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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  Maxima really worth buying????? - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By shavis - May 26 - 9:40 pm

  My husband and I had our 04 Nissan Maxima for 11 months & 23 days. We bought our Max in Sept.03 we traded it in Sept.04. The first time we had a problem it was 35 degrees outside. Max had problems starting. The colder it got the more it would not start at all. I had about 15 mornings when the veh would not start at all. I missed 1.5 hrs of work one day. & it was 15 degrees I spoke w/dealer from where we purchased Max & they bring it in, but could not find anything wrong w/it. We started having quality issues in Apr04 grill began to bubble up, rear door weather strip had to be replaced 5x. Not happy with quality of veh. luv speed and exteior of veh not happy w/ many other things!

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  Drive train failures. CVT and Xfer case issues. Dont buy Nissan! No Manufacturer Support! - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By weightclub - May 22 - 11:51 am

  Its too bad Nissan wont stand behind THIER product. They did replace the CVT (now that they extended the factory warranty to 10yr/120K) but our transfer case was leaking too (as so many of them have) and we were told it couldnt be rebuilt since it was one that had been made with a bad part! What floored me was we got NO help from Nissan at all with the cost of the replacement part. I even contacted the executive offices in TN. $3K later, I still have a metallic rattle when the CVT is trying to kick out of the first "gear" and after reading about how many others had the same issue, I am VERY worried I will have to replace both drive train components again if we hang on to the car.

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  Think hard before buying - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By graydonlarrabee - May 21 - 10:00 am

  This car went through make-ready and was delivered by the sales person with a defective computer-control-module for the interior lighting. It took the service deopartmet 2 hours to find what was wrong. The plasma display simply cannot be read in bright sunlight

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  Dream Car.... or is it? - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By radowns05 - May 20 - 6:40 pm

  When I was 16 I was forced to buy the ugliest car there ever could be. A 1997 Nissan Sentra which turned out to be the best car on Earth. Owning this car made my dream car a Nissan Altima. I figured if the Sentra was that good the Altima had to be even better. In 2012 I bought a 2010 Nissan Altima S. Over all it has been an "ok" car. I expected more, I guess. If you like the smell of rotten eggs and Nissan telling you that it is a "normal" smell when you accelerate; it is the way it cleans itself out, then this is the car for you! I feel that a car this new, and costs this much wouldnt smell everytime you accelerate to pass someone.

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  2004 Murano and my wife - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By L. Gary Shapiro - May 20 - 2:43 pm

  heavy accelerator, mirror controls are a stretch, doors are very tinny, uses to much gas for a 6 cylinder, needs more space in the rear hatch area. console does not offer much space. Heavy thumping noise when the front window are open and youre driving above 35MPH. Suspension is to hard in the rear seated area

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  Huge,Suv - 2015 Nissan Armada
  By Marlon Morales - May 20 - 2:03 am

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  Dont buy a 2004 Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By ihatenissan - May 18 - 8:40 pm

  At 72,000 miles the transfer case cracked, a $4,100 repair. I agree with user nutmeg a vehicle this expensive should not have a $4,100 repair before $100,000 miles. Nissan customer service is terrible, very condescending and useless. I WILL NEVER BUY NISSAN AGAIN! This is the second lemon from Nissan I have purchased, Im done. Nissan even issued a technical service bulletin regarding how to fix the transfer case and it is w/ 2005 specifications. They should have issued a recall. Nissan is in the business of selling cars but not building customer relationships. This will eventually catch up with them. Repeat customers are what keeps companies in business.

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  I am disappointed with my 04 Quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By terri - May 16 - 12:33 am

  We bought the 04 Quest because Consumer Reports on previous years models were so good. The exterior look was so cool, and the interior is unique, comfortable, and large enough for our needs. However, the body integrity has proven a great disappointment. We have been getting water in our trunk area, which weve brought back 3 times and still havent gotten satisfaction. The small air vents in the ceiling fall off occasionally. The passenger side air bag light does not go off, even when a 165 lb. person is sitting in the seat. And it seems that all of the recalls require the dealership mechanics to rebuild this car every time I have to bring it in. Im thinking of selling soon.

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  ROGUE 2013 MISSING SAFETY FEATURES - 2013 Nissan Rogue
  By eyenthesky - May 15 - 6:39 am

  Nissan has decided to short customers buying the 2013 model. The hood insulator (black cover under the hood) is missing and they claim "it is no longer needed". When shopping for a 2013 Rogue, check under the hood and compare to a 2012 or the new 2014 and ask the dealer to explain why this safety feature is missing!

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  We bought A Lemon - 2014 Nissan Rogue
  By 2014nislemon - May 12 - 2:56 pm

  Our 2014 Rogue SLs digital ac control wont turn on when the vehicle is started we purchased it in June and since then it has been at the dealership 27 out of the first 40 days since delivery. Nissan has thus far been unable to fix the issue. Do not buy a 2014 Rogue! We are hard working people that were trying to provide a quality vehicle for our family and so far this experience has been a nightmare! The regional manufacturing rep for Nissan is involved, but they are still dragging their feet. Nissan of Chesapeake can not repair the Rogue while we are sitting back making payments and driving something much smaller and not comparable to our purchase. Again DO NOT PURCHASE A NISSAN!!!