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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  Test Drive at Nite A Must! - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By Sarah - September 4 - 1:20 am

  In all the cars Ive owned, never would I have thought to test-drive at nite to check the visibility in a car for the headlights. Wish I wouldve. As much as I like my 2013 Altima, the headlights suck! Like one of the reviews, you really cant see past 100-150 feet ahead of you and going faster than 60mph....is tough when youre not familiar with the roads unless you are following someone! Im looking into purchasing road lamps. That should help, but its ridiculous! Dont buy this car or any until you test-drive at nite. And the car was steering and pulling like when youre on the frwy in those grooves....even when youre not. Talk about increasing the play of the traction/steering when youre in the rain on the freeway! No time to relax and drive.....had to take the car into Mossy for them to repair and they couldnt figure it out and Temecula Nissan was able to correct the issue. Dont ask what it was as I forget sadly but Im sure the mister remembers. Each car is like a kid, even tho they come from the same parents just like twins, they are all different so be sure to test drive the car you want to buy before buying and test drive at nite too on a road/frwy you arent familiar with and read the reviews. Youd swear the poor visibility of my headlights was due to the plastic cover being 10 years old and needs polishing but thats NOT the case. Good luck and hopefully Nissan will read these reports and no that there is a valid and legitamate issue with these headlights! Otherwise, yes I like my car!

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  Poor fuel mileage - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By bill - September 1 - 8:33 am

  The window sticker says 23-33 mpg, the mpg gauge on the dash says 32 mpg highway and 23 mpg city, but in actuality it only gets 21 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. These tests were done under very controlled fill up and driving conditions (I was an engineering technician with GM Research Labs). Our 4cyl Camry did much better than this. We bought the Altima because it was a little smaller than the Camry and thought it would get better mileage. Consumer reports gives the 4cyl Altima 18 mpg city. Feel like we were scammed.

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  Unsafe for a tall driver - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By steve koomar - August 28 - 5:16 pm

  I bought the car for my 64" son. The dealer assured me it would accommodate his height. His head nearly hits the ceiling and comes dangerously close to hitting the visor. A crash risks a broken neck. The Oversized mirror creates a bind spot for any driver, but an especially large blindspot for a tall driver.

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  Done with Nissan - 2014 Nissan Frontier
  By mazzaducci - August 21 - 3:03 am

  I purchased my 2014 Nissan Frontier Pro 4x brand new 01/11/14. I have 53,567 miles on it already and will tell you this, never buy Nissan! on board computer-junk, locks up, loses connection with my phone, and the whole "pay attention to the road" sign could not be more irritating! I drive mostly highway, on cruise control...I have NEVER seen 21 MPG EVER!! The most important factor in selecting this vehical. They somehow neglect to inform you when you purchase the truck of all the mileage related "maintenance" that needs performed. In the 15 months I have owned the truck the dealers have soaked me for over $2000.00!! REALLY!!? I still need tires! I now have 110000 on the truck. The computer is still junk, and they want $150 to upgrade the map. I havent gotten the 100000 maintenance yet and my wallet is terrified. The serpentine belt is squealing quite loudly, and with all the internal fluids that will Im sure "need changed" I have no doubt a $1000+ bill is in my future. I put a 3" lift and 33" tires on the truck. With the bad, I will say the good; I cant get it stuck. I also highly suggest a cold air intake system, it really helped increase power.

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  Bad Brakes - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Give me a break - August 19 - 10:20 pm

  I have enjoyed my Nissan Titan, however the brakes are a different story. The rotars on my Titan were resurfaced at 4500 miles and again at 10,000 miles. I have called and complained to Nissan with no satisfactory results. This is a serious safety issue that Nissan will not address.

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  Beware when you go over 100K miles - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Bill - August 18 - 8:43 pm

  The car was great until 100K miles. Since then replaced cat converter, O2 sensors, fuel door and driver side door handle and now the head gasket blows. Went on other forums and its a typical problem that was known by Nissan. Wont buy another Nissan. Dont buy a used 2002 Altima.

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  Nice rental but I wouldnt buy it. - 2016 Nissan Frontier
  By Craig Laughlin - August 16 - 2:33 am

  Ive had the 2016 rental 3 weeks while my car is getting repaired from an accident. I enjoy driving the truck as it has plenty of power and handles very well, but the mileage is nowhere near its EPA rating. Im getting only 12-15 mpg with 2/3rd of more of my driving on highways. A lot of full size trucks do better. What really surprised me is the lack of small features Ive grown accustomed to in my GM vehicles. The lights are manual - you have to turn them on and off. Cmon! I had a 2003 Chevy S10 pickup (base work truck model) that had automatic lights. This Frontier is a loaded model and it doesnt have this feature. It also lacks a vehicle travel computer showing instantaneous and average speeds and gasoline consumption, miles until empty, etc., nor an outside temperature readout. I read through the manual to find out if they are hidden behind some function on the radio/info center. Every GM vehicle Ive had since 2007 has all these as standard on every model and trim level. Also, it didnt have the rear camera, though the manual indicated some models have it. I expected it on a loaded 4wd full cab 4x4. Again, a feature that GM is making standard on all vehicles.

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  Engine Issues - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By DPB - August 11 - 4:20 pm

  I am glad that Nissan no longer uses this V6 engine when they introduced the 2005 model. My engine problems began at 65 to 70k miles. I had to replace the Knock sensor that is located deep inside the block. The dealer wanted $1200 to replace; I used a non-dealer where the cost to repair in the book understates the labor hours. The timing belt wont last for 105K miles; they now recommend every 60k that costs another several hundred dollars. Thank god my exhaust manifolds have held up even though my dealer said they needed to be replaced for $1200 (other mechanics said they were ok.) Nissan uses a "plastic" bolt on the ac compressor sprocket. Mine eventually "popped" off.

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  Good Engine, Lots of Problems - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Brendan - July 31 - 9:10 am

  The truck has a nice engine, and nice interior. Its very roomy and comfortable. Ive had the vehicle in for service 20 times now with continuous problems. Several recalls on the vehicle and poor customer service. The stereo wouldnt pickup AM stations overtime and then would lose signal outright. It took over 7 times to get the stereo right and still they havent put the proper face plate back onto the vehicle. Bottom line, nice engine and very comfortable, but very poorly built.

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  you can find better - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Manny Espinoza - July 30 - 8:19 pm

  At 32K the transmission was swapped due to shuddering at randoms speeds. From day one I complained about the transmission shudder and was told by 3 different dealerships that it was in good working order. The new transmission is doing the same thing so I will be getting a lawyer if Nissan does not buy my buyback my Altima. My next car will be a Honda /accord with a manual transmission or maybe a Camry since they are not having issues with their CVTs, at least not nearly as bad as Nissan. What I was told by a Nissan mechanic is that Renault bought Nissan about 10 years ago and that since then the quality has been going doing down. Nissan knows there is an issue with their transmission but will not do anything about it. I also had issues with the outside temperature sensor and the back up camera, which they replaced a week ago, only to have the same issues. I own a 1999 Altima with over 300k miles on it never han problems like these with it. Nissans quality is not what it used to be, do not buy Nissan, I will not buy another Nissan my self.