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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  HOPE 2010 ALTIMA IS BETTER - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By HOPE 2010 IS BETTER - January 31 - 7:16 am

  2007 Altima 2.5SL, 6 CD Boss System, 53200 miles on it - I get 26.3 miles per gallon combine city and highway, not quite 32 as they claim. The road noise if terrible, it seems Nissan decided to build the door panels, and entire car with as little or no sound insulation, very cheap. The seats are very uncomfortable on long drives 30 min. drive. I hope they have improved these areas and other areas consumers have complained on since the redesign in 07. Otherwise, what is the point of reviewing this vehicle. Nissan invest some quality material on making a good product and dont rip people off with cheap products that are not worth more then 24K, even at 24K the Nissan Altima is not worth it.

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  Another Lemon - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By tiffster - January 2 - 10:00 am

  We have had nothing but problems with this van. We have started the process of filing lemon law on ours and if that doesnt work we are going to suck it up and loose money by trading it in for a vehicle that hopefully is manufactured better than this one. It is a rattle trap and no one can fix it yet. Problems are too many to list in 700 characters allowed here. Just save yourself the heartache and trouble that I am experiencing and DO NOT BUY A QUEST!!!

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  new engine - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By 87000 - December 22 - 6:06 pm

  my car is not over 100,000 miles and already had to get a new engine and other expensive parts

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  DONT BUY A NISSAN MAXIMA - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By sergey1992 - December 18 - 1:02 pm

  bought the car 3 months ago from dealership with 3 month warrenty car had no problems at all took it to a nissan machanick to check it out after driving the car for 3 months or 15000 miles the car started to experience severe jerking and transmission slipping.. the engine would not go more then 19 miles and the rpms would jump to large numbers and slip tne car starts kicking and doesnt drive i have the 2004 nissan maxima 3.5se model with 5 sp automatick transmission this car has been great until this point but 80xxx miles is reediculous for this type of money this was my 5TH AND LASTTTT MAXIMA I AM EVER BYING THESE MANUFACTURES RUINED THE GUD NAME OF NISSAN AND ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING TO REPA

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  Nissan Customer Service Dissatisfaction - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By ShaneFitch - December 7 - 2:00 am

  I have never had such poor service from a company and have never had such a poorly manufactured car. I have had to car in the shop 5 times since I leased it in August 2003. I am very displeased with Nissans quality of manufacturing and customer service. When I needed their help they turned their backs on me. I will never purchase another Nissan as long as I live. I will recommend to everyone to steer clear of Nissan. Nissan is not the company it once was. If you need any help whatsoever with your vehicle after you signed the papers, youÂ’re going to be in for a big surprise.

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  Horrible - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Adriana - November 21 - 6:16 am

  I bought my altima coupe a little over a year ago. I have had nothing, but problems with it. I think I have been in rental more than my own car over the course of the year Ive had it. Their is a problem with passenger airbag, tires are crap, makes ping noises all the time, engine revs to the point that it drives you crazy, and has horrible blind spots. The list can go on and on. I will never buy another nissan again!

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  junk, junk, junk - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By junk - November 17 - 1:00 am

  I bought this car new. Had no problems with it until about 8000 miles. Since then, it has has a new radio and about to have a new rear view mirror. This is all I can get fixed. The transmission is junk and the motor runs like a diesel. It knocks and rattles and seems to get worse. The tranny is junk. Any load and it slips and I get ready to call for a pick up. The air bag sensor on the passenger seat is defected. Making matters worse, customer service says nothing is wrong and the car is old and is going to have these problems at 9000 total miles. I will never own a nissan again.

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  CVT TRANSMISSION - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By pswanee - November 10 - 6:02 am

  This is the third transmission installed on my 2008 Nissan Sentra. After 67,672 miles the first one broke down where the car had to be towed 95 miles to the Nissan Dealer. The second one broke down at 68,845, only 2 weeks after getting it back, 173 miles. Nissan extended their warranty on this CVT transmission, because of the problems, from 5 years 60,000 miles to 10 years 120,000 miles. Since the transmission broke down at 7,672 miles from the initial warranty, the BBB advised the Lemon law cannot be applied since it is after the initial warranty 5 years 60,000 miles even though it was extended. Nissan being aware of this will not buy back the vehicle but just keeps replacing the transmissi

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  What a let down - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By Disappointed - November 9 - 4:23 am

  If you value safety, dont buy a Nissan. The car is all over the road. Ive never experienced something like this ever before. Also, there is no seat belt chime to remind you to buckle up! Its too bad they dont have the same policy as GM (if you dont like the car, you can bring it back).

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  Lemon - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By rbrion - November 8 - 1:58 pm

  My transmission issues have completely ruined my ownership experience. Nissan is in cahoots with the dealers to deny there are very serious issues with the CVT transmission. I am in the process of forcing Nissan to buy back this junk as they have done NOTHING to try to resolve this issue on their own. This is my second new Nissan in the past three years and it will definitely be my last.