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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  Wind noise problem - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By jar - September 9 - 6:26 pm

  Like the size and outside design of the car. Fuel economy is good. MAJOR wind problem driving over 70 mph on highway. Howling and screaming wind noise comes from both sides of the front windshield. Have taken it in twice to add foam sealer. Nissan Corp said the noise was "acceptable". We also own a Honda CRV which has a super quiet ride. Would not recommend the Rogue.

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  Buyer beware - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Damian sumner - September 8 - 3:24 am

  Me and my wife bought a 2013 Nissan Altima fully loaded with everything that Nissan come with for $33,000. within the first year a motor mount broke the master cylinder for the brakes started leaking the air conditioning compressor started leaking and that was all within 5000 miles in the first year of on in the car. Now 4 years later we still want to have 26,000 miles on the car now the shifting solenoid went out we cannot shift it from park. The car looks good drives good but its built like a piece of crap

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  Front Bumper - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Joyceb5 - August 28 - 2:00 am

  Very, Very disapointed in quality of bumper. Snow bank damage suffered and have to go to a body shop for repair. Dealership could not fix. Cant believe all the plastic on this vehicle. Will be sending a letter to Nissan Corporate, will trade in as soon as feasible & will not recommend nor will I purchase another!

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  Nissan Sentra 2004 - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Anna - August 24 - 12:43 am

  A couple of times the car would just not start after it would sit in the garage for a week or so after a vacation. There was a constant squeaky noise which the Nissan service guys could not figure out, then later on it turned out that the crank shaft (or whatever) was loose. Had to replace belt a few times. I was very disappointed because of these problems, because they all happened within the first 33,000 miles of usage of the car.

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  2007 quest quality - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By junkyride - August 16 - 1:16 pm

  Worst vehicle I have ever owned. Auto door did not work. Dealer repaired. Fuse block blew I had to fix $400. Major issue was front suspension components. Just replaced control arms, ball joints etc. $1150 my expense. I have worked for Nissan suppliers before and thought the quality would be there. Wrong! I will never buy another Nissan. Service from dealers is poor and very expensive ! Presently there is a shimmy and cant get it out. Beverage holder next to second row seating poorly thought out. Easy for someone to drag their rear end across them and break them. Worst job of Japanese engineering ever. Made in Japan now instead of Mississippi. No more Nissans for me.

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  shakes rattle and road noise - 2015 Nissan Rogue Select
  By very unhappy cosumer - August 14 - 7:21 pm

  high road noise, rough idle, front passenger seat shakes when idling,seat belt buckles rattle against the interior side panels, doors are poor quality,fan comes on in the off position.I took the car to the dealer three times to fix fan switch and they said that there was nothing wrong with the switch and that they would fix it but I would have to sign a disclaimer form.I traded the hunk of junk and lost a lot of money.

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  Nissan should issue recall - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By JonnyBRich - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Bought our Pathfinder with 37000 miles on it. Purchased the extended warranty for security. Had the same problem as many others, radiator went causing the transmission to fail. Nissan would not cover the cost to repair ($5500) either because the radiator caused the problem. Couldnt get anywhere with Nissan corporate so we wrote a letter to our Attorney General. Got a phone call from Nissan Corp shortly after asking for repair bill. Received a check a few weeks later for the cost of repair with no explanation. Come on Nissan! Own up to that fact that this is design flaw. These vehicles should be recalled. Dont buy one of these and if you have one, sell it before its too late.

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  Nissan sucks - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By av_guy - August 3 - 11:59 pm

  Spoke to Nissan and they wont give me the time of day to help replace my transmission. Its been replaced once already and they wont listen. Besides the transmission, the lumbar system which was recalled is broken again, the fog lights have been replaced at least 6 times. Nissan has the worst customer service at their HQ. I wouldnt buy another Nissan. They dont care about their customers, so why should I patronize them by purchasing another vehicle from them. They really suck.

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  buyer beware - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Chris Moore - July 25 - 12:05 pm

  Bought the car with 28,000 miles on it and my wife put 40,000 miles on it in about 7 years. I kept the oil changed and tires on it with no real problems, except for the door handles breaking, until recently. First the engine light came on sporadically and I could feel engine hesitate. Got the code checked out and its was somewhat generic (p0300) with up to five different system that could be the problem. I changed the plugs and ignition coils and the motor ran better but there was another problem. Took it to a garage and have the exhaust manifold and catalytic converter replaced. Cars running just fine again. One week later the oil light comes on and I add 3 quarts and Im going to run the car for around 1k miles before I take it to get an oil change. Within another week or two the car starts sounding like the exhaust manifold is bad again. Before I can get the car to the shop it dies on the side of the road. Look at the oil and its black with less than 500 miles since I put the 3 quarts in. The engine is now dead and Ive already put around $2k into the car in the last 2 months. This really sucks for a car that I thought would last well over a 100K miles. Ill never buy another Nissan again. If you want to see all the problems with this motor look up misfires, exhaust manifold, and precat.

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  2014 Pathfinder with transmission and brakes issues - 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
  By astridmp - July 18 - 5:15 pm

  Hello, I purchased a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder in october 2013 and the following day it started shuddering at around 20mph and the steering wheel would start vibrate at 50mph. Then I had a weird feeling when using the brakes and they told me it was normal I told Nissan, they did not mention the issues the 2013 model had... I had to find out by myself online...I should have done my homework before... I also noticed a loss of power when accelerating and the gas mileage is between 15 and 19 after driving it for 3 months. I received a recall notification a few weeks ago for the barkes and my car is going to the shop again tomorrow. I had to fight to get a rental car while they work on it...