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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  Dont purchase - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Chris D - September 26 - 1:03 am

  I bought my Armada 12/18/06 with only 13,000 miles and what a mistake.The DVD vibrates terribly (Nissan Said nothing wrong). The truck has more rattles than I can narrow down. I brought it back to Nissan they fixed some of them but its still rattling. This morning I was unable to close my drivers side door and had to drive it to the dealer holding the inside handle. I will be trading it in or selling it shortly though I love the room and the horse power but Nissan does not build a quality product. This might be because its the first year but I traded my 03 Acura MDX for the Armada with 50,000 miles and it never let me down. At this point I will never buy a Nissan Product again. Sorry.

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  OK, but could be better - 1998 Nissan Altima
  By EJS - September 25 - 8:53 am

  Bought with 28K miles from the dealer in nice condition. It now has just over 100k miles and I would say its been OK. I replaced both axles at around 80K miles. I do not tear around in this car, but it eats engine mounts; I have replaced the rear engine mount 3 times so far. This car is noisy on the freeway and fuel economy has never been over 30mpg. Drivers window switch failed at 85K and this requires a fair bit of digging into the drivers door to replace a $200 part. CD player has twice died; first time the dealer replaced it ans second time I found a cold solder joint on the display connector. Lifters have been noisy at startup since we bought the car. I think Honda is better

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  Luster wears off quick!! - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Ticked-off-tico - September 25 - 4:10 am

  I had written a review with higher ratings when I 1st got car but that has changed dramatically. Car started to pull to left more and more. Let go of steering wheel & you might hit curb or cars. Seats are uncomfortable for 50 plus mile trips. Interior parts have popped off or loosened and I have noticed that the black paint job on exterior is of inferior quality for $25,000 plus car. Engine sounds like it will need to be fixed soon. Rear view mirror does not dim well enough at night that you dont squint during night driving. I believed in Nissan before but lost faith that they even care about customers more than the buck. Ridiculous maintenance prices. No mp3 compatibility.Lots of road noise.

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  Worst car Ive owned - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Eric - September 24 - 5:40 am

  This is the 3rd and last Maxima I will own. The car is/was beautiful and had all the perks, leather, heated seats, sunroof, heated steering wheel, Bose. I always got compliments on what a good looking car that is was. But that was it. During the 5 years of owner ship, replaced brakes 3 times, rotors twice, 3 wheel bearings, 1 steering knuckle, AC system had a leak at factory fitting, the rear end could not be aligned and ate tires every few months, and the transmission started to go (Google it). I hear many of the same complaints from this $30k+ car. Got to the point that I did not enjoy driving it because I was worried of what would go wrong next. Now I drive a 2009 Hyundai Sonata that I love!

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  not a good buy - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By jimmy davies - September 22 - 10:00 am

  this se 2003 (automatic) is not what i expected. during the winter, after the ignition, you will hear a ratle and the rpm will move up at the same time as the engine ratles. anothe deadly thing is when the car is parked uphill. To back up and put on reverse,I have to force a few times the stick in order to be able to put the car on reverse. i dont know why this is happening but i now firmly believe that toyota is much better in term of quality. My brothers se altima has the same problem with putting the car in reverse. time to trade. please consider carefully before you buy a nissan.

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  More Trani Problems - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By SUVgirl - September 22 - 8:50 am

  Pathfinder was my first new car! Loved it, until the problems started. First the fuel sending unit sensor went, but was under warranty, so it was fixed (2006). In 2009, with 75,000 miles on it, the transmission went. Same prob Im reading about here - radiator leaked into transmission and ruined it. Had it fixed, but have since had problems with a solenoid and have had to have it towed two more times. And just when I thought I had had enough, the fuel sensor has gone again! Is there any recourse out there for us? This is our family car. Our 1992 Honda Accord is great, but its had its hey day - not really comfortable putting the three kids in it to travel anywhere far.

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  Review after 5 years, 80k miles - 1999 Nissan Sentra
  By t-bizzzle - September 22 - 8:03 am

  I bought this car with 60k miles on it and now it has 140k. Its been good to me, but it has its quirks. Im 6-2, 230, and I find this car comfortable. Its been a pretty reliable car too. The only breakdown was when my water pump went out. Beware that this car has trouble starting at high altitude. I need to put my foot on the gas when I start my car or it will stall and will not start up again. If I forget to put my foot on the gas when I start it I have to floor it and crank the engine for about 60 seconds. Ive only forgotten to hit the gas about 3 times, so its not that big of a deal to me.

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  Decent, but not quite good - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By Ted Smith - September 21 - 2:23 pm

  I purchased the 1.8S Special Edition package, which had a killer stereo system, (in-dash 6-cd changer, 9 speakers (incl sub in the trunk), and the stock cd player. Unfortunately, this was by far the best quality of the car. Within the first 3 weeks of owning the vehicle, the rear strut was replaced & within the first 6 months, the gas tank (& other parts corresponding to the fuel intake) were completely replaced due to a recall. It has also been in the shop at least 4 times since then due to an unaccountable loss of transmission fluid, which has yet to be resolved. MPG has never gotten over 24 city or 28 hwy. Id say overall somewhat reliable, but needs work on the mfg end of things.

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  2011 Nissan Juke Timing Chain issue - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By caprisun - September 18 - 6:13 am

  I have a 2011 Nissan Juke 37k miles. I heard a ticking noise coming from the engine so took it to the dealership this morning. I called them back this afternoon to find out the diagnosis. All they said was there is a noise coming from the motor, so we need all your maintenance records before we will touch it. First of all I dropped it off and was told they would diagnose the problem and call me. 7 hours later I called them only to be told that if I wanted them to break down the motor then I would owe them a huge bill. I asked the technician what was wrong with the juke. He says sounds like timing chain and they are not wanting to fix the problem. Any suggestions out there???????

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  Spend a little more and be happier. - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Gene - September 16 - 7:20 am

  I bought a modestly equipped Versa as an extremely economical choice. It was the most affordable 5-door that wasnt too small, but I was dissatisfied overall. A mediocre suspension, poor 6-speed shifter and unsupportive seats made an unrefined ride. Mine got poorer than average MPG despite a light foot. The brakes squeaked from the first day and were never repaired to my satisfaction. Nissan even distributed a note to dealerships to excuse themselves from this problem. In other words: Versas squeak. Too bad. If you want a low cost Nissan, buy the Cube instead.