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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  My Titan has Frontier Brakes - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Tom - December 11 - 2:56 pm

  My brakes are terrible. The dealer and Nissan have been trying to fix it since 3900 miles. Now, 4 months later and 5000 more miles, it is still not repaired. Nissan Consumer Affairs doesnt care about anyone. It took them 2.5 weeks just to call back and aclnowledge my problem and then they said that they cannot get any parts? They said that I will just have to wait! Not me, I am gonna dump this for something that can be repaired! I have also had tire troubles, squeaks and a new ceiling console. NISSAN better rethink this one! Best of luck to any other owners of the TITAN!

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  Traded it in - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By sdwtchlvr - December 10 - 6:50 am

  I owned a 2003 Murano from 4/06-5/10. Here are a few bullet points. •The SE ride is very rigid...the suspension is supposed to be sport tuned but it is awfully rough and rigid. Had to replace struts at 70K and when I traded it in, a couple of the motor mounts were shot. •The frame on the drivers seat broke, so the window side of the seat sagged down. Did some research and found I was not alone. Nissan wanted to replace the seat at $1500+. No thanks. •The HID head light went out. Bought a replacement bulb for $180. That blew right after putting it in. Bought another one, same thing. Turns out it was the transistor housing for the bulb. Headache. Traded it in for a Camry.

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  WORST CAR EVER PURCHASED - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By WOOODYWOOD - December 7 - 1:16 pm

  I bought this van with 3 miles on it! I wanted a family car and I really liked the way the quest looked. Thus, I bought one. This was the worst purchase I have ever made! It has been to the dealership 7 times since March! I have had 4 tire sensor problems, that the dealership cant fix! I also had a mildew smell coming out of my vents! The dealership told me that something could have crawled into the van and DIED and that this would not be covered under my warranty! I would have to pay for them to fix this problem! A brand new van!!! Finally, the dealership has the smell in the vents fixed, but the tire sensor is still flagging and the van doesnt qualify as a lemon per Nissan. DO NOT BUY!

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  Rusty Bucket - 1997 Nissan Sentra
  By Homecmk - December 2 - 2:00 am

  The driveshaft starting rusting before the end of the year and I dont even live near the beach. The door panels are likely made from recycled tin cans considering the thinness. The noise level are outragous on the freeways.

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  Nissan Fan Turned Sour on Quality - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jk2013 - November 19 - 3:27 am

  "I was a big fan of the Nissan product having owned a 2010 maxima, I was very disappointed in the quality of the 2013 Pathfinder. Within the first month I have had front headlight burn out, leaking windows, Parking sensor warning lights and more importantly transmission issues with the newly designed CVT, producing rumbling noises and providing sluggish performance/delays at low to mid city driving speeds. Dealer will not take the SUV back as they claim that it would be considered a defective product and could not sell it. Kind of funny as Nissan had no issue selling me a defective product in the first place. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NOT PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE...AT LEAST 2013 YEAR!

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  Lemon Car - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Jodi - November 19 - 3:26 am

  Brought car 11 months ago, has left me stranded twice & towed in. In shop at least once a month. No motor noise when brought car, now motor noise gets louder everyday. Depending on whom you talk to there are a 100 different reasons but nothing to worry about as it is still under warranty (per Leith parts manager). If gets too bad can replace engine if complain enough. Have had to replace fuel tank, fuel lines, fuel cap, repair transimission and fuel pump. Would not buy another Nissan from Leith. The parts department is a nightmare. No two people can agree on what was done to your vehicle or what was wrong with it. Rarely does work report and verbal report agree.

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  Sentra Blues - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By Jerry Fair - November 18 - 9:16 pm

  I have been a Toyota owner for years and a Toyota mechanic but when I needed a new car I thought I would try my first Nissan. It was a mistake. To compare the design quality of a similar Toyota such as a Corolla to a Sentra is like comparing night and day. Here are some examples. The trunk on a Sentra is much smaller than a Corolla. Additional Sentra problems that Corolla does not have: engine performance-poor. Cruise control is too fast and the trans immediately kicks down. Fuel economy is no where near the 40 MPG other reviews have stated. I get about 28 MPG. Radio sounds bad. CD player is a joke. Who ever designed the cup holder should be bared from auto design for life. I could go on.

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  No more nissans for me! - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By GruchMasta - November 11 - 1:13 am

  this is my hmmm 4th and last nissan - i owned models from 1989 - all sentras - and this one - 2004 -it is driving disaster - everything brakes in it - at 40k-belts - at 55k-water pump - at 35k !!!-clock spring for horn and airbag ! when i research it is on almost half of nissan production -maybe it is time for recall ???- at 65k-charcoal filter release valve ?!?!-fuel were shooting out of the gas tank and rpms were high , now the check engine is on - one of the 02 sensors -i guess..... you dont know what may be tomorrow !!! thankfully didnt stop dead on the road yet but you dont know what will happen in the future ,oh and the paint is so cheap - about 1 year later started to fade...junk !

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  Dont buy! - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By regina2662 - November 9 - 5:30 am

  My husband and I bought a 2013 Pathfinder 3 weeks ago and our vehicle has been in the shop twice! First time Feb. 6th due to our vehicle jerking back and forth while we were driving with our kids in the vehicle. At first Nissan said they couldnt figure out whats wrong then they said it was a sensor and it was fixed. My kids and I have been sick so we didnt drive the car again until Feb. 10th in which the vehicle again was jerking back and forth and now making a very loud knocking sound. Took the vehicle again to Nissan today (Feb. 11th) and it has been there since 9:30 a.m. just to be told "we dont see anything wrong with it" 6 hours later ..... Never again will I buy NISSAN!

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  the worst car ever - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By MOE - October 30 - 6:50 pm

  I bought this car two years ago. It had 63 k on it. I replaced head gasket after 1500k, I changed whole brake system, engine light has been always on! I changed oxygen sensor, crankshaft sensor. Steering wheel is making noise. Gas mileage is ok but you have to put premium gas! And the latest one I cannot pass emission test. Fantastic car! Nissan is my first and last car