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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  You get what you pay for - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By MojoDojo - March 13 - 10:00 am

  Should have known when I bought the cheapest sport ute that it wouldnt last long. It was great for the first year and a half, but now all the plastic bits & bobs are starting to break: the plastic rivets that hold the cloth to the back of the seat, the plastic panel on the hatch back, the arm rest/cd holder. Oh well, I bought it to take camping and its never let me down on our adventures in the wild.

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  Transmission needs to know me? - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By kmp - March 12 - 2:00 am

  Has anyone heard this one? I bought my altima coupe new & it rode well for about a year--no probs. Now the transmission vibrates at 25-40 mph, & getting worse. The dealer tells me the transmission needs to adjust to my style of driving-that they may need to reset it to the factory setting and let it "learn my style of driving."this sounds like bs to me! Also, the car keeps telling me I have no key, & the car wont start w/the push button. Ive gone through umpteen batteries in the last few months. I can put in a new battery today, & tomorrow the car will tell me my key has no battery. Very frustrating! The dealer tells me they are "going back & forth w/Nissan" & will let me know.

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  Worst car we ever owned - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By hubiedo - March 11 - 3:53 pm

  It is terribly uncomfortable on long trips as the seats do not have a lower back support. Poor interior design with the parking brake so close to the brake. We continue to have problems with the front brakes (replaced 2x) and shimmy when applied. The motor surges when accelerating from a stop. Rear antenna or wiring continually is causing bad radio reception and cd playing to skip on the cds. We believe it is the wiring connection and have replaced the cd player 2x. Local radio stations will not play more than 15 miles from town.

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  Vibration in Chasis - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By shaky - March 10 - 8:56 pm

  Have owned for 3 mos. on 3rd set of tires, courtesy of Nissan. Taken it in to dealer 7 times for check. Vibration in seats and steering wheel from 50 - 80 mph. Told initially road force issues, better tires were a temporary fix now the shaking has resumed. Anyone else have this problem?

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  Not so good - 1997 Nissan Sentra
  By Danielle - March 9 - 9:53 am

  I purchased this car in 2000 with 30,000 miles on it. About 3.5 years into having the car, the check engine light went on and stayed on. It doesnt really give me a problem and it goes off in the winter and back on in the summer. Ive had to replace a lot on this car though. Ive replaced the brakes about 4 times, the fan belt twice, the starter once, the fuel pump once and the MAP sensor once. I dont know if the car is garbage or if I just drive it hard. I do know that I wouldnt buy another Nissan Sentra, it served its purpose at 19 years old, but now being 26 Ive grown tired of its lack of power and size. Its now up to 108,000 and when it dies there will be no more repairs.

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  Fuel Economy SUCKS, but very reliable... - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By jaroot - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I like everything about this car except the fuel economy. I get about 22mpg city/24 hwy... which is about 5mpg less than what the factory sticker said I believe. Other than that.. I cannot complain, the car runs great, and starts with no issues when its -30 below zero outside which is awesome.

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  had 3, but no more, EVER!!! - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By stevey_name - March 8 - 2:00 am

  This is my 3rd Frontier. I had a 2000 Frontier that I had bought NEW and had a ton of problems with it. These trucks need to be made in Japan where the assembly process is much better! Anyway, I gave Nissan another chance when I bought a loaded up 2001 Frontier Crew Cab 4x4... I only had it for 3 months and it seemed ok?! Here I am in another Frontier, and it has problems galore. Radio went out already, raw gas smell under the truck that is undiagnosable and catalytic converter smells every few days. On top of that, now I have some electrical issues that who knows what itll cost. Im trading it and will absolutely NEVER buy a Nissan truck again.

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  KEEP TRYING NISSAN - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By ROBINIJ - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Power is good but if the engine is built with the same quality as the rest of the vehicle I worry about the reliabilty. Driving the Titan is good but certainly not exceptional. I was fortunate that my truck came complete with scuffed/damaged tires and a door ding, thus saving me the worry of my first parking lot injuries. At least the paint didnt have the big clearcoat sags I noticed in another Titan. The passenger door lock and the low pressure warning light are items to be fixed, but with the confidence I have in the dealership I think Ill suffer these problems until Nissan send the recall notice! Ill listen to the ratings next time.

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  Great car - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Tom - March 5 - 9:03 am

  Has been a great car! Biggest issues have been early tire wear, clouding of the headlamps and the fact that the air conditioning really saps power from the engine.

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  NOT HAPPY AT ALL!! - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By NOT HAPPY AT ALL! - March 2 - 4:46 pm

  I had a Nissan Altima for three years and loved it. My lease was up and unfortunately decided to by this Sentra. Needless to say, I am not happy at all. I have had four sets of struts in this "brand new car." This vehicle handles just horrible in rain/ice/snow. Sways all over the road. I have put new tires on this vehicle only after 20,000 miles thinking that was the issue, to no avail. I will never buy another Sentra. I have finally made the decision to get rid of this vehicle. It is clearly not made for the midwest. Nissan better make some much needed stability work!