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 one sucks - 1999 Nissan Quest
  By Kevlev - October 29 - 2:00 am

  Engine is real bad. It sounds like an overworked mule. Dealership service could never fix it. Jerky action when applying gas. Engine bogs down and is a gas hog.

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  Too expensive to fill up the tank! - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By J&Ms - October 29 - 2:00 am

  When I bought my Xterra, I was unaware the of the horrible gas mileage that it got. Typically it will get 12 miles to the gallon and it takes premium fuel to fill up. Here in California, we are approaching $3/gallon. I wont be able to afford the cost of driving it.

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  Cramped Front Seat - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By Jamell - October 22 - 11:00 am

  This would be a great car except for the front seat. Its cramped & you have to been your leg sideways to reach the accelerator pedal. The middle front section is way too wide & the pedals are too far offset to the right. I recently rented one & my right leg was hurting after about 30 minutes. Its hard to get in & out as well. The front seat needs to be redesigned.

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  Major Issues After 60k - Lemon - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By AtlGirl3929 - October 19 - 5:30 pm

  I bought a Nissan thinking the brand was on par with Honda and Toyota...boy, was I wrong. I have never had as many problems with an automobile as I have with this car. When it was still under warranty, I had minor issues. Past 65k...Ive had the A/C break twice, normal issues, but the best are the well documented problems with the catalytic converter, pre-cat, and recall Nissan claims they performed on the 02 2.5L engines of this model. Bottom line: Nissan lies, the pre-cat never gets fixed, will fall apart, get sucked into your engine in small bits, mingle with your oil, and slowly eat your engine from the inside out. STAY AWAY!!

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  Watch Doors - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Darcy - October 19 - 10:00 am

  Automatic doors were stuck open during cold winter months; happened on two occassions, problem is still unidentified. Electric short on interior dashboard; severe water leak from interior coat hanging feature, still unresolved; loud banging noise when fully turning steering wheel, still unresolved.

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  2013 Altima LEMON! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By ally07 - September 26 - 12:18 pm

  I regret ever buying the 2013 Nissan Altima. At about 1,200 miles I started experiencing a jerking sensation when the CVT transmission went from 1st to 2nd gear at about 15-30 mph. It took months for Nissan to issue a service bulletin to fix the jerking, and then the fix required taking out the transmission to replace the torque converter. As if that wasnt bad enough, my local Nissan service center here in Lynchburg, VA DROPPED my transmission in the floor and broke it and the axle and had to order new parts. Theres no telling what else they damaged in the process since the 2 times I have talked to them they have been waiting on different parts. I will NEVER purchase another Nissan!

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  2013 Pathfinder - Navigation Monitor Black-Out In Less Than 24hrs. - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By beu5200 - September 24 - 10:48 am

  !!BUYERS BEWARE!! -I purchased/picked up a brand new 2013 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum on Friday, 02/22/2013 at about 8:30pm, thinking that it should be the best car for me and my family. On Saturday, 02/23/2013 at about 7:00pm the navigation monitor black-out. Meaning, all infotainment, entertainment, GPS, and many other computer controls are all non-operational. Im now very doubtful to continue to drive this car. Who knows what other problems will rise next. I even called up Nissan Consumer Affairs and they are helpless. Nissan corporate just dont care for their consumers. Im now without a car to drive for 3 days and another week in pending, or possibly longer. IM SCREWED by NISSAN!!

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  Not Happy w/my nissan 98 frontier - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By T.K - September 24 - 6:40 am

  Had mechanical difficulties w/ this truck since I bought it, not reliable. Bought with 30,000 miles in 2002. Fix oil leak of engine and axle (under warranty), the windshield wiper motor went out during a thunderstorm in the middle of nowhere and I had no windshield wiper use, clutch motor fixed twice w/in 6mos. clutch going out and expensive to fix due to location of clutch. Problem after problem w/ this truck.

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  Wish I did not buy it - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Noel - September 22 - 2:06 pm

  I bought a new car thinking that that was the smart thing to do. I am so upset about my Quest. At 30,000 I took it into Nissan for the yearly VA inspection. They told me that I neede new breaks and that they were schocked how many miles I had on the car because most of the vans needed then at 20,000. I also needed new tires at 35,000 the van is too heavy of a car for the type that came with the van! That they did not have a milage garentee. I will never buy a NIsann again!!!!

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  Stay Away - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Mad Max - September 20 - 2:00 am

  This car stinks, its a rattle trap. The resale of the car is terrible. The suspension feels like it came from a truck. Stay away from this car at all costs. I should have bought a Acura TL-S or Lexus IS 300 instead.