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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  awful - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By julie glazer - February 8 - 4:25 am

  worst car I have ever owned. Garbage! Extremely loud cabin and cvt. Handles poorly in the rain and is very uncomfortable to get in and out of especially for older people. Overall, garbage. The moonroof leaked the first time I drove thru the car wash and their solution was to hand wash. Never but Nissan, total garbage!

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  Real Clunker - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By JasonE - January 16 - 2:12 am

  Nothing but constant repairs with no support from Nissan. I bought this car three years ago and my entire dashboard just went out. I took it into the dealership and they told me I was three months out of warranty and stuck me with a $1000 repair bill. Nissan wont claim responsibility for the defect even though having your speedometer go out in the middle of driving is clearly a safety issue.

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  Fred Flintstone had a better car - 2017 Nissan Sentra
  By Andrea - January 14 - 2:37 am

  This car is slow. Pushing it up a hill would be faster then driving it up a hill. Terrible mileage. I am at a gas station gassing it up so much, I should be charged rent. Absolutely no power, I am so disappointed. I wanted the Juke but got bullied into this piece of sh** by the Nissan dealership in Hayward, CA. I have never hated any car as much as I do this car.

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  DONT BUY NISSAN!!!! - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By kslice39 - January 13 - 7:27 pm

  ive had nothing but problems with this car. The bumper randomly fell off, the cd player wont eject or take a cd, the visors wont stay up, battery went out after 6 months, blown head gasket, the passenger side windows wont roll down or if you get them down wont go back up, break light switch went out, check engine light wont go off...keeps saying cylinder 3 is misfiring and all the coils, plugs, injectors have all been replaced and STILL cant figure the problem out. This has all happened within the last year. And nissan has nothing to say about any of this. WORST CAR EVER!! i will never again buy nissan or recommend it to anyone. Not even your worse enemy deserves this pain in the ass.

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  Speedometer NOT work at 55+mph - 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
  By aaa1 - December 22 - 10:00 am

  After one month I bought the car, the speedometer does not work when speed at 55mph and above. The dealer said that the Unified Processor needs to replace. However, the part in back order is still not available since Sept. 20. I called Nissan about this and they said they would do something for me and would call me back, but they never did. Their cars are bad. Their customer services are bad. Another minor problem is that the driver seat makes noise when turning. I will never buy Nissan again! Hope your car is good.

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  HOW DOES THIS EVEN HAPPEN? - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By mpf2007 - December 16 - 3:10 am

  okay so I received a 2007 Nissan Versa for christmas in 2006 - nice gift huh? WRONG. I drove the car to the grocery store and was dropping my fiance off at the house. He grabbed the bags & when he shut the door ALL OF THE AIRBAGS IN MYCAR DEPLOYED IN MY FACE! I was pissed went to the nissan dealership & it took 9 MONTHS TO FIX IT To make matters even worse when I got to the nissan dealership they tried to hand me the bill & make me pay it when the corporate office said it was warrantied add that to the jacked up transmission horrible quality of the plastic & metal,broken tire pressure sensor & o2 sensor brake light wiring issues and nissan & theyre cheap car can go to you know where

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  Terrible car - 1997 Nissan Altima
  By xie004 - December 6 - 6:09 pm

  Bought this car at 60k. Repaired this car every year since then for average more than $1k a year. Replaced a lot of parts. Made a big mistake trying to keep this car. At only 131k milage, engine died. Terrible car. Avoid Nissan at any cost.

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  Nissan Awful - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By MrsLewis06 - November 27 - 5:00 am

  I bought this car in December of 2008 with 81,000 miles on it. I knew it was a lot but i just loved the car so much i didnt care.The check engine light was on and they said they would fix it but never did. Since then i have had to replace 2 coils, the crank sensor, the catalytic converter and now it needs a whole new engine. I will never buy another Nissan and i wouldnt advise anyone else to either.

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  RIPPED OFF BY NISSAN - 2016 Nissan Juke
  By PHIL MCRACKIN - November 8 - 10:30 pm

  Dont buy it has the same problem Toyota had with the

  accelorator getting stuck so if you want to die buy

• 

  New car Nightmare - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Bruce - October 1 - 1:13 am

  On, April 9, 2005 I purchased a New Nissan Maxium. On April 22, 2005 the nightmare begun and is still going on as we speak. A mouse chewed on the transmission harness and this has caused the transmission to blow. The car has been in the shop since April 22, with no end of the nightmare in site. Nissan claims they are not responsible for the flaw in the transmission that can destroyed by a critter. This is my first and it will be my last Nissan Product EVER!