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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  Re-think_problems - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Re-think_Problems - May 7 - 9:40 pm

  I bought this car about 5 months a go. I was enjoying this car for first 2 months. It was fun to drive until I had to take it in for driver side seat movement. The driver seat moves left to right when you do any type of turns. It even moves when you move it by hand. Dealers last note on their service paper "Fixed the broken bushing, seat still moves." I have called their customer support number. They keep telling me that they are working on this problem. No resolution. Finally, I got hold of Lemon Law ATTORNEY and filled a LAW SUIT with Nissan. I will NEVER BUY NISSAN AGAIN.

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  Not Recommended - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By mjf - May 2 - 12:03 am

  Bought this vehicle in November of 2009 to replace a Mazda 3. We were looking for something bigger. We got bigger, but not better. Not impressed with the interior. The air vents are horrible. They dont blow where you want them to and not much air comes out of them. The amber interior lighting is not impressive. Really old fashioned. The alternator just went out at 44,000 miles. Had to get that replaced. Not happy about that. Have to use premium gas or car shakes. Not happy about that. Premium gas is expensive, plus the tank size is massive, and it drinks gas. We should have kept our Mazda 3. Regret the decision to get a Nissan maxima. Probably wont ever buy a Nissan again.

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  dissappointed with nissan - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By tinamarie - April 30 - 8:33 am

  Loved the bright yellow color of this sporty suv. Boy was I dissappointed when the radio display malfunctioned at 15000 miles. I was even more dissappointed when the air condition went out completely. We live in Florida so air is a must and the compressor is pricey and should not have went out on a nissan so new. going to trade this on a RELIABLE toyota.

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  Not recommended - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By mackyd - April 30 - 4:27 am

  Ive been living with my Altima 2.5 Sedan for over a year now and I will never have another. I can only describe it as a car for people who dont like driving. Dangerously underpowered, the most uncomfortable front seats Ive ever encountered in a modern vehicle, many rattles and squeaks from the interior and exterior, very prone to understeer due to the poor weight distribution, I find the CVT annoying, the - augmented by limited windshield wiper coverage - blind spot at the drivers A pillar is terrible. The trunk hinges are the invasive kind which is unacceptable to me. There is no mechanical key hole for the trunk. I have many more complaints about it but no room to include them all.

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  Worst vehicle I have ever owned - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By mastiffmom1 - April 26 - 12:27 am

  My Quest has 60,000 miles on it and the dvd player has been replaced twice. The vents fall out of the ceiling constantly, the passenger visor falls out of the ceiling occasionally, when making a left hand turn with the headlights ALL the lights in van come on. The radio antenna has been replaced. The screen that displays everything stopped working. It rattles and shakes, it just sounds sometimes like it is going to fall apart. Worst of all at about 30,000 miles the paint started chipping off. Nissan fixed the little areas as they occurred, 5 days after the warranty ended the chipping started in other areas. ..Funny I saw a quest this weekend for sale with the paint falling off too

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  Not pleased with my purchase - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By me - April 22 - 8:26 am

  I traded in a 95 Cadillac and a 99 Tahoe. IÂ’m really disappointed with this vehicle, not even a week after I bought it, I had the a.c. compressor go out and there was an exhaust leak. Now when I accelerate it still sounds like thereÂ’s an exhaust leak and lacks the get up when I step on the gas. The other thing with it theres something loose that rattles when Im driving. The driver seat is really uncomfortable, the room in this vehicle is very limited to what Im used to when I had my Tahoe, even my Brougham had more room than this Pathfinder. Im regretting this purchase would not purchase another one, I shouldve gone with the Toyota 4Runner at least its reputation is a heck of a lot better.

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  Sorry to rain on the parade - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By JRMOakland - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Sorry to rain on the parade but this car is a pain. Its incredibly space inefficient - my CRX was a much smaller car but had much more interior room. The materials are cheap, and Im aready having electrical problems w/alarm and windows after only a couple months. The ride is jarring and nervous. The ungulations on uneven roads are almost enough to make you hurl. My dealer experience was frustrating, despite having checkbook in hand, and purchase required returning the car to the dealer multiple times to resolve problems.

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  15 days is too long to wait for a part - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Cayman owner - April 3 - 5:30 pm

  Faulty gas gauge. Vehicle returned for warrranty repair and remained un-usable for more than 15 days while we waited for Nissan North America to source a replacement part. Never again.

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  Something breaks every month - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By LostACustomer - March 30 - 6:03 pm

  Dont buy this piece of junk unless you want to spend 2 trips a month. I traded it for a Toyota Sieanna and couldnt be happier. Things that went wrong were: - cranks forever - loss of power annually - powered sliding door keeps reversing and still isnt fixed. - vibrations at fwy speeds - gas gauge shows empty after a fill- up twice - passenger air bag shows off even when adult sits there - replaced radio keypad twice - lights falling out of ceiling - door panels coming off - glove compartment warped - shifter replaced - radio antenna weak - headrests are too far from your head so you can get a serious whiplash if you are rear-ended.

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  Disappointed - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By CJ - March 18 - 11:33 pm

  Since purchasing this vehicle in August, I have had it at the dealership 3 times for the same problem. Which I am told the vibration and shaking I feel when taking off and at low speeds is normal. I was told that the shaking and vibration is coming from the engine. What a total disappointment.