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:

• 

  Ford Focus Wagons R Zippy with Lots o Room! - 2001 Ford Focus
  By The Gainester - March 11 - 9:15 pm

  Ive owned my used Ford Focus wagon for about 6 months and thoroughly enjoy it. I only have two quibbles with it. First, the unemovable bar that divides the far rear part of the cargo area from the front rear part is irritating. The helpful rear canopy is stored in this bar, but my two dogs have to wriggle under it to navigate the cargo area. Also, there is room for three people in the back seat, but there is only one cup holder built into the rear area. Ive also been told that people in the middle of the back seat feel like theyre riding on a hump. Also, Im 53 and found that many seats were not high enough for me, but the Focus seat goes up or down with a crank. Im satisfied.

• 

  Super SAFE in Snow! - 2005 Ford Escape
  By jenny - March 11 - 9:00 pm

  Ive had my Escape AWD for just over a year and have almost 50k miles on it. I love it. It might not be fancy, but it is safe and reliable in just about any situation I come across, from curb jumping in the city to icy rural highways. It has never slipped on me in the snow--I laugh when I see jJeeps sliding off the side of the road and I am still chugging along! Plenty of power to pass going up steep mountains.

• 

  Drivin this 1 til bottom falls out! - 1996 Ford Explorer
  By LoveMySUV - March 11 - 11:56 am

  Original owner, love this vehicle. I will cry the day I have to get rid of it. Ive had NO issues, repairs, etc. other than regular maintenance or the occasional cracked radiator hose or seal deterioration (at 10 years old, this is expected). In attempts to improve gas mileage, I added K&N air filter, open cat-back exhaust with 2" pipe, and performance spark plugs, boosting from Std 160 HP to about 180. The occasional tow of 750-1000 lbs. and the random off-road experiences make this a fun ride. It turns 180 on a dime, Ive seen no other car make turns like this one. Ive never managed to get the EPA fuel rating, and this, to be honest is the only problem I have, with 14/17 mpg city/hwy.

• 

  LX Ford Vic Sport - 2005 Ford Crown Victoria
  By Killybight - March 11 - 12:36 am

  Love this car. Just did a 5000 mile trip, no problems. Love the smooth shift of the transmission. Good power. With the floor shift it is very easy to downshift to use the engine for braking. CD/am/fm/cassete player sound options. Auto-Set option on AM/FM Radio is nice on long trips. (Tunes in 6 strongest stations automatically)

• 

  Its all right - 1998 Ford Contour
  By rrice8755 - March 10 - 11:43 pm

  I bought my Contour 3 months ago and i runs pretty well but in the winter time its a piece of junk. The VSS went out on me that was only real big thing that went on me.

• 

  1998 Expedition XLT - 1998 Ford Expedition
  By millerford - March 10 - 8:16 pm

  This suv is a great starter vehicle. This is the first vehicle I have ever purchased and being new to the driving world, being brought in with a 1998 Ford Expedition was the best way to enter. I have owned my Expo for a few months and its been nothing but a joy. Even with the Triton 4.6 V-8 it still gets the job done and well I might add. I can haul all my friends around and not fret about their safety because this thing is so large. I have nothing but positive things to say about Ford and my truck. The only thing that doesnt work on my truck is the 6-disk CD changer due to a bad reader. Hmmm, this is a feature GM didnt offer back in 98 go figure, theyre always behind on everything.

• 

  good crosscountry - 2004 Ford Ranger
  By adamcolorado - March 10 - 7:12 pm

  I bought this truck in Tampa Florida and drove it to Atlanta every weekend for six months, I now live in Denver, co. and have driven back to Atlanta twice. No problems yet and it towed a eight foot U-Haul loaded down along with the truck bed loaded down at 75 mph across the country no problem. It is a little sluggish at altitude from 7000ft and higher. Does really well in deep snow for a two wheel drive truck, and the heater is great!

• 

  Flagship of the Junkyard - 2016 Ford F-150
  By Dan the former Ford owner - March 10 - 6:03 pm

  As the Flagship product for Ford, all I can say is: RUN AWAY! I have owned this truck for less than three months and have already seen my dealer service center more times than I have my barber, my grocer, and my reverend, combined! The truck is a mechanical and technological nightmare. Well start with the least-offensive items first and build from there. On day two, the tire monitor started going off. Seeing it down to 27 psi, I pulled in to the local tire store right off the road (later would find out that Ford would have preferred I drive it to a dealer--apparently they dont mind driving on rims and shredding tires). The teenager at the store told me that the tire simply hadnt been "sealed all the way around". 30 minutes and $22 later, back on the road. A week or so later, the dashboard console screens went out. After restarting the car, back on they came. So, I have the equivalent of Windows 10 in my truck--just reboot at the blue screen, I thought. Then, mid-May the same console issue happened again, except this time I also lost the engine gauges (oil pressure, trans. temp). While driving the car home (a Sunday), the radio came back on, but it was tuned to 87.5 (not a station in Minnesota) at about 28 out of 30 volume. None of the buttons work on the consoles, and none of the screens are available either. So, there I am driving down the highway with all of the windows down to drown out the white-noise of the radio. I proceed to log in to the SYNC website (thinking its a SYNC problem). The wonderful call center specialist actually had me call the SYNC 800-number and walked me through a manual update of the SYNC software from a USB drive. She was a delight to work with, and one of the few positive highlights through this process. The SYNC update worked...for about 4 weeks. Then, the F150 world went black again. The dealer tried to help and performed a software update. Ford has since claimed that they cannot replace any relays or controller modules because, "the systems are not throwing off codes. Well, go on Youtube and search around for F150 console issues, and youll find plenty of recent issues like this. The best part--Ford has claimed that the SYNC group is not really part of Ford, and they cant pull the records of my chat session or phone calls in May. Now, its no secret that Ford is running away from the SYNC platform as fast as it can, but its nice to see theyre tossing their customers into the tailwind too--no concern at all. At this stage, I get the equivalent of jingling a few wires together to reset things; Ford wont authorize any repairs because the Code Fairy has yet to swoop down and convince Ford corporate that there is a problem. The dealer even took pictures of the malfunctioning dashboard--Ford disregarded it; good to see they really believe their service teams! The icing on this junk cake? In the midst of all of this, the turbo charger relief valve on the Ecoboost charger went out in mid-June. No warning lights or anything, just a hissing/pop sound like an old steam vent. I find out after driving my car home that drivers shouldnt go over 50 miles an hour with the relief valve out because it can damage the turbo...and the fuel injectors! Glad to see the Ford engineers put all kinds of concerns into the tail pipe emissions (the dash goes off like a Christmas tree when theres condensation in the tailpipe), but problems with a major engine component--we dont need to warn drivers about that... I know that every manufacturer turns out the occasional dud. Issues can happen. What burns me about this is that Ford has over-engineered a vehicle platform to the point of being unusable. Then, they make no effort to actually REPAIR the problems (just unhooking the battery cables for 10 mins. is not a repair). Heck, the service managers told me they wouldnt tow anything with it because, if the console goes out, you lose the towing control functions and the gauges needed for towing. Its an FX4 off-road model for pitys sake--thats what it was built to do! Ford has walked away on a loyal customer (leasing Fords for over 20 years). I have already turned two potential customers away from Ford, and I will do so as long as I walk this earth. Next weekend Im leasing a Nissan and putting the F150 in my garage until my lease is up (in 33 mos.). Ive got two words for the folks at Ford: Pontiac & Oldsmobile; nobody thought theyd go away either.

• 

  2002 Ford Explorer - 2002 Ford Explorer
  By 2002 Ford Explorer - March 10 - 5:23 pm

  Traded 2007 Mustang GT for a 2002 Ford Explorer. I live in Kansas so I need a SUV for the snow! I am really amazed by the Eddie Bauer 4x4!

• 

  Great Van Overall - 2006 Ford Freestar
  By Tom - March 10 - 4:38 pm

  I love the optional audio with the separate source selection. As with other reviews, rear seats need about 1.5 inches additional height. More drivers knee room and the tow package without hitch....well thats probably a Ford marketing problem. Love mine, lots of power. look forward to hooking up my 200lb camper and pulling with it. PS I owed a 95 Windstar as well.