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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  stay away - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Mart - May 24 - 10:34 am

  -Both head gaskets needed to be replaced at 62K -Metallic sound upon acceleration at 88K -New Basal vibration/sound when accelerating and decelerating Though Nissan would be trouble free...Cannot believe the low quality of this vehicle. Never Nissan again...

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  Extremely disappointed - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By dogprson - May 14 - 10:31 am

  I purchased my 2008 Nissan Rouge brand new about 5 and a half years ago and have had nothing but problems. The current tally is two transmissions, two gas tanks, two gas gauges, one steering column and one speedometer at only 47,000 miles. Not only does the car have mechanical problems, but the car gets door dings and scratches if you look at it wrong! I no longer take my car on trips, even short ones and I barely trust it to get me to and from work as it has broken on this 5 mile trip! I cant wait to get into a car that I can rely on and you can bet it wont be another Nissan. Worst car I have ever owned!

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  DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR CVT TRANSMISSIONS - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Lee Ann Rankin - April 25 - 2:03 pm

  I bought my Altima with 32,000 miles on it and it wasnt 6 months later it died while in drive! I had it towed and after being sent to 2 dealerships, they concluded nothing was wrong with the car. Through the 2 years Ive had it, my Altima has done this several times until finally one day it completely died in drive again. Luckily, I was at a gas station. I had to have a complete transmission, sensor, and programmer put in plus towing bills, which totaled to $4,400.00....Nissan needs to own up to there [non-permissible content removed] transmission problems and recall them all with reimbursements!

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  DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By WOULD RATHER GET A HONDA - March 14 - 3:43 pm

  When we purchased my Altima, it was a cheap 3500. Except, it wasnt. My parents ended up dishing out another 1k to fix some of the issues it had in the first week. The O2 sensors had to be replaced, it burned oil, there was a coolant leak and blockage. The heat also didnt work properly as you had to drive 40mph for it to kick in. Plus some other issues such as misfiring and me being stranded on a busy backroad. The mpg also went down when we tried to slow the burning with stop smoke. All of this and more happened before I sold it for a measly 1k, which is more than I thought we would receive. Granted, my parents never told me or they didnt know that this particular vehicle had been in two accidents and had flood damage. Of course, the other 05 Altima they got for my sister also burns oil and other issues have come up in the period she has had it. I wouldnt recommend buying a Nissan.

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  Edmunds did not post my review of my car - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By MyCar - February 16 - 12:31 am

  Edmunds did not post my review of this car nissan altima 2015 because I was telling the truth . These ppl must have connection with nissan ppl. I owned this altima 2015 2yrs ago. Please DONT BUY THIS VEHICLE . The real problem starts appearing when you have mileage above 30k. My car CVT broke down at around 32K. Before it broke ,these were the symptoms I was experiencing but I did not know at that time. First ,If your front passenger side seat will vibrate a lot. Second you RPM is always high . The worst thing was, the dealer did fix because of warranty but after 2000 miles it broke again. I heard that once your transmission is broken you will always have the same problem unless you put the new one. STAY away FROM NISSAN CVT. NIssan has a lot of problem for CVT transmission especially for 2013 and 2014 model but I found on my 2015 too. I suggest go for toyota or HOnda because my friend who are driving these have no problem even after 50k miles.

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  2008 Nissan Sentra Problems - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By tblaha - January 19 - 8:44 pm

  Just bought a 2008 Sentra May of 2013 with 67000 miles on it and now have to replace the engine at 83000. Have been in contact with nissan and they WILL NOT stand behind it, said we are 2nd owners of the car.... I not sure what to do from here

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  Run for your life away from this car!!!! - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By Bob - December 27 - 5:36 pm

  For the first three years of ownership of the Spec V, it was relatively problem free. As I write this, the car sits in the shop needing a new head gasket and timing chain. Last month it needed a new radiator and ran out of radiator fluid. I have been diligent about oil changes and routine maintenance. Last summer it mysteriously ran out of oil 3,000 miles after an oil change. Nissan Corp is a JOKE and did not respond to any letters sent its way about this lemon!! As for the recalls mentioned, I was NOT informed of any of them. The car has 60,000 miles on it and as soon as it is returned to me, it will have a "for sale" sign on it. There is a "cover up" Nissan is not mentioning here.

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  Sick of crap going wrong - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By sick - December 12 - 2:26 pm

  I used to have 3 B210s when I was in school. I thought these were reliable cars. I have been driving toyotas for the last 5 yrs. Well, Im going back to toyotas. This car has had more problems than I had pimples in high school. I would not tell anyone to buy this car. Ive had a new motor, computer, all wire-harness, sensors & a number of other things replaced on it. I think this car should be recalled. Maybe, I just got a Lemon.

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  20000, CVT Problems - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By CVTsStink - December 3 - 9:34 am

  The warranty is only as good as the company backing it. Nissan has a CVT issue and, as normal isnt doing much about it. My last Nissan, CVT issues at 20,000. Nissan needs to step up. Cant get Nissan to keep the car long enough to get the car to do it. Ive been on a intermittent slip going on 8 months now, about have gotten hit twice now. If you buy one, get a standard shift. Advice is to stay away, I hate to admit it, but go buy a Toyota.

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  Get ready to shell out huge $$$ for repairs - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By vfabrici - December 2 - 11:36 pm

  We have owned the truck since new, it now has about 220k miles. Im going to give the truck overall an f, The amount spent on repairs is really high, specifically for things that should have lasted the life of the truck. 2) at less than 60k miles the exhaust manifolds warped. This was an obscene $3600 repair. 3) Factory radio/cd player died in less than 3 years, a $800 repair. 4) Radiator had to be replaced at less than 100k miles, almost $1000. 5) Dealer screwed the car up and ruined the fuel pump while doing factory warranty work on the gas gauge. They then refused to acknowledge they caused the problem. Truck went in running fine, came out limping home, could barely go