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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  Good Luck if you buy it. - 2012 Ford Focus
  By salmark - September 11 - 1:20 pm

  I have a Ford Focus 2012 that I bought used. I just got out of the dealership. Why? Engine light turned on while I was driving and suddenly my entire car is lunging back and forth and gears are going nuts. Worse of all, I cant even put it in reverse. If youre going to get a Focus, good luck. I looked at reviews before and said, "meh, it wont happen to me." It did. Transmission might have to be replaced. Bluntly put, lets just say Im not going to go Ford for a good time. Oh, and highway MPG is amazing. City... totally sucks. 18-23 and I dont drive rough at all. Might as well be driving a Jeep with that mileage. Thanks Ford.

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  Stay Away / Faulty Transmissions - 2013 Ford Focus
  By jack8384 - August 26 - 2:49 am

  I have the Focus SE sedan with the faulty automatic transmission. I bought it brand new and first noticed the transmission to start acting crazy around 4500 miles. Ive read many similar complaints and see that Ford wont correct the problem. They issued a TSB on these trannies only to replace the clutch pack which doesnt help. They say its the way its designed to operate and theres no fix. WHAT ? Then why issue the TSB ? When I test drove the car it didnt do this. I would have stayed away then. Car lunges forward at stops, backs up by itself without giving it gas, the shift shuttering/slipping is the biggest problem.

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  Great Features, terrible reliability - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By mattj2125 - August 24 - 12:54 pm

  Transmission started jerking at 6,000 miles. Gas mileage not even close to advertised on window sticker. Features are out of this world for the price and the leather is great. Headliner screws keep coming loose and everything rattles in the car.

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  Love my 10 SE - 2010 Ford Focus
  By mdmiddleton - August 11 - 11:38 pm

  I know car magazines love to hate this car but I dont get it. Bought my 10 in 11 as a cheap gas saver and ive been very happy with it. The 2.0 4 cylinder isnt crazily fast but it easily keeps up to speed on the highway and averages 34/35 mpg. Id like it to have another gear and be a bit quieter but overall this is a great car for the money. I take it toi the dealer for the recommended 7.5k services and its never cost me more than $45. Ill just keep rolling on...

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  Bad Ford Design - 2007 Ford F-150
  By spedie - August 9 - 4:08 pm

  I bought this truck used in May 2013 with 95K on it, one previous owner. Truck now has 100,3xx on it. I took it to the dealers for the 2 part spark plug problem of which 3 of the 8 broke off. Cost: $674. Then shortly after was pulling away from a stop light. The center bearing went. Found out shortly that truck has "disposable drive shaft" and center bearing cannot be replaced. Cost: $1400. Picked up truck from that repair, only to find out that left front wheel bearing is now bad. Estimated cost will be over $400 IF the rotor is not damaged. I have had truck only 15 months, drove only 5K miles with it. Good maintenance records from 1st owner. BAD truck with a bad design. Dont buy one.

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  update: ecoboost not efficient after break in - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By ak2va - August 8 - 4:50 am

  After putting 20k miles on this vehicle in almost 18 months of owning it I had to trade my Fusion Titanium in. Why? Ecoboost engine is not ready for prime time. On a pure highway trip of 300 miles, utilizing cruise control the entire way, after a recent dealer service (oil change, tire rotation, etc.) I could not break 27 MPG. In 80% city driving, from my granny of a wife, the car averaged 17 MPG and less than 300 miles/tank. On the day I traded it in, a cheap piece of plastic randomly broke off from around the sun visor as I drove onto the dealer lot. I wanted to love this car because of the sexy looks. It just couldnt live up to its promises.

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  Not the best Ive had - 2003 Ford Taurus
  By jmacthethird - August 3 - 4:48 pm

  When I did the research, it seemed the Taurus, might be a good choice. The interior though dated, is nice and the seats are comfy and most creature comforts are there, with a few extras like a power driver side seat. Gas mileage isnt the best at about 26mpg on the highway and about 17mpg in traffic. I did see 28mpg on the highway, but that was only with real gas without the ethanol, which was expected. Everything seemed okay until one day, without warning, the transmission gave out in the middle of highway 441. I had it rebuilt, to the tune of $2700 dollars only for it to go out again exactly 6 months later. This will be the last Ford or Chevy I buy.

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  Terrible Auto-Transmission - 2013 Ford Fiesta
  By chevrolet4ever - July 29 - 8:45 pm

  We have the 2013 ford Fiesta Hatchback titanium, and its a nice looking car... so there are a few problems with this car, at 12000km, the transmission started shuttering, felt like when you shift a manual car too early, now we took it to ford and they did there little quick fix, and it stopped shuttering for a good week, then it was back with a vengance, it got so bad that when you accelerated you might have 0-60 in 9 seconds, or 0-60 in 20 seconds, depending on the cars "mood", so we took it in and with less then 30000 km(18641mi) on it, replaced transmission, clutchplate and clutch, and the shuttering is starting again, a week later. also, Im 511" and i hit my head on the roof.

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  Buy this and your repair shop will know you by name! - 2002 Ford Escape
  By dylywylly - July 27 - 5:06 pm

  I will start with the positives. It really is a fun car to drive, when it is not in the shop. The negatives, it is always in the shop. I bought this car two years ago and from day two it has had problems. It was first something in the 4x4 that was leaking that was a $400 fix. Then came the first oil leak (yes I have had three!) that was another $150 to repair. After that it was something in my front axle that was causing my car to pull like it was out of alignment. New front axle and $600 I though the car was good to go again. After that it was my break line that broke, it left me break-less in a ND winter. And many more! In short dont buy this car! It is yellow, like the lemon it is.

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  Too many things gone wrong - 2005 Ford Escape
  By johnny_canuck - July 24 - 5:02 pm

  Bought in August 2012 with roughly 70k miles, heres what has gone wrong: - one tie rod, other is now in need of replacing - hole in exhaust - fuel pump - spark plugs - front brakes now need replace - transmission is clunking In not even two years, ugh. It cannot handle the 3,500 lbs it says it can, bad mileage, just awful.