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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  Major disappointment - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By nissanguy - February 25 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive, but no way this car can justify sticker price of $28.000. Poor quality inside the car. Plastic moldings on the seat are pealing off. Ugly strip of carpet-like material runs on the dashboard. Poor rear window visibility. Even top of the line SL has cheap looking plastics (wood imitation). Outside - front grill is terrible. Made of cheap shiny pieces of plastic. The whole thing moves to the touch of hand. Nissan tried to separate Maxima from Altima and they only succeeded in placing a higher price sticker, since the only good thing that this car has (engine) is also available in Altima 3.5, which costs thousands $ less and looks better.

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  Dont Buy This Vehicle!!! - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Kurt - February 22 - 3:10 pm

  Ive had my Pathfinder for two years. Yes, it has been reliable. But for about a year now Ive noticed while washing it that thousands of little rust specs are seeping through the paint. There are now streaks of rust down the back of it after sitting for the week in my Michigan driveway (undriven) for the week. A two year old car should not be rusting out. Its pathetic. I can only guess they use inferior steel to save a little money. For once Im glad its a lease.

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  Radiator / Trans Problem - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By joeferr1 - February 21 - 1:17 pm

  I like the Engine Power of SUV no Question ask. But when I read all the BAD REVIEW on this SUV, I feel very BAD. The RADIATOR problem for this vehicle the way they made it design flow. What I did to my TRANS hose that connect to the bottom of the radiator, I Disconnected & Bi-pass the hose & connect to trans Cooler. I thick the Nissan installed the VERY BAD R A D I A T O R...

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  ok if $17K is disposable income - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Maria B. Perez - February 19 - 2:46 am

  I bought this car brand new on 5/23/07. After 2 months, I called the dealership & said I was unhappy with the mpg. I paid extra for CVT transmission to get 33/36 mpg. On any given day (even while using synthetic oil), my best is 30 mpg. He said no one twisted my arm to buy the car. (no Wonder Nissan yanked their contract from this dealership.) upholstery is rubbed where the child seat sometimes sits. Carpet where the clutch would be if it was manual, looks like I took a razor to it. Molding on the rear right window is coming off. A/c stopped working just past warranty. They wont help to fix a/c system on 2-year-old car. Too bad-was going to upgrade to murano in 2 yrs. When daycare expenses decrease.

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  Dissapointed - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By Disappointed - February 15 - 5:10 pm

  I have truly been disaapointed with this vehicle. I have found that my steering wheel shakes and shimmies when I reach 60 mph. The engine is loud and revs real high. I have taken it back to the dealership and they have advised that this is normal, and there is nothing they can do. Also, just recently noticed a rattle in the front dash. I have taken the car to the service department four times without any luck. This is the first Nissan I have purchased, and at this rate Im sure it may be the last. My previous vehicles have been Hondas, and I think I should have stucked with them,because this Maxima was truly a mistake.

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  Good Car - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Chummy - February 13 - 3:53 pm

  Car has been been reliable and dependable. Slow leak on Tire only problem and annoying TPMS light. CVT is great on highway, not fun in the city. Overall a great commuting car. Bluetooth works well. Voice Recognition is not great. Build Quality just ok. Not the best. Trunk needs a big push to shut, and rear passenger side door not aligned that well. Sharp edges under the Trunk opening. Cut my hand there. Noisy in the rain. Ride not great over bumps. However its roomy. Was over charged by dealer for my 30,000 miles service over $500. It was routine, and no issues, but fee was high. I love the color, Magnetic Grey. Leather Seats feels like plastic. Should have bought the Altima.

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  Brakes or noise - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Alene Hill - February 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive taken this car back to Nissan 5 times because when I apply brakes theres a grinding noise even after the rotors have been checked and new brake pads have been installed after I got a second opinion this noise still occurs Im afraid that if this continues to happen a worst problem will occur Ive driven enough cars to know that is not normal, but Im being told by the sales people and the service manager that this is no problem. Im a senior citizen and I feel that Ive been sold a lemon and that I will have to deal with it for 72 months the length of my contract. Per auto check this car has been in an accident. I need to know the Truth about.

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  Dissatisfied Customer - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Dissatisfied Custome - February 13 - 10:00 am

  Purchased 09 Altima last December. We havent owned the car one yr and the engine began to knock like a diesel. Took car in for servicing by dealer and informed it needed a new engine. After much scrutiny by NISSAN, warranty covered the engine replacement. Had the car back for 2 days, engine wouldnt turn over. Radio, lights, windows would work, but car would not start. Replaced battery at my own expense, still happening. Just wishing we had the Chevy Trailblazer back, and rid of this nightmare.

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  Ya Really Have to Wonder About Nissan - 2001 Nissan Quest
  By DoubleNissan - February 4 - 3:20 am

  The van is actually built by Ford, and although I have never associated true quality to Nissan, the product is more of a black eye to them, which probably explains their choice to cancel the joint project (Mercury Villager/Nissan Quest) with Ford Motor Co. The Quest was a great product in its first incarnation, but the second generation (this model) that started in 99 was ill prepared and obviously not given much attention, especially in the engine and transmission department. It has decent power, fairly good handling (at least the SE does), and offers decent room. The engine has held up quite well with nearly 190,000 miles on it, and the only major problem was a broken tranny oil pan.

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  Major problem right from factory! - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By DMY1973 - February 2 - 2:00 am

  The day I picked up the Pathfinder I experienced a stalling/idling problem. The problem continued to get worse and the first time I used it on the highway, the vehicle would not upshift forcing the engine to redline at 65 mph. The dealer made $1500 worth of torque converter warranty repairs. The parts took a month to come in and the vehicle was completely unreliable to drive. This appears to be fixed now but the windshield stress cracked at 6 mos due to improper installation. I enjoy driving this Pathfinder I am very concerned about its long term reliability. I have another 30 months on my lease and that scares me.