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:

• 

  Better buy the Tacoma - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By srl99 - July 14 - 2:00 am

  Dumped all auto tranny fluid at 1507 miles due to wedge left in cooler line at factory. Nissans response? Refill the tranny - you should have bought an extended warranty. Guess they dont know about service after the sale. I SHOULDVE bought the Tacoma and you should too!

• 

  Not what i expected!!!! - 2016 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Ivan - July 4 - 3:23 pm

  the first thing that you have to know is that the bluetooth technology that is in the car is the worst! unless you want to spend an extra 10,000 dollars to get the fully loaded version, but then that would put you on high priced vehicle, and with that might price you might be able to get some thing with more luxury. The bluetooth capabilities are just to hear a phone call come in....that is it! You may ask.....what about audio streaming? NOPE, not available. you would have to buy a dongle/adapter for it or some audio cables that are going to be hanging out of your middle console, and look crappy. (yes im picky like that) i just feel that it is not worth the price. my 20,0000 nissan rougue had audio streaming; i paid twice as much for this one. I do not get navigation, so i have 6 BUTTONS from my stearing wheel to the control panel that do the same thing!....... and that is to change my radio station one up......really? I know that my review is mostly on the sound system ...and it is, but i like to go down to the details like these. When i purchased the car i asked if bluetooth was included and they said yes, but i never thought that it would be just for calls. when i told my dealer about the complaint, the sales guy said "yeah sometimes the cheaper cars have better feautures"....(wow) Also, nissan stated that they spent 6000 just on the entertaining system; mmmm i dont know, you would think that 6000 dollars can get you a higher quality screen for your dash board. there are also two "back" buttons, 2 "settings" buttons, 2 "info" buttons that alone is just 6 buttons wasted. i hope that this review makes sense to you, i do think that the car is a good reliable car, but after driving it for several months, i feel like it is not worth the money that i am paying on it.

• 

  Worst car Ive ever owned - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Mary Ann - July 4 - 2:33 pm

  I get worse mileage than I got from the 17 year old Grand Am this car replaced. Cant even count the minor problems Ive had. Wouldnt recommend this car at any price.

• 

  OMG What have I done! - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Dawn B - June 24 - 9:46 am

  I have had my Rogue for 2 weeks! It has been in the shop twice and I have to bring it in again and leave it for a day and a half. 2 days after buying it the AC died and turned into heat that still came through the vents when off and this was during a heat wave! Then the tire function light came on, then the rattle under the driver side when I start it. Called the dealership, brought it in. (I live over an hour away- my stupidity) The tech came out after 2 hours of waiting to tell me they figured out what was wrong but the parts wouldnt be in for a couple days. Now there is another noise from the CVT, it hesitates on acceleration and is wheezing. Thank God my husband is paranoid and we bought the extra coverage. So what do we do? Havent even made a payment yet! I am disabled and we traded my Rav for the Rogue~ I drive to PT twice a week, an hour each way. I need a dependable vehicle that im not going to get heatstroke in while driving. I live in Mass so I have the Lemon law on my side to a point. Im going through all the complaints, making a list, checking recalls, making sure they have been taken care of against my vehicle. When I go in to drop it off I will be armed with all this info and just may demand another vehicle. I should of checked here before shopping, Im so P/Od!

• 

  Disappointed, frustrated and at the end of my rope - 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
  By cdnbuyer1 - June 16 - 3:18 am

  Bought in 2012. Since then nothing but issues from the first week. At the outset there were several times it would not start. Window motors and regulators have been replaced; ignition starter; computer; electrical harness; passenger seat more than once; convertible top - nothing but problems - it is in again right now needing another new tray - best part is how long it will take to get the parts - months. I am a Canadian who bought a US vehicle at Cdn dealer and that means my only recourse is to sue. I would love to hear from anyone else with any issues with this type of vehicle.

• 

  No Show Stopper - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By words - June 14 - 11:04 am

  I just bought the NIssan Sentra 2013, and nobody really noticed! And the more I drive it I know why. Though upgraded from the previous model, Nissan went back to archives and pulled out the "GOTO" Nissan Altima file and just made it smaller. I bought the SL model with the wood grain, LED Lights, and dual temperature. The salesmen said it was loaded, but not really I should have looked up what "Loaded" is defined as according to Nissan. Bad: The model has LED lighting but it fails to light up the buttons on the door making it difficult to see the buttons at night, unless you open door.It doesnt seamessly go from low to high speed without a loud noise in the engine, unlike our NIssan Altima. There is a delay. Some highway noise too, and the windshield if you are short looks bifocal like and the lines on the road seem to wave, much like a bifocal glass.Moving the seat too is manual pumping. (Cheap!) I mean really they couldnt give you auto seats with the SL model. Thus far in comparison to the SUV i was driving I am saving a bit on gas, but though I am paying less, I seem to filling up almost the same. Hmmm! The sound system is good, but they trick you by putting in faux speakers in the doors, but no sound. What? I am grateful to God for allowing us to purchase this car, but some prayers should be left unanswered. Im already thinking of trading it in at 550 miles.

• 

  Vibration - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By sum2 - June 12 - 4:37 am

  Whole car vibrates/shakes at 1900RPM. I have replaced alternator & belt in regard to this issue but nothing has happened. Car still vibrates. Nissan technician told me it is normal because of CVT. well you didnot tell me that when I was purchasing the car. This is a major issue and NIssan is not even considering it as a problem. They do not have a solution fir it yet. I strongly advise all the potential customers to stay away from this car until they resolve the issue.

• 

  DO NOT BUY A NISSAN - 2007 Nissan Pathfinder
  By brownjen8 - May 23 - 11:22 am

  I have a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder. I too have the same problem with radiator & transmission. I called Nissan and they will not help me because I have 103,000 miles on it. The lady I talked to was Jacenta (sp) and she told me that I did have 103,000 miles on it so they couldnt help me and hung up on me. Obviously Nissan feels that a transmission should only last 80,000 miles and if their faulty mechanics cause antifreeze to ruin your transmission they should not be held responsible. I wonder if any CEO of Nissan would take a gallon of antifreeze and dump into their transmission? That is exactly what Nissan is doing and it usually happens around the 100,000 mark from what I hear.

• 

  No battery capacity warranty leaves owners with worthless cars - 2011 Nissan Leaf
  By azdre - May 20 - 6:39 pm

  The lack of a battery capacity warranty has left dozens of warm-climate owners with cars that are no longer useful, and that are unsellable. There are no dealers in Phoenix, AZ that will take these cars as trade-ins because of the issues with the battery. After getting positive battery care reports, we can travel no more than 50 miles in our car that should go 80-100 miles. Nissan is changing its story at every turn, and refuses to acknowledge a problem. Google: Real World Battery Capacity Loss, and youll see the real deal with how Nissan treats its customers. They do not stand behind this product. They got their 1.4 billion dollar loan, they dont need the LEAF anymore.

• 

  this is a lemon...trying to make lemonade - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By autophitie - May 13 - 8:28 am

  Please research this vehicle...read reviews..and purchase something else for the safety of yourself, your family and other drivers on the road. I had a 2005 Pathfinder, bought it used was happy driving it despite the finicky trans which always seemed okay as long as I continued my dutiful trips to the dealer for service...I had just purchased new tires and brakes for the vehicle which I paid cash for at the time and wham at just over 102K mi the transmission went. It was acting up for a few days with my kids in the car I only ventured to work and daycare ASAP got to to the shop..thankfully no one was injured when I was driving this vehicle...