Overview & Reviews

For more than 100 years now, Ford Motor Company has been selling mass-produced automobiles in the United States and around the globe. Known as one of the Big Three American manufacturers, Ford has attracted millions of loyal customers with a wide range of vehicles that offer considerable value. The automaker's trucks and SUVs have been especially popular. For decades, Ford's F-Series truck has been the best-selling vehicle in America.

The company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903. Ford dreamed of building a car for the masses, and that's precisely what he did, most notably with the immortal Model T of 1908-'27. The latter was bought by 16.5 million Americans during its 20-year lifespan and was affordable enough for Ford's own factory workers to purchase. Ford's early years were also distinguished by its introduction of the moving assembly line. It was the first to utilize this more cost-effective method of production, and its innovation became a mainstay of the manufacturing process.

Ford expanded into the luxury-car market with its purchase of Lincoln Motor Company in 1925. Over the next few years, the company broadened its focus even further by creating the Mercury division to produce mid-priced cars. By the late '30s, Ford had unveiled the stylish Lincoln Zephyr, introduced a low-priced V8 engine and built more than 25 million vehicles.

The 1950s saw the introduction of the legendary Thunderbird. Offering sleek styling and spirited performance wedded to available luxury features like power windows and a signal-seeking radio, the car was a huge hit. Another model of that decade, the Edsel, met with a somewhat less enthusiastic reception. In the wake of abysmal sales, the Edsel was discontinued just a few months into its third model year.

Ford regained its footing in the early 1960s with the introduction of the compact Falcon, a model that was warmly received by the public. By the middle of the decade the automaker had given enthusiasts something to cheer about with the launch of the sporty Mustang, a car that went on to become one of the biggest sellers of its day. Buyers adored the Mustang's low price, available powerful V8 engines and sporty styling. The Mustang even created a brand-new vehicle category: the pony car.

By the 1970s, Ford, like other domestic automakers, was starting to suffer the effects of changing consumer tastes and new government regulations. Many of its cars became shadows of their former selves. But the seeds of rebirth were planted in this decade. In 1979, the company acquired a stake in Mazda; this move would later aid Ford significantly in co-development projects. The company also emerged with a new mindset of global competitiveness.

By the mid-to-late '80s, Ford was showing new strength with its popular Escort and Taurus models while further expanding its empire with the purchase of the Aston Martin and Jaguar brands. Meanwhile, its full-size LTD sedan (later renamed the Crown Victoria) remained a staple of taxi companies and police forces throughout America.

Ford rode a wave of popularity in the 1990s, thanks in part to the huge success of its Explorer midsize SUV. The truck played a huge role in ushering in the era of the SUV. In 1999, Ford expanded its family yet again with the purchase of Volvo's car division, and, in 2000, it acquired Land Rover. For awhile, there was talk of Ford even taking General Motors' spot as the No. 1 automaker in the world.

But the new millennium initially saw a downturn for Ford. Increased competition, a continuing operating loss for Jaguar, legacy costs and a reliance on SUVs for profit took their toll. To compensate, the company sold Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo and introduced a wave of successful new products. Models like the F-150, Fusion, Fiesta, Focus, Flex and Mustang have allowed Ford to regain its health and standing as a very competitive manufacturer.

User Reviews:

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  2011 Ford Fusion SE AUTO - 2011 Ford Fusion
  By jmonahue1967 - March 14 - 6:56 pm

  averaged 19mpg until the car hit 3k miles and now its 24mpg combined. interior is excellent, tons of storage, pretty comfortable, good quality of materials. BAD: at 3200 miles, the car is hesitating, surging, and performing very poorly. will update after seeing the dealer this weekend. no other problems except the weird misfiring and poor performance lately. its not bad gas either. the car definitely does not get 29mpg on the highway. i took it for a 350 mile hwy trip and it averaged 24 mpg.

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  Very Reliable Car! - 2006 Ford Focus
  By sobefobik - March 14 - 12:55 pm

  Overall this has been a great car and I would purchase another. I have put over 110,000 on this car in 4 years with no problems other than replacing the alternator, which is a cheap fix. The CD player did break, too. Also, the rear brakes are very squeaky, which seems to be a common problem with the car. Ive driven this on several trips each being 2,000+ miles with NO problems.

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  took a $9000 loss to be rid of this car - 2001 Ford Focus
  By yuba4 - March 14 - 12:44 pm

  This should have been a great car, but was an absolute disaster. 17 service trips in first 16 months. Ford was uncooperative and rude. The worst of many problems was the rear brakes, which were always slightly engaged. This resulted in bad fuel economy, but FAR worse was that it was extremely dangerous to drive on ice and snow. The rear wheels constantly slid. I race autocross, ride motorcycles, and race bicycles so I know a ridiculously unsafe vehicle from a regular vehicle, but every contact point of Ford ignored my concerns and insisted I was just a bad driver. Send me a $9000 check, and I will CONSIDER buying another Ford. Lemon law only until 12k miles - went to heck at 15k

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  I love my escape! - 2003 Ford Escape
  By esmith7 - March 12 - 11:48 am

  My escape has 175,000 and has only needed minor maintenance repairs.

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  LOVED IT FOR FIRST 250 MILES! - 2011 Ford F-150
  By jvttanner716 - March 12 - 12:43 am

  Purchased a 2011 XLT crewcab with 5.0 and 355 rear.At only aprox. 500 miles I loved the truck until I put it in 4 wheel drive. The truck had a thumping noise. With a visit to a Ford service center Im told it needs a" NEW " Front axle assy. With four days gone by and still not repaired Im convinced this purchase was a mistake.Its very hard to complete this review when I was only able to use this vehicle a couple of days before its extended stay in repair.Also this truck had a tag on the dash that stated, "selected by Ford for randome testing" Just not the four wheel drive system?

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  Beautiful Car But Problems that could affect safety. - 2011 Ford Explorer
  By cessna100 - March 9 - 9:18 pm

  From a 2011 Honda Pilot (poor ride and noise) to the 2011 Explorer. The Explorer ride and low road noise is more then on par with the Acura MDX. Fit and finish are excellent. Unfortunately, the quality is not. The computer network that controls the intelligent all wheel drive and the advanced traction control is faulty. The car loses its stability and steering becomes hard. Not good. 3 week old and 1500 miles the car is back at the dealer. Told they must bypass a wiring harness and solder the connection. I hope this is a temporary fix. For such a safety related system a soldered wiring connect does not inspire confidence in Fords design.

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  Paint Falls Off - 2010 Ford Focus
  By fordbuster - March 7 - 2:16 pm

  See comments in here. Great car mechanically. very good winter traction with traction control. Very happy mechanically but one big problem. Paint under rear doors, and in door frames ( rear ), some in wheel well, also bumpers- all have lifted or peeled. Asked dealer about it at under 60k- said could not do anything unless there were holes. Manual said otherwise as I found out later. It could have been fixed. Neither the dealer in Collingwood, Ontario or Ford would help. Just the usual comments- you know. Too bad, otherwise a great car. Maybe the Chineese can figure out how to make paint stick in Canadian Winters on my next purchase. Wake up Ford! Currently, you are 1st in sales Canada????

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  Detailed review - 2011 Ford Escape
  By viper5333 - March 7 - 1:04 pm

  As an owner of many SUVs, I feel qualified to provide a helpful review. I was worried about 4 cyl., but so far its pep has been a pleasant surprise. It has plenty of zip to merge safely onto freeways it maintains 70 MPH with ease up steep grades. As a trade off, the tranny is noisy through first 3 gears. It makes an odd noise if you jump on the throttle from a stop. Once at cruise it is quiet. The front seats are awesome...dont know how Ford did it, but feels like the seats have their own suspension. Fuel economy is great...almost 30MPG on freeway. The Sync system is best built-in voice command system I have tried...and I have used many. It does have a few quirks...mentioned bellow

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  Better 2nd time around - 2006 Ford F-150
  By urbancowboy - March 6 - 6:36 pm

  I purchased a new 2004 F150 and had nothing but problems, all covered under warranty. Of course this was the new model year out. So I traded it for a 2006 and I only had 2 problems. The 3rd tail light leaked and was fixed under warranty and Seatbelt was put on from the plant backwards. I dont know how that happened. This truck has been awesome since then. No problems since then. I would purchase another considering the new model has better fuel economy and I read it is much more roomier. I have 2 kids, wife and dog and I considered buying a van but I always use the bed for hauling stuff. I just put on vinyl bed cover and it is locked away. Very quiet on the road.

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  Passenger Side Air bag malfunction? - 2011 Ford Escape
  By cdooley - March 5 - 8:22 pm

  This is my 2nd Ford Escape (now driving the new 2011). I love how it drives. However, my passenger side-air bag keeps defaulting to "off" even when I am sitting in the passenger side!!! I am about a 105# female and I read the owners manual. It says it is designed to disable (will not inflate) when believing an infant is in the front seat. I am NOT an infant! I have had it in to 2 different dealerships (one while traveling) to have it looked at. Im now told I am jut not heavy enough for it to register my weight. I just leased this thing in December. Not happy!!!