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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  Horrible gas mileage and resale is horrendous - 2013 Ford Escape
  By stack2 - February 22 - 11:05 pm

  I bought my Escape Titanium not even a year ago. It was the first Ford I had purchased and liked it enough to buy my wife an Explorer. Overall fit and finish is descent and the performance has been good. However the gas mileage has been horrendous! I am averaging 19 MPG in mostly highway miles when the car is supposed to get 21 city, 28 highway, 24 combined. It doesn’t matter how you drive it, the absolute best I have seen is 21 on the highway. I have also had numerous issues with the parking sensors going off on their own, and the BLIS popping up warning alerts and the navigation freezing. When I take it to the dealer they state they can’t find anything wrong.

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  Initial Review - 2010 Ford F-150
  By meathead212121 - February 22 - 4:11 pm

  I purchased this truck about a week ago with just under 20k miles on it after trading in an 07 Mazda CX-9 with almost 69k on it. This is only an initial review and I will post a more longterm one after some time. The Build Quality of this truck is actually really good. All panels line up and even though there is slightly more hard plastic than Id like on the interior it does give you the feel of luxury all around. There is LOADS of room in the back seat for lounging and the V-8 has plenty of power. I opted to not have the EcoBoost after hearing some issues its currently having and I cant say I regret it. Truck purrs like a kitten and has an AMAZING ride

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  A good fit for me - 2009 Ford Escape
  By michiganphil - February 22 - 3:25 pm

  I have owned two 2009 4 cyl FWD Limited Escapes, traded one at 41K miles, last month, and still own another with 43K miles. The only issues I have had with the vehicles is with the Fan motor, in which a resister went bad. Otherwise, I have had no issues with either vehicle. The vehicles offered me the features I wanted, with few I did not want. The acceleration, handling, braking were good enough for me. I was impressed with the gas mileages, I topped 32 MPG, door to door, with both vehicles on long trips, a number of times.

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  Do not drive at night - 2014 Ford Escape
  By hueyok - February 22 - 10:29 am

  I have a 14 Escape SE with blinding dash lights. According to Ford technicians, they are suppose to automatically dim in conjunction with the ambient light. For example, if it is daytime and full sun, the dash lights are full bright. Then as it gets toward dusk, the lights dim somewhat. At full night, the dash lights dim more to avoid bright lights in ones eyes. An alalogy to this would be like driving at night and an oncoming car has its lights on bright beam. Then as a courtesy, the person dims the lights to the low beam. This is why I am kaking Ford to task for designing a car that wont dim its dash lights as specified.

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  Happy with the purchase - 2014 Ford Escape
  By vaiyo - February 21 - 12:19 pm

  Just bought a 2014 Ford Escape Titanium equipped with the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine new off the lot. Im very happy with the purchase. I live & work in the hilly suburbs of Pittsburgh, and the 2.0 liter engine has plenty of power and it still handles like a smaller car. I had concerns about the SYNC feature but Im happy to report that it is not broken like non-Ford salesmen claim. The negative reviews about "functional storage" on the redesigned Escapes are true, though. The glove compartment is small, hard to reach (for the driver), and nearly useless and there is very little in the ways of storage for odds and ends. Trunk space is smaller but opens up with the back seats down.

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  Terrible product, terrible customer service - 2008 Ford Escape
  By kwolff1 - February 19 - 1:58 am

  We bought a 2008 Escape, we were so excited to finally have what we thought was a great new car. Well that quickly turned into a nightmare. It needed a new transmission in 2013, and now the transmission is gone again. $7000 to fix!!!! Why does the transmission last only a year?? What garbage. Then on top of the product being terrible, we were treated poorly when we took it to Ford AND by the representatives we spoke to at customer service o the 1-800 number. We are taking it to Honda to trade it in like the scrap it is, and getting a car we can actually rely on!!

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  Big Disappointment - 2013 Ford Taurus
  By simba13 - February 17 - 11:20 pm

  I purchased a new 2013 Ford Taurus Limited that had all the bells and whistles at over $40K. I wanted a large sedan and thought the new Taurus would suffice my needs. I know I jumped the gun on my purchase with this Taurus. When I test drove the Taurus is was on smooth roads in the day. The Taurus had a horrid, buckboard ride on uneven pavement, the seats Ford uses now are simply horrible, the Taurus halogen headlights are the worst in the industry! I also found the interior to be small for such a big car. It had a roomy truck though. The center console is ridiculous and the ergonomics are pretty terrible. Car has squeaks and rattles and the headliner is bubbling. Car is now for sale.

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  Non dimming instrument lights - 2014 Ford Escape
  By hueyok - February 16 - 6:10 pm

  The dash lights are suppose to automatically dim with the ambient amount of light. Mine dont and I have had it in the shop several times but to no avail. A Ford Representative said in essense, "that is tough and just live with it". There is no advisory on it yet and so they do not have a fix. I was told they dont plan to make one. Maybe on next years model they will. But according to Ford technicians, this one is designed to do just this. It is a sad fact that Ford will build such complex cars but are unable or unwilling to correct them. Other threads I have read on the internet are experiencing this same problem.

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  Solid Piece of Metal - 1996 Ford Taurus
  By bmoreravens - February 15 - 3:01 pm

  I purchased this in 2013 with only 46,000 miles on it for only $2,000. Needed $500 worth of work to pass inspection, which had to do with the front stabilizing rods. This car is extremely reliable, although at times the transmission slams when going from park to reverse because of its high idle function. Had to put another $200 in a few months after purchase to repair ruptured brake line. Starts right up and has a really great hum to it. I get better gas mileage than its rated for, about 22mpg combined compared to the 18 or so its rated for, but I drive gently.

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  Shiny Junk - 2013 Ford Focus
  By massiejs09 - February 14 - 11:41 am

  I bought this car brand new in August 2012 after realizing that I had to say goodbye to my beloved 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid which had about 125,000 miles on it (and was still getting 45mpg!). Fast forward to now -- the car has 16,200 miles on it and might be the biggest piece of junk I have ever driven. It handles TERRIBLY in snow (like the worst Ive ever seen). Ive had to have the sunroof fixed cause water was leaking into my car every time it rained, and it shakes and judders for no reason. Lots of road noise, bad acceleration. Just awful. Im trading it in and going back to Honda.