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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  2003 Nissan Sentra GXE - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By jim dimacher - January 7 - 3:56 pm

  Bought an 03 Sentra for my daughters graduation and would never consider buying a Nissan product again. Head gasket went after 70k and warranty had just run out. Nissan wouldnt listen to our complaints and told us we were on our own. It was extremely tough to get through to any customer service people and when I did they never followed up with us. They dont back up their product and their customer service is terrible. At one point the car just stopped in the middle of an intersection and after a few hundred dollars of diagnostics it was a $3 ignition fuse that was the problem. The dealership I purchased it from was great and the service mgr was very helpful but Nissan is out forever.

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  ok car - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By john - January 6 - 12:00 pm

  i got this car for my wife for Christmas 2003 car did us right for aprox 3 years brought back to dealer for 3 recalls dealer insisted we need a service when dropping off the car we were not getting suckered for those ridiculous prices we maintain this car like a baby oil change every 3k all the time. after getting car back from dealer for recalls we had numerous problems sevice light would always go on car ran very rough when idling had to get it towed back to dealer 2 months later this went on for a year and a half costing $300 each time sensor sensor sensor every dam sensor seamed to be changed now running ok but the gas mileage stinks 18-22 mpg my wife loves her car i dont too big for 4c

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  What a nightmare! Nissan Reliability? No - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By InStPaul - January 4 - 12:20 pm

  By reviews,either your Nissan has been perfect or a nightmare- like mine. I am a bit confused as mine reads like the story of all the others with the same repairs. So far-Evap canister rusted out.Fuel Sending unit failed Someone on here replaced FOUR of them and Nissan will not acknowledge it as a problem(check out NHSTA on this one though how this is not a huge safety issue is beyond me)Two U-joints replaced to no aval to cure vibration that happens when I decelerate at high speeds. Dealer can not figure it out. Coming home today after the ABS unit failed.Brakes have squeaked at different times since day one. Dealer said..."dusty" or "just Nissan" Nissan Corporate does not act/return calls

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  2013 Altima - Not Quite Ready! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By rtinaglia - December 29 - 11:08 am

  Among the many continuing problems -heated seats that dont heat unformally;power sterring wine, no fix after 6 months; very hard ride -they suggested I change tires! GPS is ridiculous, Center vents can never be closed- continually run air unless you turn off system. Sensor for cabin temp is on the top of the dashboard - when ever its sunny, even in winter it blows cold a/c air to cool no matter if the cabin is 40 degrees. rearview camera washes out in sunlight. Blind spot system is usless in wet weather - it either sees nothing or falses all of time. Nothing can be adjusted! Interior drivers area is tight - & Im only 5-7". No passenger power seat in a 32K car! The CVT trans slips.

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  I lasted 3 weeks before trading it in! - 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
  By sileroy - December 26 - 5:19 am

  I lasted 3 weeks, then finaly decided that I was getting rid of this car. I was transfixed by the idea of having a true four passenger convertible and I ignored all of the cars faults on the sunny day that I purchased the car. I traded the car in after 3 weeks on a luxury SUV. To say that the car handles poorly is a gross understatement. The car needs to take even relatively tame corners at mild speeds and still the front wind shield would reverberate. The car is roomy for passengers one inside, but rear access is difficult. The front seat releases each have significant issues. The drivers side is power and too slow. The passenger side is manual, but is very unreliable.

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  Not Safe - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By RH - December 21 - 3:50 pm

  My family was in a car accident head on FORTUNATELY no one was hurt. However, no ones airbags deployed. Read the reviews before you BUY. If my car is totaled. I will buy a toyota or honda

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  Traded in after numerous repairs - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By houstontxowner - December 20 - 5:30 pm

  Absolutely loved my Xterra, kept it maintained and planned to keep it a very long time. Then the problems started after I hit 60,000 miles. Fuel sensor, several batteries, belts (that had screeched since 1 year old and dealer couldnt figure out), then the tensioners, timing chain. After that $1,000+ repair, saw online all the radiator leaks into the transmission being reported and decided to cut my losses and traded it in. Received notification of an extended warranty on the radiator/tranny failure to 80,000 miles the week after I traded it. Had 70,000 on it anyway and would not have been willing to take a chance on needing that $5,000 repair. Depressing.

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  Frontier Braker$$$ - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By DANO - December 20 - 10:20 am

  Researched several brands before purchasing Frontier. Looked to be the best value for the money. Fit and finish were tight with no apparent problems. Interior entry is difficult for tall or large frame people. Seating is comfortable on short and long trips. Interior is sparten with lots of vinyl. Only one recall for crash sensor in front due to corrosion. Rear box is functional with the spray-on bed liner, lock down hooks and bed extender are a complete loss for our usage. Tires make a lot of road noise which permeates thru cabin area, but is manageable. Brakes have been a major disappointment on this vehicle, both in stopping and replacement (22000) much to premature for 25k trk

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  Wheres my Mileage? - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Diane - December 11 - 10:50 am

  I traded in a Hyundai Santa Fe on this car back when the gas prices skyrocketed. I was told I would get 35 mpg. Not. I gave up many extras that I had on the Santa Fe (heated seats, leather interior, etc.) Not worth it. I drive 42 miles round trip to work 5 days a week and get about 28 mpg. I make a 5-6 trips from Cincy to Columbus (about 200 miles) and only get 29-30 mpg. This may not seem like a lot but I would have been better off with the Hyundai, it was paid off.

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  Very dissapointed with comfort level - 2009 Nissan 370Z
  By Dissapointed - December 8 - 8:23 pm

  I would drive this for at least one day before buying, the seats are very poor quality, and can cause terrible jostling when driving over any bumps in road, you cannot drive this any distance without incredible back discomfort, I would not recommend this car, the discomfort and non support has taken all the fun out of driving this car. I tried to get the seats fixed, but it was impossible, as per Nissan as well.