I'm very disappointed at Nikon. Read description?

I bought a Nikon D5100 a year ago and the warranty expired on february, 2014.
Now I'm getting the "Press shutter release button again" error and I will have to send it to repair. It's not going to be cheap.
It's unbelievable that it happened just when the warranty expired. I had an old Fuji for 4 years and it never gave me headache.
I'm dumping Nikon and buying a Canon.
Canon users, what model should I get?
I don't know much about the brand, I thought Nikon was better.

Nikon is a highly regarded brand, as is Canon and other DSLR brands.

But as with all complex electronic devices, you can still get a dud. You have probably just been very unlucky, although that's no consolation I'm sure, and I can understand why you feel upset.

However, even if you buy a Canon or other brand, there's no guarantee that you will not get a dud, so that's not the answer. These things do happen, although rarely.

Take a deep breath and count to 10…

Then take it to a local camera repair shop and get an estimate for any repairs before you make any silly impulsive decisions. It could be something minor.