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:

• 

  MISTAKE, TERRIBLE.. DO NO BUY - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By jagger2 - July 9 - 6:50 am

  Ive been a devoted Nissan customer for almost 20 yrs & upon seeing the 2013 Altima, I immediately fell in love & decided to purchase it. Well, a few days later, I started hearing this whistling noise supposedly coming from the steering pump according to a nissan technician and was told is a normal sound. OK?? Theres also another rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. To make long story short, I have been to the dealership at least 4 times with no luck as to how to fix this. I have filed a case with Nissan to get this resolved. Do not buy this vehicle.. There are a few people with the same complaints & are not getting any help soon enough & Im one of those people.

• 

  Digging out the snow - 2013 Nissan Juke
  By Millie - July 4 - 10:17 am

  The snow builds up in the wheel wells...you have to dig it out everyday.the paint chips really bad.the heater is not warm enough for minnesota.the defogger is not strong enough for minnesota. Lousy gas milage.I do love driving my juke..does good in the snow and ice,but you have to dig the snow from the wheel wells daily.and I think Im getting little rust spots already.and the paint is chipping all over.the car is 2.5 years old.

• 

  Think about the Sienna or Odessy first! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By shotgun - July 4 - 10:00 am

  Not a bad vehicle if only Nissan could improve build quality! We had the interior lights falling out of the ceiling. Knobs coming off. Numerous times the engine would not start and would take about 4 minutes of trying. One time, while driving the van lost all power. Regardless, of what I did nothing helped. After leaving if off for about 5 minutes, it worked fine. The dealer has had similar compliants and said there has been no guidance from Nissan as to what is wrong/correct fix. Cannot recommend this vehicle because of reliability.

• 

  Disappointed with SE-R - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By telal01 - June 30 - 2:50 am

  Test drove SE-R with auto tranny. Salesman said someone ordered it then brought it back 3 days later. I can understand why. Car is not as powerful as numbers suggest (165hp) Car did not handle well on turns on bumpy roads, the rear end losses grip easily and also likes to bounce around over rail road tracks. Probably due to the fact it does not have independent rear suspension like most cars in its class. I think it is over-priced for what little it offers.

• 

  Starter Issues - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By MTS - June 23 - 7:36 am

  I hate this car. I have had starter problems with it from the start. Nissan says they dont see a problem. I go to start it this morning, and it didnt start. The car is really tight. I got this before I had a baby, and now his car seat barely fits in the back. The passenger has to sit in the dashboard (which is very dangerous). I dont find this car safe at all. Plus, it barely holds the stoller in the trunk. I have no room for groceries. And my gears seem to stick when I take it from Park to Drive. This car is nothing but a problem. Seems too cheap.

• 

  Dissapointing new car - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Alan Magnes - June 20 - 4:13 pm

  I bought 1.6 versa without air conditioning or radio. After purchase I find out that there is no kit to add air conditioning. I dont know about the 1.8 versa but this 5 speed has the engine turning at 3000 rpm at 60mph,sounds like it is ready to blow up at highway speed. I am very dissapointed overall and will get rid of this thing before the warm weather.

• 

  Never a Nissan again! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By jban - June 19 - 2:57 am

  I purchased my Nissan Altima back in September. Ive been back to the dealership 5 times already. Break light coming on while driving on the highway, air bag light comes on while my wife is sitting in the seat, window squeaks as IÂ’m rolling it down, I can hear my AC fan is loud, and the biggest problem is every other day I use the push button to start the car and it cranks, cranks, and cranks before starting. Almost like the battery is dead. Ive taken it back 5 times and every time they just replace the fuel pump. I just hope I can get the lemon law claimed on this car. Very disappointing Nissan...

• 

  Fuel Sending Unit - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Grunt - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Just paid $560 for the fuel sending unit and Nissan must do a recall as they know it is a problem part. If I dont get reimbursed in the next 6 months I will trade it and never buy another Nissan again. Also have problems with the service engine light going off when no problem exists and that cost me $50 on 3 different occasions.

• 

  DO NOT BUY A NISSAN QUEST - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Carol Doyle - June 13 - 9:16 am

  I have had nothing but trouble since purchasing this car. 2 months after purchase, car broke down numerous times. After taking it in for service a couple of times without a diagnosis, it turned out to be the fuel pump. The only way they figured this out was by receiving a recall notice from Nissan. One year later, I received a recall notice about possibility of sliding doors not working in cold weather. When I brought the car in, I found out there were a total of 6 recall items!! In addition, they were rude and would not guarantee the car back that day even though I called a day earlier for an appt. Horrible customer service is worse than the car itself. I am selling soon!

• 

  Good value, but needs improvement - 2016 Nissan Versa
  By Courtney Kurtenbach - June 8 - 9:54 pm

  Good new car for a low price, but definitely nothing very fun. The car is quite slow, acceleration is terrible (but then again, Im used to driving a car with a turbo engine, so if youre not used to a faster car it might be fine). You can hear the car struggling when trying to speed up. I also found the steering to be pretty bad. Maybe its just different from what Im used to, but the steering seemed to be not very responsive and stiff. I could feel quite a bit of resistance when I tried to turn the wheel. It made it difficult to make small adjustments. Braking was very nice and responsive, though. Interior is very comfortable and roomy. A bit disappointed with the kind I had though, as it had no backup camera or touch screen display. The audio system was actually pretty nice, though. Overall a good car for the price, but personally I would need something a bit nicer in performance if I were going to get a 2016.