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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  Altima CVT Transmission Problems - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Oblique - December 16 - 2:16 pm

  Ironically what attracted me to the Altima besides its styling was the CVT (Continuously Varible Transmission) which is a new style automatic with a belt inside instead of gears. It is smooth but not reliable or durable. After just 55,000 miles the transmission began to act up on warmer days especially in stop and go traffic. The dealer just said, "oh that cant happen. They reset the check engine light and charged me to replace the fluid (60K service) and the very next week it got worse, check engine light on all the time. They spent 5 hours telling me a new transmission would be covered under the extended warranty. I am trading this troubled CVT Altima in on a HONDA Accord! CYA, CVT!

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  Dont buy a Maxima! - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By dontdoit - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Like many others, my 2005 Nissan Maxima jerks when I put it into drive or reverse! There is a 3 second delay then it jerks. It happens when I am sitting at a light or have my car running then I put the car in drive from 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear. When I am driving its so bad I cannot sip my coffee. Feels as though the engine is going to fall out! Nissan refuses to recall this issue and fix the problem. After reading many complaints, I guess I should feel a little fortunate that this has happened to me at 120,000 miles instead of the average 80,000. I would not recommend this car at all to anyone!!!

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  Do Not Buy This Car!!! - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By lmoris - December 11 - 11:19 am

  Ive had problems with my car for awhile now. When Im stopped, the entire car shutters, this also happens when I accelerate. My rpms also jump from 3-6 (Im not speeding)and when I let off the accelerator to slow down, my speed stays the same with my rpms going back and forth from 3-6. I called the dealership where I purchased the car and I was told that since my check engine light has NOT come on, they cant help me. They can look at it for $57.00 but the computer has not recognized any problems yet so there is not much they can do. Basically, drive it until you break down. Nice!! I called the corporate office and was told they stand behind what I was told by the dealership!!Fantastic

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  Very Disappointed - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By jcald - December 10 - 4:23 am

  At around 30,000 miles, the transmission went out. No warning at all. I tried to start it, it jumped forward and died. Nissan had to bring a wrecker. They replaced the transmission, but now I think it is going bad again. I have around 45,000 miles on it and 2 days ago, it started getting really loud, almost like an ATV. When I let off the gas, it still roars loudly. The engine has always been very loud and it has gotten worse with time. It has always jerked when taking off and it smells flooded when you start it. Last winter it would only start if I pumped the gas. Id crash the stupid thing if I didnt think Id get hurt! My opinion of Nissan is not good anymore.

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  Realistic expectaiton still to much to meet for this car - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By manycars1 - December 6 - 2:03 pm

  Just hit 68k and the CVT is shot. First thing to give me problems were the breaks at about 12k. From there is was heat shields on the exhaust to door seals. I bought this car to get back and forth to work (150mile round trip). All I expected was a affordable car to get me to and from work at the most reasonable cost. I purchased the Nissan after comparing it to my normally purchased vehicles and it was a better value, it actually exceeded in over all space in a real world comparison to Chevy and Ford. MPG avg is 37.1 but the 10.9 tank.....10 gal usable, keeps me at the gas station every 2 to 3 days. As of now it is dead in my driveway, will not move.

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  1st and LAST NISSAN! - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By 1st and LAST NISSAN - December 3 - 10:30 pm

  I agree with the person who wrote, "the list of things that didnt go wrong would be shorter." this truck and Nissan corp usa can take this truck and shove it! These people charged me for a fuel-pump, oil/spark-plug change, ipdm, and a mass-air-flow-sensor, as well as a throttle position-sensor, to the tune of $6300.00, when all that was wrong at the time was a loose wire on the #2"mini-super-coil". (which they gladly fixed for free) Kraft Nissan in Tallahassee, Florida is one dealer you should pass up. I was told by Nissan corp. USA and Kraft Nissan that they had the best techs and they were right and I was wrong. I hope that $6300.00 gets them through this rough economy, they are gonna need it!

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  Avoid the Snetra - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By bcramer003 - December 3 - 8:29 am

  Poor acceleration and lots of road noise at highway speed. Poor material used in interior. I have had three warrenty issues and had to pay to replace brakes and rotors at 20k miles. The car has also had to be alligned twice in the first year of ownership.

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  piece of crap - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By foxyirish - December 2 - 11:16 am

  Gas cap broken, it will not shut tight and will not open with pull switch inside the car. Trunk will not open by pull tab inside car or remote button. Will only open by key. Rear bumper loose and hanging on passenger side. Wheel bearings were replaced on driver rear within 6 months of purchase. Rear passenger side now need replaced. Difficult to start at times. I will NOT buy another Nissan Sentra. No freaking way.

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  Hate the car - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By thezman - November 30 - 11:00 pm

  the new transmission is the worse. brakes will not stop safely. wind and road noise is horrible. very unstable on highway, sways as though the rear will meet the front never got more than 18 mpg if i owned 30 cars, which is low, i would rank this 28 as the best

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  Disappointed - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Disappointed - November 24 - 4:46 pm

  I have just over 99,000 miles on my Xterra, and I have already had to replace a cracked exhaust manifold and the supercharger. Now I am being told that the head gasket is leaking. I love the styling and capability of the Xterra, but I have been very disappointed by the reliability. I dont know if the 3.3 liter engine was not properly designed for the stresses associated with the supercharger, but it has definitely not lived up to my expectations.