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:

• 

  Another Radiator Issue - 2006 Ford Explorer
  By spanora - October 8 - 6:03 pm

  I purchased this vehicle at 35k miles. At 40k miles (4 months later) the radiator, thermostat and thermostat housing went bad. $1300 later I was on my way. At 55k miles, after owning the car for 16 months, the enginge had a blown head gasket. At 85k miles, the radiator, thermostat and thermostat housing are bad again. Definitely not something that should go bad again so soon. Well see how long radiator #3 lasts!

• 

  Steering Knock - 2012 Ford Fiesta
  By 100peter - October 8 - 2:04 pm

  I have a Fiesta Zetec with a 1.4 TCI engine. I have had this car since 2010 and until early this year I have had no problems. A knock started to appear when I turned the steering in either direction. The vehicle was taken to both a Ford garage and an indepndent garage but despite changing the tie bar links the knock was still present, and after the vehicle had been lifted off its wheels the knock was more excessive. I discovered the cause of the problem and have informed both garages of what I had discovered. By unlocking the steering wheen height adjuster and lowering the steering wheel by a very small amount (5mm) the knock has been resolved.

• 

  Love my Expedition xlt - 2004 Ford Expedition
  By scotthe - October 8 - 11:12 am

  We have reached 154000 miles now . This SUV has been almost flawless . It has been reliable not to have left us ever stranded . We have a 6 year old Daughter with special needs and now on hospice care. When we needed it for emergencys,trips to the hospitals 100 miles away 2 times a week . Run fast and hard at times of emergency to get her to hospital fast to save her life . Not one problem with the Expedtion . Hopefully the right people will read this who might have the same situation as mine and buy this great built suv. Thank you Ford !

• 

  Amazing Truck, Why Ford stopped making them for Americans I dont know... - 1993 Ford Ranger
  By countrydriven - October 8 - 1:40 am

  I purchased this vehicle as my 1st the summer of last year. The truck itself is truly one of a kind (rare with 4x4, automatic, flare-side & 3.0) and I was really amazed when it popped up at a dealer a mile from home. Initially there were a host of issues but Fords engineering made the problems easy to fix. The previous owner had installed the rear shoes out of order causing the truck to not have rear brakes or emergency brakes. This also warped the front brakes in the process. Because of these issues I was able to haggle the truck down to 3200$. The brake job cost me 80$ for everything via rockauto and a tune up was another 80$ too. Truck has 220k miles, on org. Eng&trans w/10k on tune/brak

• 

  Ruby Red beauty - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By rodendo - October 5 - 4:48 pm

  Not sure all the negative reviews arent jealous Chevy owners. I bought my 1.6 liter SE in July and immediately took a 2000 mile road trip which was a delightful ride. The Fusions styling inside and out is second to none in its class. One recall recently which took a few hours, but my dealer gave me a loaner so no big deal. This is my second Fusion (traded a 2009 SEL with 75,000 miles and never in the shop for anything but routine servicing) and I know there will be a third in a few years.

• 

  no problems - 2013 Ford Escape
  By pajake40 - October 4 - 12:51 pm

  I havent had a single problem yet and bought it in march.this is my first ford ever and im pleased so far

• 

  Seriously?? A Focus? - 2011 Ford Focus
  By stevekc - October 4 - 4:24 am

  I have had this car for about 5 months now. I really did not want to post a review so soon but I also did not want to wait until the car was completely irrelevant....At first my mind was so set on this Volvo S80 that I did not even want to test drive a Focus, they always seemed like a "starter" car that was short on features, esp to someone accustomed to BMWs & Lincolns. But I am an open minded car guy and the Volvo turned out to be a real POS. If nothing else I just wanted to scratch the Focus off the list. I liked it but wasnt sold until I drove a couple of other cars including a Fusion and a Mercury Milan, which was super nice but the trans had a hard clunk when downshifting from 2 to 1

• 

  Loretta - 1998 Ford Escort
  By tbone0822 - October 4 - 4:11 am

  After having this car for a couple of years, we decided she deserved a name, Loretta. We bought her when she was already 12 years old but she only had 63,000 miles on her. Now shes got almost 150,000 and still going strong. The fuel pump has been replaced and a couple of other things, but shes never left me stranded. All of those were things that I needed to do, but she gave me the time to save the money and never quit on me. We love this car. She is now being passed down to my daughter who loves her just as much as I do.

• 

  Traction Control they say - 2013 Ford Focus
  By why_did_i - October 3 - 3:13 pm

  In July purchased a new 2013 Focus standard transmission. I commute 200 KMs daily and when the car was at 1600 KM I heard a clunk while on the HWY in 5th gear doing over 100 KM an hour. The car would not accelerate over 80 KM, the dealer looked it over and said nothing is wrong. A few weeks later sitting on the HWY stopped behind other vehicles and tried to accelerate into the right lane. The car chugged and almost stalled, this has happen a few times. I have an open CSR with Ford and they told me to leave the car with them for the week. I was told they couldnt find anything so I took a mechanic out for a drive. The issue happened, I am told this is normal traction control stop the C

• 

  Love my new ford explorer! - 2014 Ford Explorer
  By momforddriver - October 2 - 3:42 pm

  Why did I wait so long to trade in my 2003 Ford explorer for the new 2014 ford explorer limited! I test drove the limited, awd & 4 cyl. ecoboost plus th xlt & sport. Of all of them, the limited offers the most comfort & advanced options I was looking for. This truck rides so much more car like than my last explorer. Additionally, I like the pickup from the regular 3.5L 6 cylinder engine on the limited vs. the ecoboost 2.0L 4 cylinder. I think a 4 cyl. is good for a car, but not an suv. I recently took a carload of teenagers in my limited and it handled beautifully with the "extra weight" in the car. I dont think the 4 cyl. could have handled that.