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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  The automotive equivalent of Britney Spears - 2017 Nissan Maxima
  By Maxima No More - July 22 - 11:59 am

  Sure the design is fantastic and the selling points are many, however, in my experience, they have failed to deliver. The Engine? Fine, too much power for front wheels, but this is only really evident when you go to pass someone and fight to stay in the lane. The seats? Adequate, I have sat in better for a similar price point, but they are OK. The electronics? So far the radio system has shut off 3 times for no reason, requiring me to pull over and restart the car to reboot the system. The included apps are (is) a poorly functioning google search app which rarely works and will not dump info into the navigation. As for the others (iHeart Radio, TripAdvisor, Pandora, etc) at least they are no longer lying to me that the car is too advanced for the app and they now say that they wont support them. The key fob will unlock the car, even start it from across the parking lot, but when I get in, it fails to recognize the key. This usually requires me getting OUT of the car, digging out the key and pressing the start button with the key. (This is a failure which is taking every once of self restraint not to drive this piece of *^^% into the showroom, especially when it happens in the rain) The rear deck buzzes with loud music, sure the BOSE system is nice, but if it cannot go loud, whats the point? Last but most certainly not least is the garbage front end collision system. This is the thing in the fancy commercial bringing the car to a stop when plywood forms pop up in the road. Well... It does work, even when there is nothing there. Boy, I tell you! If youre ever driving along the highway and you get lulled into a sense of peace and tranquility of the open road, nothing like the car slamming on the brakes (even for 1 second) to wake you up. Boy, howdy, thats scary. I own the extended warranty to 120000 miles, so Im stuck with this car for a bit, Ill just make a pest of myself at the dealer. At least until they lemon law me out of it. Why Britney Spears you ask? Looks good from the outside, but not anything you want to take home.

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  Altima is a nightmare!!! - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Dont buy this car!! - July 22 - 3:43 am

  Dont buy a 2002+ Altima! I bought one and even the Nissan mechanics always tell me how unreliable it is. At just 1 1/2 years old, they replaced the engine! 6 months later my car was overheating and they put in a new radiator. Then it was under warranty, but I still got charged $800 because, when it was stalling and the dealer didnt realize it was the faulty engine (not unusual for these cars) they said I must pay the money to get it "fixed" and it wouldnt stall anymore. I never was refunded the money, even though it was under warranty, it kept stalling even with the $800 worth of "repairs", and the engine was replaced three weeks later.

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  Transmission Problems - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By lilcrot - July 21 - 1:30 am

  Bought this car for my husband because of a traveling job. It only had 3000 miles when I got it. at 72605 miles we had to get a new transmission (3-19- 08) on 5-9-08 at 77732 miles had to get the whole assembly kit again (thank god under the transmission was under warranty still) and the snap ring had popped off. here we are at 92000 miles and having to get the transmission worked on again. all this car has been for us is trouble.

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  its ok in a pinch - 1996 Nissan Altima
  By julie b - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I have enjoyed owning the altima overall, but there have been problems. I have owned it for 3 years, bought it used, and have spent $$ on some big repairs: among others, The brakes have never stopped squeaking despite attempts to fix, the trunk leaks, there was an idle problem- it would cut out at intersections, and the biggest drag is that the 4 cyl. engine is WAY too weak for urban traffic.

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  poor choice - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By john - June 24 - 12:53 am

  The day after I bought my Titan in August of 2006 it developed a rattle in the dashboard. I have had it back in two times but it still rattles. The second week the overhead console compartments would not close and had to have the console replaced. The original had a temp and compass function, the dealer replaced it with one that did not have these functions. Back to the dealer again for the right one. By the end of the first month the weather stripping on the rear sliding window began to come off as did the WS on the doors. Now the transmission is leaking copious amts of fluid in my driveway, front end rattles and shakes so badly cant drive it. Checking in to trade for a Ford.

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  DONT BUY A 2004 MAXIMA - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By lynnfrct - June 18 - 10:40 pm

  Bought it with 19K - now have 86K. 3rd set of brakes and 4th set of tires. Now replacing the tranny & timing belt for over $5K. Before the ext warranty expired I told dealer I was having transmission issues. They said it was the motor mount which they repaired. Once out of warranty the tranny went completely. Appealed to Nissan NA - no success. Asked local service manager why I should put in another Nissan tranny and he said "Dont worry they fixed the problem" admitting there were issues with the 2004 trannys. There is a class action suit for the trans if anyone is interested. Last car payment is next month. Tears. No more car payments but a huge charge bill for repairs.

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  X Terror - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By Js_brady - June 17 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle looks great BUT the 2000 model is severely lacking in interior design. I have had my XTerra in the local shop close to 30 times in the past year. It took about 7 visits just for them to do an alignment, 4 visits to replace the intake manifold, 3 visits to replace the window seals on both of the front windows. So on and so forth.

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  Not the right car for you? - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By The car master - June 16 - 2:00 am

  You are making a big mistake if u buy this car or should i say "circular shaped car" I thought i was doing the right thing but. i was hardly mistaken. People told me i had the best looking car they ever seen. I heard it all and then when i finally got rid of it then they started telling me the truth. I felt so bad because everyone was talking behind my back about this bubble that im driving. Not a good look for a middle age guy with a very important job. Not for nothing but i cant even put up a ceil fan to save my life yet drive this car. make sure you take a second guess before u just go and buy this "bubble",they call it. Make sure it is the right car for u. Trust me im saving ur life.

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  Nightmare! - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By jada07 - June 11 - 1:40 am

  Unfortunately, luck was not on my side with this car. I bought the car 2 years old with 40,000 miles. A year into it, the computer died (52,000 miles), the brakes are awful and continuously replaced, the paint is poor quality and started to chip within the first 2 or 3 years I had it. I do not feel comfortable taking it on long trips alone, as it is very unreliable. Gas mileage is good, but Id trade it in for my old 93 accord any day!

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  Dont buy a MURANO!!! - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By pruettfan - June 10 - 4:58 am

  We purchased our 04 SL AWD fully loaded Murano new in the summer of 04. We just traded in the car at 164,545 miles this summer (2014) so I can provide a comprehensive history on this car. Within a couple of years the "leather" drivers seat was cracking badly on the sides. We had to replace the steering rack, two power steering lines and a sensor, an oil cooler seal, countless tires because the car never aligned properly and would make tires very loud. By the time the car was 6 years old the rattles and switch failures, car locks etc started to add up. We traded it in with lots of small problems and an oil leak. This is our first and last Nissan. Stay away!!