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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  Nissan Should Be Ashamed - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Disappointed - January 30 - 2:43 pm

  This is my first new car, it has been driven for a year and I am considering trading it in. For a buyer that was supposedly making an upgrade from a 295,000 mile 1991 Toyota Previa I am truly disappointed. The car has been in the shop for major repairs like a malfunctioning A/C condenser, and braking problems. I never had such problems with my Previa. The engine knocks pretty loud in the mornings too. Needless to say, this was one of the worst cars Ive bought, and I cant get rid of it because the resale value on the Nissan Versa and Nissan Sentra drop like a stone once you drive them off the lot

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  Nissan hate is easy! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Nissan hate is easy - January 28 - 7:00 am

  I drove my Nissan to 50k it stopped running. Took it to dealer, fixed under recall then the real problems. But the damage had already happened! Started to over heat, burning oil. Burned up my catalytic converter, cylinder failed! Need a new engine! It has a lot of recalls on it! Im going to drive on 3 cylinders to have them done! Dont buy a Nissan! Ever!

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  More Problems - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Kiran - January 24 - 4:53 am

  It has been a year since I bought my car. 2-3 months into my new car, I was having problem with the drivers seat. It moves left to right. Took it to dealership 7 times and they had Nissan tech come out fix the problem. Nothing happen, problem came back. Now new problem appear, its making squeaky noise from the seat. I cant even move once I seat, otherwise Ill hear squeaky noise. I have contacted customer service and they keep telling me, they will fix the problem. No resolution. Also, I had problem with engine rattling. I had to take it in 3 times before tech can hear the problem. they fix this problem, but the problem is coming back now. NEVER BUY NISSAN CARS EVER.

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  CVT in 2012 Nissan Sentra (Texas) - 2012 Nissan Sentra
  By John Winters - January 21 - 8:35 am

  I have a 2012 Nissan Sentra, n the transmission went out @ 74K miles. I know face a $3500 cost for a vehicle with a fair market value of $7K. Then, after a repair, the warranty is only for 12 mos., 12K miles. Nissan is well, well aware of this inferior product. The AC has also gone out.

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  The jury is still out - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By tmagman1 - January 15 - 10:00 am

  I read many reviews on this website, and saw where the Altima received really good ratings. I bought the basic model a few months ago. So far I cant say Im impressed. If you need horsepower, you better keep looking. You wont find it with this car. And with the unique transmission that seems to gear down on take off, the car seems to have even less horsepower. If you need to step on the gas, get ready for a loud roar from the engine noise. It aint pretty. Sounds like a darned airplane about to take off. I purchased the car brand new. You know the economics of buying a new car, so Ill lose my big time if I trade.

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  Do Not Buy! Serious Design/Quality Problems! - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By camrydriver69 - January 11 - 2:09 pm

  These cars have very serious powertrain problems. The pre-cat disintegrating over time and the bits and pieces being sucked into the engine, possibly causing engine damage, and causing oil burn. All 02-06 Altimas suffer from the same serious design flaw. For that alone you should avoid this car. Other common problems include butterfly valve screws being sucked into the engine and causing damage, timing chain problems, floor boards rusting through, and rough-shifting transmissions. Despite what the Edmunds review says the car is NOT fun to drive. The powertrain is extremely unrefined and noisy. It also only gets around 20 mpg in the city, which is pathetic for a 4 cylinder.

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  Horrible mistake - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By duhawk05 - January 6 - 3:06 am

  I bought this car after my very reliable Buick Skylark bit the dust. Id owned an old Honda Accord (1990) before and thought Id return to a Japanese sedan after growing up in Datsuns. A Datsun, this aint... Instead, it was a horrible mistake. In the span of 1 year (2009), I put front brakes/rotors, exhaust/muffler, an intake manifold gasket (INCREDIBLY expensive repair for a $10 gasket-- $750), a battery, and an oil pan gasket and oil sender unit. I literally poured over $2500 into this car, and thats without my boyfriend helping me out, as he sells parts for GM and could do some of the repairs independently.

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  Nissan Sentra - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By purplesky - January 5 - 2:00 am

  This is not a good first new car to purchase. The minute I drove it off the lot things started to fall apart inside. Foam shooting from the heat vents. Weird odors from the melted adhesive in the dash. Heater not blowing hot air out of drivers side vent (but it can blow cold air just fine!) New strut replacement. Speakers replaced several times--crackle/pop noises. New exhaust replacement. Cheap plastic door panels. I think the list could keep going....

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  Bad Warranty - 2013 Nissan NV200
  By marka6 - December 20 - 6:05 pm

  My nv200 tires are wearing out exteamly fast on the rear. The rear axle is not aligned right. Two dealerships are saying this and Nissan still wont fix it. See carcomplaints.com to see all the other people complaining about the same problem.

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  I will never buy Nissan again - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Horrible Van - December 4 - 8:03 am

  We bought the Quest believing that Nissan makes a good product. We were disappointed from the start. The gear lever came off, the seat adjustment came off several times, the door button fell inside the panel, the arm rests wont stay even, the sliding doors rattle and we were told nothing could be done. The exterior is cheap and gets dinged easily. The front nose cone is cheap plastic and breaks constantly requiring replacement of the entire cone. The tires are a rip off as you can only buy one type of tire at a high price. The car has been a complete disapointment.