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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  Good but doesnt quite make it - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By DHG - August 7 - 10:00 am

  The good stuff; powerful engine, good automatic, lots of luxo type features for just slightly an econobox price. Now the real stuff; problems with front end since day one. Selling dealer replaced front struts at approx. 25k, also needed new tires at same time. Didnt fix the problem. Different dealer replaced engine mounts at 30k, better but still rough and bumpy. Just put third set of struts on from private mechanic. Needs stableizer bushings. Cant believe Nissan didnt make a valet type lock/key system for their flagship car, and what about having to manually turn off headlights? What is the cost difference between a buzzer and a time delay switch?

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  Flagship ? Dont think so. - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By Carlo NJ - August 5 - 9:13 am

  I dont even know how/where to begin. Very disappointed with this vehicle, I have owned 5 Nissans, all have been great except for this one. Low end power is horrible with the CVT, torque steer is disgusting, High speed handling is ridiculous, the car is a boat when on the highway is all over the road and you have to hold to the steering wheel very firm to keep the car in its path, in-cabin noise horrible, interior materials still stink, it does have a lot of awesome features for its price, back up sensor, heated seats/steering wheel, leather, moon roof, etc. Not happy at all.

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  You get what you pay for - 2011 Nissan Versa
  By mrsacausey - July 31 - 7:41 am

  Had this car a year and has stranded me twice. Up to date on all maintenance and still has problems. Engine turned off while I was driving down the interstate and almost got into an accident because of it. I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. You get what you pay for. The air compressor is bad and the electrical system is on the fritz. Local dealership is currently trying to work something out since I am 4k upside down on it.

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  Not what I thought it should be - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By Minivan Mom - July 31 - 3:26 am

  We bought our Quest for the room and outside design. The room is great and we enjoy all the bells and whistles, such as the DVD and radio, cd changer. We are not very happy with quality of the van. We have had the weather stripping replaced 2 times, the gas gauge shows empty sometimes after filling up, I actually was so embarrassed at the gas station when I went in to tell them that the pump must be broken, because there was no gas in my car, but the pump charged me. Come to find out it was the defect in the car that made it not register. It has done this several times since. We are now having problems with it spark knocking and losing power like it is running out of gas.

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  Disappointed - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Don - July 25 - 12:16 pm

  I have been bragging about my Titan up until this weekend when I heard a loud clunk coming from the rear axle. The noise got a little worse yesterday & today the truck is almost undriveable. It sounds & feels like something is slipping in the rear end, BAD, the slipping got so frequent & bad on the highway today that I was expecting to go home on the back of a flatbed. The truck will be going into the dealership where I bought it in the morning. They better not call me & tell me that they cant duplicate the problem or there are no "error codes" showing on their diagnostic equipment like service departments are prone to say! I expect them to blame the problem on abuse or some other excuse.

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  Not a Long-term car - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By Tri32 - July 23 - 5:53 pm

  Purchased car used @ 39K. Car performance is great. Reliability not great by any means. List of replacement and cost since the car now has 118K miles. Ignition coils-$700, MAF-$400, bad engineering braking system w/replacement of rotors/pad 5 times - $2000, catalytic converter- $1000, muffler-$400, wheel bearing- $500. which total to $5000. Thats too much for me. This does not include other items such tune-ups which is standard on any car. For me, this will be my last Nissan. Dealership experience has been a nightmare. Especially Nissan of Natick Massachusetts. The people there are not very professional and will lie to your face w/o a blink of an eye. Goin bak to Toyota reliability

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  Headlights - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By JanetJones - July 21 - 2:00 am

  Given what I know now, I would have never purchased this car. The headlights are so easy to steal and so costly to replace. Mine were stolen in less than a minute--right in front of me. The thieves popped them out with a screwdriver causing significant damage to the hood and bumper. This is a dangerous car. I worry about my safetly all the time. Nissan has not been sensitive to concerns. Yes, they have recalled the car to install the brackets on the headlights, but they still can be stolen.

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  Fertther - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By Ferther - July 20 - 10:00 am

  I bought used. Had a 1991 Maxima that I loved, the 1997 Maxima SE disappointed. The ride is not as assuring and the car feels flimsy in turns, especially on the interstate. Could use some suspension tinkering to make it work better with the 16 tires.

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  I wish it worked - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By WolfD - July 15 - 2:00 am

  Bought it on a Sunday, back at the shop on Monday, Tuesday, and ever since (2 weeks and counting) with no resolution in sight. Random dash lights coming on; Nissan engineers cant resolve and Nissanusa Consumer Affairs wont say what theyre going to do. During the brief time I was able to drive it it seemed great. Too bad all the miles are to and from the shop.

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  improve interior - 2004 Nissan Altima
  By bad interior - July 10 - 10:00 am

  Car looks great however too much invested in exterior and the interior leaves alot to be desired. Car is too noisey in the inside and the seat was poor quality. I ended up selling car back to dealership as a result of the seat.