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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  Keep looking if you want Reliability - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By carbuyerone - March 3 - 8:25 am

  The issue is quality and reliability. Our time owning this vehicle was beleaguered with numerous mechanical problems, break-downs, recalls and quality issues. The vehicle had chronic fuel pump and fuel sender failures (Google and read owner blogs). This resulted in the fuel gauge not working or fuel pump failing altogether. Fuel pump issues left us stranded twice (towed to dealer both times). We replaced the sender and fuel pump 3 times while owning. We had ball bearing and CV issues in the front end. We had the car battery explode once, leaving my wife stranded (towed to dealer again). We had the transmission slip out of drive a few times and one time out of 4WD while pulling the boat out on a ramp. The ECM (electronic control module) had to be fix/replace twice. The sliding moon roof rode off its track, became jammed and had to be completely replaced. The back lift gate pistons failed to keep the back gate open. The cargo board liner came undone (I fixed myself), passenger cup holders broke off (poorly placed by design). Styling molding covers on the roof rack came off on the highway. The banding on the exhaust heat shields rusted away resulting in a metallic rattle between the exhaust pipes and heat shielding which require re-banding (I fixed myself). The underbody shows far too much rust development for a modern make, this made me concerned about the vehicles long term handling of underbody rust. 2nd row passenger AC/heat control buttons kept coming off. The paint chips and scratches easily. The interior plastics are soft, also scratch easily and the lighter tone plastics are hard to clean. The font bumper cover cracked and tore pushing through a snow drift.

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  Cheap at an expensive price - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Bruce McShane - March 2 - 10:00 am

  The car looks good and has a decent mechanical reputation. The paint is rough the clearcoat is thin the dealer even made it a point that the car should not be washed except by hand or pressure washed. Putting on a coat of wax showed a porous uneven surface. The inside is appointed cheaply the cloth seats are a course mesh rough to the touch. Someone must have decided to shave a few yen off costs by shortening the seat backs and narrowing them. Anyone over six foot will need to duck down in the back seat and find a way to get in and out without hitting their head on something. The ride is sensitive to any and all bumps and roadway transitions

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  This Car is OKAY.... - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By adensmommie - March 2 - 1:53 am

  I was searching for a car for two weeks and came up on this 07 Versa...I test drove it(not having driven manual in awhile) and I liked the feel of the car. I also got a good deal on it too. After the first week, the car felt like it was gonna die on me when I would turned on the AC and it shook a lot. Also the engine is REALLY LOUD!!! I was in 6th gear at 3500 RPMS doing 70 MPH and the engine sounded even more loud. My 92 eclipse had better gas mileage than this car, I would need to fill my tank every week and I only work 10 minutes away from my house. I like the look of this car but not for gas mileage and for a manual vehicle. I am currently looking to trade this car in...

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  car is ok - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By Paula - March 1 - 4:00 am

  I have driven the car for 4 months, traded in a ford truck. I drive 6 miles each way to work, and my driving is 1/2 highway and 1/2 city. Im a decent driver, and my mileage is only 19-22mpg, at the most. The headrest is uncomfortable, otherwise the car is satisfactory. I feel very uncomfortable with the blind spots-the right triangler window and the rear window-are starting to feel like they are safety hazards. I regret having purchased the car because of the blind spots.

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  So-so car - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By Blackout - February 25 - 10:03 pm

  Car had several recalls. Fun to drive. A nightmare to change brakes on. Definitely need snow tires in the winter if you want to drive in any snow.

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  Excellent Gas Mileage - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By jdk1973 - February 24 - 11:46 am

  I bought my 2013 base Sentra S with 6sp manual in mid March. Gas mileage rocks! I get in the high 30s to low 40s in regular mode. I consistantly get 360 miles per tank of fuel using about 9 gallons. This is mixed driving with sometimes frequent stops. Seats are insanely uncomfortable but not a deal breaker given the price. Mine listed for $17,000 and I purchased for $14,000. I feel this was a great negotiated price considering that it is an all new look without lots of incentives. I selected the silver with Charcoal interior...looks great with added body side molding and really dark-tinted windows.

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  Disappointed - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Huck - February 24 - 10:00 am

  After 3 recalls and repairs, the A/C going out twice, the gas pedal continually sticking even a few thousand miles after it is repaired, passenger window sticking, the CD player being intermitant and the buttons coming off the radio....AAGGHH I think this car was made on a Monday.

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  2006 nissan murano - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By veronica omalley - February 23 - 10:33 pm

  Make sure you have the car checked out before making a commitment in buying the vehicle. These cars are traded in from someone else, then is not fully checked out by the person selling the vehicle. Too high priced for one thing, and also the mileage on this 2006 Nissan murano is too high for the cost of buying the car. It is a nice looking car inside and out but had a brake problem squelching when stopping which the seller was willing to fix if buying the Murano. Not good gas mileage according to the rating on the web. Only 20 in city and 25 highway if that. The vehicle is too heavy and is the reason for the low mileage. It was fully loaded and that was the reason for the price of 8,995.00 which I thought was too high in price. Still checking other vehicles out to make sure I want this car or not. What is your opinion on what I quoted.?

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  Could be a great truck - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Joe Herzig - February 22 - 9:23 pm

  I had high expectations when I purchased this truck two years ago. I have had two Nissans previously and had good luck with them. The Titan has been nothing but a headache since I have owned it. The brakes, water leaks, severe rust, engine ping, blue smoke, steering column replacement, rear end, squeaks and rattles, missing parts and pieces, and poor Nissan customer support. Nissan fails to recognize that they released a truck before all the kinks were worked out. The build quality was substandard. They forgot to install a important bolt in the frame which created problems and the only fix was to drill a two inch hole in my floorboard. That is an example of poor QA in Canton, MS.

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  The Altima is better!! - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By Charletta - February 22 - 4:08 am

  I bought my car last year in November, a 2006 Maxima. With just a little over 100,000 miles on it.. And only 2days after I purchased it, the transmission started to slip. Cause a massive jerk when I put the car into drive. I have taken to several dealerships and shops to have it tested and everyone keeps telling me that theres absolutely nothing wrong with my car. It had an "as is" sign in it so they would not take it back. It has been nothing but a headache since I bought the car. And it still jerks very hard. My Altima is a much better car in my opinion. And much more reliable.. So, Im stuck with a 10,000 dollar car that runs like crap!!