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:

• 

  DO NOT BUY A NISSAN - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Sally Bell - April 13 - 3:53 am

  I will never buy a Nissan again! I own a Nissan Rouge and my car stopped working while I was on the freeway while my daughters were in the car. I found out it was my transmission (CVT) but Nissan refused to replace it since I was 1,700 miles outside of the warranty. There was no indication there was even an issue or that I should take my car in; which would have saved me thousands of dollars, prevented being without a car for over a week, and putting me and my family in grave danger. It is extremely upsetting and disheartening that Nissan cares so little for their loyal customers.

• 

  Lack luster performace - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By mehere - March 28 - 2:00 am

  Check engine light came on day after purchase has been in and out of the shop three times since.

• 

  A fool and his money - 2017 Nissan Rogue
  By a fool and his money - March 21 - 8:33 pm

  Center display showing how fast you are going and odometer reading failed after three days purchase, (tuned white) no data could be read, display cluster on backorder for over a week no date on when we will getting a new part. First tank of gas not used, the dealer has had the SUV longer for repair then we had it to drive it. UPDATE WEEK 2 has passed still no date on when the replacement display cluster will be here. They say (Nissan) is making a new display cluster when they get it done, will take another 5 days for the Model company to have it loaded with our ROGUES, VIN # and mileage only 85 miles. Then it will need to be installed by the dealer. UPDATE WEEK 3 has passed still no date on when the replacement display cluster will be here. They say they sent the display to the Model company but they do not know where it is no tracking number, right. Next week the state LEMON car LAW ( 30 days ) will start so this will be ending some how next week. Called consumers affairs at Nissan the person assigned to the problem is to busy to call us back they must have a lot of people with Nissan car problems to fix. UPDATE WEEK 6 has passed still no date on when the replacement display cluster will be here. The part department said the a new display would be them to install in our SUV ROGUES 3/13/2017 BUT NEVER CAME and surprise no PART and NO FEDEX tracking number for part at wits end.

• 

  NOT WORTH IT - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By palebeachbum - March 17 - 5:31 pm

  This was my first brand-new car and my first Nissan vehicle. I expected good overall long-term quality. I was severely let down. Within the first 1,000 miles of ownership, squeaks and rattles all around the interior began. Primarily at the passenger side of the dash, the headliner, and drivers door. Constant squeaks and chirps. Very annoying from a brand-new car! Next, the front suspension began squeaking badly. I had Nissan take a look. They found nothing wrong, so I had to live with it. Then, the paint began peeling in a couple of areas. At the A-pillar and also around the rear tail lights. Nissan repaired the paint under warranty. Then the car required replacement of the catalytic converter heat shield replaced twice within my ownership, under warranty. Its clearly a defective part. The transmission NEVER felt right from day one. It made creaking and whistling noises. It was very jerky in operation. It had a lot of behavioral problems. I hated the transmission. Luckily, I got rid of the car before it had a catastrophic failure. The windshield wiper linkage was loosening badly. The wiper arm movement became very disjointed and sloppy. Although the interior was cavernous for such a little car, the ergonomics were terrible. In 2yrs of ownerships, I never found a comfortable driving position. If I adjusted the seat to be a comfortable distance from the pedals, the steering wheel felt too far away. If I adjusted to be comfortable distance from the wheel, the pedals were too close. A telescopic steering wheel would have solved this. More reach is required. Ingress/egress was excellent! The option packaging on this car was comically bad. I owned the mid-spec SV trim. The car was missing some critical features some comparable cars offer in base trim. No split-folding rear seat? No variable intermittent wipers? Only 4 (crumby sounding) speakers for the stereo? Aside from the transmission issues above, other aspects of the engineering were quite poor as well. The steering was horrible. It was terribly light and offered no road feel at all. Trying to drive in a straight line on the interstate was pretty much impossible. The car liked to dart back and forth. Ride quality was very smooth...until you hit a bump, then it just hammered over it. The brakes were excellent. One bright spot to this cars driving dynamics. Acceleration was adequate, but the transmission made it a clumsy, miserable experience. Handling was pretty decent, but the skinny tires didnt have much grip. If you enjoy driving at all, this is not the car for you. It has no personality at all and drives like an appliance. I absolutely do not recommend this model of car new or used. Exceptionally poor quality overall. I was so disappointed in this car I traded it in after only 2yrs and 56k miles.

• 

  NEVER buy a NISSAN!! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Jo - March 14 - 7:31 am

  Worst, most expensive car to maintain I have ever owned. If the gas pedal sticks and then doesnt randomly, Im afraid to drive this car. We have replaced so many parts I could not possibly list them all here. The dealer is NO help, they diagnose, take your cash and youre back in 2 weeks. This model should have been recalled!!! Car has been maintained since we got it with 32000. Looks nice, under the hood it is a real nightmare. Only foreign car we own, will NEVER get another Nissan. They should care about their customers before their cars kill us!!

• 

  Nissan Buying This One Back - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By HERB Nyman - February 21 - 2:11 pm

  This car is a LEMON. Been to the dealer 6 times because it will not steer straight and pulls. The tires were replaced,front end aligned 3 times. Rack replaced and still pulls and drifts. Nissan North America has fought us all the way, lied at arbitration and generally uncooperative. We won the arbitration but had not sent Nissan NA a registered letter so instead of getting all our money back it was reduced by about 20 percent. If you have a LEMON be careful to follow your states lemon laws to the T. Dont expect much cooperation from NISSAN CORP. Buy another Brand.

• 

  Dont buy this car - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By nissansucks69 - February 9 - 1:00 pm

  I could review this car if I could actually use it!! I have not been able to use my car since it was broken since the day they gave it to me. Nissan and its laughable excuse for customer service have had my car for over a 3 weeks and I bought it 4 weeks ago. And they still cant fix it. I have asked for a refund or a new car and they just hang up the phone or redirect me to my contract which basically says "hahaha we screw you over". Listen to this precautionary tale - Dont trust Nissan ever.

• 

  Buyer Beware - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By Renee B - February 8 - 3:33 pm

  I have had nothing but trouble with this car. I took it to the dealership 3 months after purchasing it because there was a squealing noise when it was shifting through the gears. I drove it with the mechanic and he didnt hear anything when I pointed the noise out. They checked it out and told me there was nothing wrong. They also said that I shouldnt worry because Nissan warranties this particular transmission up to 100,000 miles. 6 months later I brought it back in because it was jerking other road, would not accelerate and my check engine light came on. I had just made it to 68,000 miles at this point and figured it would not be a problem. They informed me that the warranty had actually expired at 60,000 miles and any repairs would be at my expense. They couldnt recreate the problem so they reprogramed it thinking the check engine light was a computer glitch. 3 months later the transmission has completely failed on the car. The total cost for the transmission is $3,000 without labor. If you have this car and it is in working condition, please sell it asap.

• 

  do not buy - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By kit54 - January 20 - 4:26 pm

  I purchased my 2006 Nissan Quest in Jan. 2007 because Hawaii passed a law that children under the age of 8 and weight of less than 80# has to be in a child seat. Because I had a small car and could only put 2 of my 6 grandchildren and nephew and niece in the car at one time I had to get a bigger car. So I picked up the Quest. The side door glide covers fell off while driving and damaged the car. The passenger front seat door was making a whistling sound like the window wasnt close properly. found out the decorative panel was loose. the lights kept falling off the ceiling, the drivers visor kept falling down and dangling in front of the driver. the AC vents fall of the ceiling. Junk car!

• 

  Not bad if you dont look at the paint - 2014 Nissan 370Z
  By Erin - January 10 - 5:28 pm

  BUYER BEWARE! I purchased my 2014 with a potential minor paint issue that has become a nightmare. The ENTIRE clear coat is separating from the paint. Some of it looks like a frosty pattern, other parts look bubbled. Nissan will not make this issue right, claiming that RAIN caused this issue with the clear coat. RAIN?! I have owned many cars, and rain has never damaged my clear coat. I have never regretted a car purchase as much as this one.