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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  LOW QUALITY - 2004 Ford F-150
  By QUICKYMAN1974 - March 19 - 2:00 am

  3 MECHANICAL BREAKDOWNS IN 1 MONTH.. JUST TERRIBLE QUALITY. 9 DAYS IN THE SHOP. MAYBE A LEMON, MAYBE JUST POOR FORD QUALITY

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  Crappy Ford Windstar - 1995 Ford Windstar
  By u29577 - March 17 - 2:00 am

  This is the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. At least once a year you have to sink major money (over $500) into it to keep it running.

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  Not Worth It! - 1998 Ford Windstar
  By Brannon - March 16 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I reallyw wanted a minivan, but I wish I had known what I was getting myself into. This thing sucks up the gas around town and I feel like Im driving a barge as compared to an automobile. Parking is a nightmare and getting around in heavy traffic is more stress than its worth.

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  my 93 mustang 4 banger - 1993 Ford Mustang
  By foxman11 - March 14 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car and it ran great for about twenty thousand miles. Then all hell broke loose. The transmission went out. Window motors are fryed. Water pump went out. Exhaust snapped in half.Timing belt. Wires. Everything that can go wrong has. The only good thing on this car is the weak engine. It has had very few problems.

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  Escape from Ford, literally - 2002 Ford Escape
  By escapeohio - March 13 - 2:00 am

  The Ford Escape could be a very good vehicle IF Ford had worried about some quality control. Problems:the drivers side mirror vibrates so badly that it has been fixed 4 times, to no avail, the CD changer ate six of my discs, a constant droan from the transmission, the dashboad controls have cracked, numerous rattles and squeeks, the left door window came off track,engine stalled. Also of note is that Fords customer service through dealers is horrible. Everytime I have taken the Escape in for a repair the mechanics have broken something else. I dont receive this poor of service from my other cars manufacturers, BMW and Nissan, respectively.

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  unbelievably unreliable - 1998 Ford Windstar
  By CBrady - March 9 - 2:00 am

  When I was pregnant with our second child we needed a reliable family vehicle. So we decided on a van. I have always driven Ford so we naturally looked to the Windstar. This car has not only been unreliable (requiring numerous trips to the mechanic as soon as a month after we purchased it) it has at times been unsafe to drive. We recently had to replace the transmission and to tell you the truth this space is not large enough to list all the mechanical difficulties weve had. Do yourself a favor dont buy a Windstar.

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  Would not buy again - 2014 Ford Fusion
  By furCL1962 - March 8 - 4:37 am

  The transmission never shifted into Drive properly. There was a delay in shifting then the transmission would slam into Drive. Mechanics said it needed a PCM software update. The PCM and the TCM software was updated and it didnt change anything. This started occurring within one month of vehicle purchase (New). This is a known problem and will eventually lead to a Valve Body Replacement or full transmission rebuild which would be very expensive. There was constant problems with the software. The GPS was often off by several hundred feet. It would show you driving down the road except the GPS line of travel would be off to the left of the actual line of travel. The car often refused to start even with a full battery, constantly acting like it was in remote start mode where the engine is running but the power is off. Except the engine and power would both be off but the car "brain" would think differently. Because many of the systems require power to b in sleep mode, many times the battery would be dead after just a couple of hours sitting. Diagnosing a parasitic drain showed the drain was normal, but the battery that came stock with the car was not enough to stay charged with the parasitic draw that is in fact normal. Battery replacement was mandatory for a new car and should not have been. But it did fix the problem. There are many videos online with people with the same problem with the Fusion and Focus. Sitting still the glass in the sunroof cracked. The temperature was in the 70s and the car was not moving with no trees, other cars or anything else around. It simply cracked. The glass in these roofs is made to shatter. Others have complained about the same problem. This occured within about two months of purchasing the vehicle. As I was told, "It isnt Fords problem". Well it is now since we went back to Kia. After buying three new trucks and three new cars in five years we thought we would give Ford a try since we did like the Fusion Titanium when we test drove. However, that experience with Ford, attitudes in service whenever we brought it in for service and the complete 180 from our experience with Kia had us completely ignore Ford when we were looking for a new car. Bottom line. Thirty seven years of car buying and ovr 20 new cars and 10 new trucks that was our first Ford and it will be our last Ford.

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  SECRET RECALL ON ENGINE - 1995 Ford Taurus
  By Buyers Regret - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Theres a "secret recall" on this engine. In other words, when your head gasket blows, and it probably will, you have to know about the SECRET recall in order to get a dealership to replace the entire engine for free. Ford wont tell you about this you have to find out the way I did -- have the problem, then do research, then inform your dealership. Dont buy this car.

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  First and Last Ford - 2000 Ford Expedition
  By buckwet - March 7 - 2:00 am

  at 58,000 miles my transmission went out and due to the fact that i did not have my transmission fluid replaced at 30,000 miles, the extended warranty that i had purchased through the ford dealerership by a third party company UNITED AUTO CARE, the extended warranty denied my claim. Several qualified sources have indicated to me that not changing the transmission fluid at 58,000 miles will cause this problem. And of course Ford washes their hands of the problem.

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  4.6 Liter 8 cyl Eddie Bauer - 2002 Ford Explorer
  By CJP - March 5 - 2:00 am

  Foggy windows every time it rains (very poor climate control). Third row seat means a sloped cargo floor. Heavy items fall out to the ground when you open the liftgate - watch your feet! No separate fog light switch - you cant use fog lights when using the auto lamp feature. Auto lamps only stay on for 20 sec after vehicle is shut off. Heated seats turn off after 10 minutes. Cheap plastics used throughout interior. Screeching noise from instrument cluster area. Ford is still scratching their head over that one.