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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  Worst money I ever spent - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By pwomack10 - July 20 - 6:20 pm

  I have a 2007 Titan LE. Good looking truck and that is about all the good I have to say about it. 13 MPG, uncomfortable, and a vibration I cannot get rid of. I even traded the Goodyear SR-A tires with less then 1000 miles to Michelins in hope that would fix the problem. Another $990.00 spent on a vehicle that I wish I had never purchased. I have driven trucks all of my life, this is the eigth pick-up I have owned, the only new one and by far the most disappointing.

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  Terrible Car - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Disaster - July 18 - 10:00 am

  This car is a disaster. When I bought it used at 93,000 miles, its been giving me problems until now. The car is slow, too much noise and very uncomfortable. The engine started smoking and the transmission went out 2 days ago. The next day, i sold the car for couple hundred bucks. I would not recommend buying this car to anyone.

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  Not the Greatest Economical Vehicle - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By Jessica - July 7 - 6:30 am

  inherited this car from my grandfather in early 2004. The car only had 13,000 miles on it! Ive put a lot of mileage on it driving to school and to work, and the car now has about 44,000 miles. Anyway, this car is nothing compared to a Toyota Camry or a Honda Civic. The cloth seats look like shower tiles! The dash looks quite cheap as well. The gas mileage is awful; I get about 23 mpg and most of my driving is on the highway. The body style makes it look like its from the mid to late 90s. The hubcaps make these awful noises. I recently had the brakes changed, and they still make awful sqealing noises. The passenger window slides down a little, so you hear the wind blowing against the car.

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  Worse vehicle I have ever bought! - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Bon - July 4 - 12:43 pm

  I bought this vehicle after reading reviews on how good this vehicle was and on advice from other people - worse mistake I have made regarding a vehicle purchase. Picked up the car and within 35 miles the check engine light came on, took it back to the service department, they said they fixed it and 35 miles later, the check engine light was back on - stayed in the shop almost 2 weeks. Have had it home 1 month and it is back in the shop now because of some other problem. Ive had this car less than 2 months and its been in the shop more than Ive had it home!!!

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  2006 Nissan Frontier - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By aolaniesene - June 30 - 10:18 am

  We purchased a Nissan because we believed in its superior quality. We believed that we would have a truck that would easily last us 10 years. However, after just 4 years - and almost nearing to paying off this trucks loan - we experienced what other forums show is a common manufacturer defect. At high mileages, Frontiers may experience a break in its radiator, causing coolant to mix in with transmission liquid. Even though we have been excellent Nissan clients, bringing in our Nissan for regular servicing to ensure it lasts long...weve been hit by this defect. So, the non-reward for taking care of our truck is having recently paid approx. $6k..

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  Nissan SPEC V Blues - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By KR - June 24 - 2:00 am

  I have already replaced one rim and will probably have to replace another. Shifting remains an adventure. Oil consumption is high - the dealer checked into this and stated that the engine has a lot of channels and it takes a long time for all the oil to redeposit in the pan.

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  Significant Problems after 80k - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By Daniel - June 15 - 3:26 pm

  I purchased this car from a well known car dealership with a solid reputation. It was great for 6 months. Then the check engine light came on; due to a faulty oxygen sensor. Then 3 additional sensors failed within 3 months. This car is only 5 years old with only 80k miles on it. It is not driven hard and is supplied with 91 octane fuel. I will never own a Nissan again, and I will be trading for a reliable Honda soon!!

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  Engine Dies After 68,000 miles / 2 years & 3 months - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By deadjuke2011 - June 15 - 7:58 am

  Great driving vehicle. Enjoyed our time together. That is until it died without any warning. Guess what - it was the timing chain. No warning and no sign of any problem. It broke and left me in the middle of the highway. I was able to coast to the next exit and wait for a tow to the nearest Nissan dealer. I had no idea what the problem was. I thought it was electrical. They confirmed it was not electrical and it was the engine. But it would take 5 hours to take it apart to diagnose the problem. That means I would have to pay them $500 to tell me the engine was dead and needed to be replaced. The timing chain appears to be very common. Nissan was not helpful. It was just outside the warranty.

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  Disappointed - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By dj speed - June 13 - 9:53 am

  Having owned 2 older Altimas Im disappointed with my new 09 Altima 2.5S 6 speed manual. The engine sounds horrible when cold. Acceleration is not good when trying to merge onto the highway but its ok around town. The cheap plastic door panels vibrate way too much when playing the music loud (very annoying). There is too much wind noise. The drivers seat is not comfortable. I hate the handling. The cheap tires and soft suspension makes the car floaty and unstable. On the highway the car is all over the place especially on windy days. Ironically it corners fairly well. On the good side, the ride is nice, it has plenty of room, it looks good and it gets great fuel economy.

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  Throw reliability out the window - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By engine stalls - June 11 - 8:33 pm

  Engine stalls and will leave you stranded, vents dont close so you always smell the outside or get hot/cold feet, sliding door does not close properly because it keeps reversing, many rattles and squeaks, vents in the ceiling keep falling, dealers dont know how to fix things so you keep going back to fix the same thing. Dealer does not do an oil change when thats what I asked them to do because oil is still dirty and they said thats the color of their oil but when I took it back a week later for an oil change, its a clean and clear color. Tires are a weird size and are very expensive because only Goodyear sells them.