wobbling. Recently my ABS started to come on everytime I press the brakes, and the ABS pump stays on constantly. From the reviews Ive read it looks like another $2000 job to fix... oh, and did I mention I need new motormounts? Yeah, I was told that happens when they replace your transmission... All these issues and no recalls, only service bulletins...

• 

  Love my Murano!! - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By Brenda Patterson - September 8 - 11:13 am

  I was in between getting a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, which I previously had, or the Murano SV. Suffice it to say that I am so happy I went with the Murano!!! This is one of the most luxurious automobile I have ever owned. The way it handles the road is outstanding, not to mention the sleek exterior. The interior is so comfortable & roomy. The drivers seat cradles your body in a way that is so comfortable & with the lumbar setting its like a dream. The updated electronics with the Navigation System, Bluetooth, Bose system, Instrument panel, etc. is all so high tech. Im still learning how to work it all & discover something new each day. By far this is one of the best automobiles I have ever owned. I highly recommend the Murrano SV!

• 

  Fun car, love it! - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By T - September 7 - 8:26 pm

  I traded in my Corolla S for the Rogue when my lease was up & I love it. Rear window takes some getting used to (so did my Prius) tho after 2 or 3 weeks it was nothing. Both my husband & myself find that it has a smooth ride & is very comfortable. I get pretty good mileage- 24.4-24.8 MPG for the life of the car average, which is 97% in town (compared to 30 in Corolla 1/2 fwy, 1/2 city) & I love to drive fast. I just cant resist in such a peppy car & in that aspect its way more impressive than the Corolla & its much bigger. Its very cute inside & out. Looked at 7 other cars before deciding on this one-Im glad we waited! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a car they will love.

• 

  FAULTY TRANSMISSION - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By lsanti - September 7 - 10:30 am

  Purchase in 2006, with 32,000+ miles. Loved the ride!! Once I reached 60,000 miles I started having problems with my transmission. Come to find out this is a problem with the Maxima for years and its going to cost me $3500.00+ to repair. In addition, my CD player stopped working a year ago and the locks dont always open with the remote.

• 

  Should have purchased something else. - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By Mina Watkins - September 7 - 8:38 am

  I love the sleek look of my new 2016 Maxima SL but wish I would have purchased something else. I acceleration is poor. The cost not worth the car. I bought it in super black but having issues with the dealer because it The detail shop waxed it and now I have a lot of swirls and scratches in the paint.

• 

  Makes my day, daily! - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By LilKim - September 7 - 6:46 am

  After the untimely loss of my beloved Altima, I couldnt imagine life without another Nissan. Man this car has everything but the kitchen sink! and Im sure that was an option too... Drives like brand new, everything original. More power than is ever needed, best factory audio in its class, excellent dash design, leather, & the moonroof is so quiet I forget its wide open! Great road car. So far at 115K, no coil/sensor problems (knock on the woodgrain) :) but even that is a small price to pay for super luxury everyday. Not to mention I bought this car at such a GREAT price I feel like the Dealership got suckered.. hehe.. nice turn of the tables for a change!!

• 

  Listen up everybody its not the CVT transmission - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By James - September 7 - 12:33 am

  Nissan is pulling a quick one on everybody by saying the problem youre having is your transmission. Think about it people, with the car shutting off you have to remember transmission will not affect your car starting the problem is the alternator. CVT transmissions are extremely sensitive to the electrical current it gets and the alternators are faulty causing the car to rumble and shudder now Nissan would rather tell you its the transmission because it only has a 36,000 mile warranty and the alternator has 100,000 or whatever it has dont know the exact mileage but much more than the transmission tell them to replace your alternator and it will fix the problem I had the same problem with mine. Put in new alternator and its driven like a dream ever since. Because mine started acting up right after the 36,000 mile transmission warranty and they said I had to replace the transmission luckily I bought my car through Carmax who has an excellent warranty and they took the car I told him what I thought about the alternator they looked into and presto so I drop my car at Carmax the mechanic there drove it to a Nissan dealership told him to put a new alternator in doing great ever since dont let Nissan tell you its not the alternator they just simply want to say its the transmission because chances are most of you are outside the 36,000 mile warranty and what theyll do is put a new transmission in and it will run better for a little bit but that alternator will chew the transmission apart again this is my third post about this I posted every few days to keep her on the top of the review list hoping to help people good luck guys. And I have a friend who works for Nissan so I was able to confirm this that it is the alternator and some of the technicians purposely keep their mouth closed because they want to get paid for doing the work on the transmission a lot of the dealerships dont pay by the hour they paid by the job so the technicians are the ones [non-permissible content removed] us along with Nissan.

• 

  CAVIAT EMPTOR(let the buyer beware) - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By atglass2 - September 6 - 11:23 pm

  I have owned my 2013 Altima 2.5 SV for just 1 month and already I have had to take the car back to the dealer 3 times for the same issue. The issue being engine Lugging noise and vibration on light throttle acceleration from a stop at around 1500 RPM. The lugging is caused by the extremely low RPMs of engine. I have filed a complaint with Nissan Customer Care (1 800 647 7261 and was aqssigned a Regional Specialist to handle my case. According to the specialist, Nissan is trying a serpentine belt and tensioner swap. Last week, the belt swap did not alleviate my problem. The issue could be corrected with a CVT reprogram offered to those owners that are sensitive to the noise and vibration.

• 

  03 SL AWD 142,000+ mi - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By timinmn - September 6 - 2:34 am

  I have owned this since new, went in to buy an Altima, drove out in the Murano. It has been a joy to drive. It has been a reliable vehicle for over 142,000 miles. The only major problem Ive had was the transfer case went out at 138,000 ($3000 to fix, still cheaper than a new car). The one flaw I have found is the fuel filler neck rusting and pitting, causing the Check Engine light to come on, I have sanded it down applied LPS3 rust preventor on it well see if that lasts.