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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  Could not be worse - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By RMan - March 28 - 2:00 am

  own it 16 months,serviced only in Nissan dealerships,never late for maintenance. result: CD/AM/FM replaced,1 recall-headlamps,sometimes driver door leaks when its raining,shift bulb replaced,back sit leg room for people with no legs,dashboard makes noises,legendary horrible paint job. 11 months after purchase had steering noise-still not fixed.Nissan certified mechanic says supposed to be like that (Sentra"feature"!?). Cust.Service dealership or headquaters THE WORST. Auto trans on SE-slow start even with145hp engine, 4 cyl.Once was driving straight,frontend started vibrating and car started pulling to right-still investigating

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  Weve had more bad times than good - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By jpease3984 - March 22 - 5:13 am

  We bought this car brand new. In three years we have replaced 6 tires, and we buy good quality tires. The car needs an alignment more often than normal. We had to replace the fuel pump (the car just died on the middle of a busy highway). Now we are replacing the entire muffler system because it has rotted. We have done routine tune ups, oil changes, and have taken good car of this car. The power windows dont work in cold weather, they go down but dont go back up. Overall we give this car a 2/5 stars. It does hail alot of stuff which we like and gets good gas milage.

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  Time for Nissan to take responsibility - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Homer - March 19 - 2:28 pm

  CVT has been a known problem yet Nissan doesnt stand up to their product. Just replaced the transmission with less then 80K miles on the car. After review, it appears this is a common problem. Cant wait to move on and get back in to a Chevy!

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  Defecitve Throttle - 2010 Nissan Murano
  By Defective Throttle - March 9 - 10:00 am

  The Murano had less than 5 miles when purchased. 6 months later, A/C went out. Diagnosis:Defective Hose. 8 months later, throttle accelerates on its own, which prevented me from braking. Luckily, I was able to kill the engine. Diagnosis:Defective Throttle. Car was towed to Baker Nissan. They suggested I call the dealership I purchased vehicle from. Said "If they care, they will buy it back". Called Sterling McCall, they said there was nothing they could do & directed me to Nissan Corp. Even after the Toyota issues,they said it has been fixed & denied the request for a buy back. Instead, they offered me a service program to make me feel better.

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  Dont rush buying a Nissan at the Avenue - 2004 Nissan Altima
  By Zabonk! - February 27 - 2:00 am

  The car looks nice. After a year the engine had to be repaired for a recall and it still rattles and using oil. The car is very noisy and rides like a buck board. Motor is slow pick up. The dealership was not up front when we bought the car. We had no vehicle and should not have rushed in buying the Nissan, usually buy Fords. We are very dissappointed in the car and very, very disappointed in the dealership in not keeping their promises. We will go back to Fords.

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  CVT Transmission/Transfercase/Gaspump - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By bgarcia78 - February 26 - 8:42 pm

  I have a 2003 Murano 140,000 miles I have replaced my transfer case three years ago called Nissan for help and got no where with them I had to pay out of pocket $3ooo. Two months after that I have to replace the catalitc converter another big job. Now a month ago I had to replace the gas pump again another big expensive job. But my real problem is my transmission the problem started last summer where after driving the car for about 20 to 30 min and then get into traffic the car starts to hesitate when pressing on the gas I took the car to the dealer w/ no help they told me I had to bring the car when it was happening and this problem doesnt happen all the time. So finally I take it aga

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  Dont buy Nissan!!! - 2009 Nissan Quest
  By yv13 - February 14 - 1:16 pm

  I have certified Pre-Owned 2009 Nissan Quest with 36,500 mi. Before 30K I had to change driving belt, less then 36K front and back brakes changed and rotors on the back were so bad that mechanic could not cut them and had to be replaced. Now I have problem with AC Compressor ( over $1,000 to repair) and look like struts going out too. Nissan refusing finansial assistance with repairs of their low quality cars! DONT BUY NISSAN AT ALL!!!

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  Most dangerous vehicle on the road - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By lindalebron - February 8 - 6:08 pm

  I have had repeat visits to the dealer to address the problem of hesitation when accelerating, which I am told the service department cannot duplicate, and they cannot fix what they cant find. I have had my car for 26 months and hate driving it on the highways. When I travel to San Diego to visit grandchildren, I rent a vehicle. Am I the only Altima owner experiencing this problem? Now, the transmission is jerking when driving at low speeds. So, the vehicle is back at the dealers shop once again. What a horrible Nissan product!

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  Major Disappointment - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By andreas - February 8 - 10:00 am

  Cheap Interiors; Extremely poor quality both inside and out. Im trading it in tomorrow.

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  1500 miles and that was it - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By Tom - February 4 - 10:00 am

  I hated this thing the very next morning, while staring into its windshield, which reflected back at least 60% of its own dumb dashboard. In my (admitedly weak) defense, it was already dark the day before, but I trusted that car makers knew better. Was I wrong! Nothing fit right, it twisted and rattled, switches fell off, mileage claims did not measure up to claims. The drivers seat wants you off like a bull at a rodeo.... I continued hating it, finally set a limit on my patience, until the first oil change. When 1500 miles finally (!) came up, I traded it in one heartbeat for new Acura MDX and was happy ever since.