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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  This is my 3rd Nissan and Im done. - 2011 Nissan Altima
  By CD - November 22 - 3:26 am

  My last 3 cars have been brand new Nissans and each one has been progressively worse as far as maintenance. Trade-in value is horrible and they are over-priced.

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  Do NOT buy a Nissan!!!! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By bighair2 - November 5 - 9:02 am

  We bought a 2013 Nissan Altima in September. Since then we have had nothing but problems;. I dont know where to start. The back seat is missing a piece of foam, still not fixed. The car is a danger to drive, it sways from side to side very hard to control if you are going over 35 mph, you find yourself in the other lane in a blink of an eye. The Nissan engineer said there was a problem but no answers. We have taken it in numerous times, they have told us there is nothing they can do. We have worked with Nissan consumer affairs and that was a joke. They are very rude and unhelpful, they offered us $400 for our problems and not fix it. Our next step is an attorney.

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  Rides like a piece of junk! - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By explorer1 - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Horrible compared to the domestic trucks. 4 cyl. is loud rough and couldnt get out of its own way. Interior is extremly cheaply designed and I wonder what the reviewers were on when they drove it. The V6 is only slightly better but still loud and rough and not for anyone who expects a decent riding truck with acceptable drivetrain.

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  DO NOT PURCHASE THE ROGUE - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By R Fields - November 3 - 4:25 pm

  I purchased a used 2008 Nissan Rogue within in the 1st week the transmission was SHOT! Now a year later: Radiator, Mass Air Sensor and Software DONE! Dealership cost over 3K of repairs! and they stating "WE ARE NOT SURE IF THE ENGINE WILL WORK AFTER REPAIRS"! PLEASE DO NOT BUY A ROGUE, NEW OR USED, READ ALL THE REVIEWS!!!!

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  "Worst new car of the year" - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By marcpilot - October 31 - 2:11 am

  The timing chain broke at 60k miles. Nissan said they wouldnt honor the warranty that I paid extra for. They said that the timing chain was a design flaw but that since I started taking my car to another business for oil changes(even though I had records of EVERY SINGLE OIL CHANGE BEING ON TIME, on a computer from the other business that millions of people use to have their oil changed, Nissan still wouldnt honor the warranty because they said the oil may or may not have been a bad "batch" at that business! How absurd! They wont honor the warranty because the engine costs 9000 dollars to replace and they dont want to pay for it even though its their timing chain design flaw that broke.

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  Awful Car - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By Virginia - October 27 - 11:18 pm

  I bought my car May 2013 new from the dealer, the car has never been involved in an accident. About 3-4 months after having recently bought the car the car made this horrible grinding noise, I took it to the dealer and they said it was because I drove through mud! I couldnt believe they gave me that excuse, so I took it to the dealer again and after complaining they finally looked at it and they fixed the part that was defected. Now March 2016 my car started to accelerate or jump on its own while I was driving. The problem grew worse when making a left turn the car barely moved even though I pressed on the gas all the way the car seem like it wouldnt budge. There were also times I would press in the gas and the car started to feel like it would jump and feel like it was about to shut off. I thought the fuel filter needed to be fixed, once we took it to the dealer the problem was that the car needed a new transmission. Fortunately, the car was under warranty so they are supposed to be fixing it. Another feature I noticed that doesnt work properly is that sometimes when the front passenger is sitting it reads as if nobody is sitting there, so if I were an accident the bag could possible not deploy. This car has been nothing but a waste and I regret getting this piece of junk!!!

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  A lemon on wheels - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Lizzie - October 8 - 11:36 pm

  I purchased this vehicle new. With less than 100,000 miles I have spent over $4,000 in the past two years replacing major parts. Today I was told I need a new engine. All of this despite regular maintenance. Nationwide of Timonium, the dealership, has done nothing at all to address this problem. So, I need a new car. I cant believe what a lemon this car is/was. So much for Nissan and buying new cars and regular maintenance. I hate Nissan. Please do yourself a favor and buy something else.

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  Kiddie Pool inside of your rogue! - 2014 Nissan Rogue
  By paul_ny - October 7 - 11:54 pm

  I bought a Nissan Rogue 2014 SV full package with moon roof, on December 2013. Since than I had to come back to the dealer few times: First it was missing All wheel drive Harness, they simply forgot to install it on my car. There was no AWD nor Hill descent, the part was ordered and installed. It kind of makes you think, what else did they forget to install?. But the best one yet, I noticed that area under passenger seat is moist,I thought it was spilled water and ignored this at first, but it kept coming back more and more, took it to the dealer. He said it was clogged sun roof drain, that he fixed, few days passed to my surprise I notice around 1" of water under passenger seat today.

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  I do not feel safe in this vehicle - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By courtney - October 5 - 4:20 pm

  I thought this would be a good upgrade from the 09 versa hatchback and boy was I wrong. Everything that has gone wrong with the car, has, it is a 2014 and already rusting, the bumper fell off, the engine sucks, and the front end is a lot smaller that the 2009. I do not feel safe in this vehicle and as soon as I can pay it off, I am trading it in for something safer. The USB port doesnt work, I have to bring it in for maintenance all the time. It is just a poorly made car. The gas mileage is good but the rest has a lot of issues. My biggest concern is the safety. If I were to hit a deer or another vehicle, I am not sure I would be ok. If I lived where it doesnt snow or sleet, I would probably like the car more but it is not made for the northeast weather.

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  My Review - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By vadeltachi - September 27 - 2:00 am

  An OK car; many leaks--transmission; power steering; power brakes. VERY poor heating; balky auto climate control. Not hot enough in the winter and too cold with A/C. Funky shifting from 4th to lockup-- uncomfortable to drive. Knocks no matter what grade of gas is used. Large front A pillars block views--a very poor design element.