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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  Dont make a mistake! - 2002 Ford Explorer
  By Mom of 2 boys - October 22 - 5:53 pm

  We bought our 02 Explorer used in 04, thinking that since we were buying from a Ford dealer, we would have Ford standing behind its product. Wrong. The car looks good, but it is a piece of junk. The rear differential has been fixed twice already (at $1000 a pop), and it still has the roaring coming from the rear end that these 02 Explorers have become famous for. Ford really should issue a recall about this. If you do your research, youll find so many owners with this same problem, and Ford wont fix it. They are simply interested in selling their cars, not having great customer service afterwards. Sorry to say, were among the legions who have now sworn off Fords forever.

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  Its costing me now - 2001 Ford Focus
  By laura4953 - October 22 - 3:31 pm

  This was the first car I ever bought. I researched it and got a fairly decent deal. However Ive had a lot of mechanical problems with it. It was at the dealer for a week cause it wouldnt start. And more recently it hss taken to not starting and sporadically stalling. I took it to 1 dealer and they claimed the stalling was from a faulty fuel pump and fixed it under warranty. Two weeks later it was still stalling and I took it to another dealer, because I moved, and its been there for over a month and they have no clue whats wrong with it. A real mind boggler they said. Ive spent a fortune in rental and repairs and its still broken. All I can say is Im never buying Ford again!

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  Poor transmission - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By menchaca - October 21 - 1:05 am

  bought with less than 30,000 miles. pervious owner had great record keeping on maintenance. Almost immediately started noticing weird things with transmission. It is very hazardous. Had a few close calls with car not speeding up when turning onto roads. It is mainly acceleration problems. Would not buy this or Taurus model in the future. Probably not any ford model. Ran into other owners with exact problem same problem.

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  My kids hate this car! Mom loves it! - 1997 Ford Escort
  By LKB - October 20 - 12:28 pm

  This car has been very very loyal to me. Great gas mileage and very few repairs. I have driven it for 6.5 years and it has proven to be very reliable. Its not a pretty car my kids dont want to be seen in it. I told them theyll be begging my to drive it when they get their licenses I would have done backflips at 16 if this was my car. But I wont review the cars I had to drive with the rusted floorboards. It is great for a small person with 1 or 2 kids nothing fancy and you do get plenty of road noise -- so turn up the radio!

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  Worst Car Ever. Avoid this vihicle. - 2000 Ford Focus
  By Triumph - October 16 - 10:00 am

  This is the most recalled vehicle in history. I get about a recall a month on this piece of junk. The rear wheel bearings have been replaced twice. The ingnition lock has siezed up twice. Each time, the key would not even go into the ingintion. I found 30 pages of people on the internet who have had the same problem, yet Ford refuses to issue yet another recall to fix it for free, and felt just great about charging me $500 to fix the ignition. Now the water pump has developed a leak. All of this in less than 4 years.

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  Why I will go back to buying Hondas - 1996 Ford Taurus
  By Ira - October 8 - 9:09 pm

  My first mistake was selling my 1991 Honda Accord because I got a great deal on this new Taurus. The car has been great if you are into high maintenance. Lets see: two transmissions, numerous electrical and brake problems, a few starters, a/c heat problems, fuel problems ... you name it and its broken.

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  I hate Fords - 1992 Ford Taurus
  By Melissa - October 6 - 8:43 pm

  I bought this car in 2001. The first 2 years or so this car was good. After that everything went wrong. I bought this car for $2000 and now itÂ’s not even worth $500 probably. I have put over $1000 in this car in the past 2 months just to make the car run, not anything luxury. The radiator, water pump, fuel pump, computer, and pulley all went bad and a period of 1-2 months. I have probably been able to have the car about 2 weeks out of the past 2 months because this car is always in the shop. In fact I just got the car out of the shop about a week ago and it broke down on me again the SAME day. It went right back into the shop. This car is costing me more to fix it then I paid for the thing.

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  Piece of junk - 2000 Ford Windstar
  By Shelly M. - October 6 - 7:56 pm

  I purchased my 2000 Windstar used in 2003 and it has been nothing but trouble from day one. I have had to replace the breaks at least twice a year sometimes every 3 to 4 months. In 2/05 I had to put a new engine in it and 10/05 the engine blew again and the transmission also went out. The sad thing is that I owe too much on it to just let it go. I have a vehicle that I have to pay for every month and cant drive it! I love throwing away my money on something that is not reliable at all! I have had numerous problems with the power windows and locks. Ford needs to back its products better. Money down the drain!

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  Fix the bugs - 2006 Ford Five Hundred
  By Johnnyrama - October 3 - 6:23 pm

  I really like my Ford 500 limited. I enjoy the way you sit up high with a good view. Its a big roomy, safe feeling car, with a massive trunk. Ive had mine in the shop for repairs several times over the rear brakes. They had to be replaced at 20,000 miles the 1st time, and they are still noisy, like metal to metal at times.Ive had the motor in the drivers side electric window replaced, the dash compartment lid got bubbles in it and had to be replaced, my seat heater for drivers seat had to be replaced, Ive had the trunk looked at( hard to open), and now my radio, CD, clock, is not working, back to the shop.

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  Expensive to repair - 2000 Ford Windstar
  By tony - October 3 - 6:20 pm

  We bought ours used with 36,000 miles on it. We have had it almost 4 years and have driven an additional 24,000 and have been fairly satisfied with it, until now. We had small drips in our driveway, so we took it in to the local Ford dealer. Turns out that it needs a new rack & pinion and a transmission rebuild. Apparently you have to take the engine completely out to get the transmission out. Our extended warranty ran out in June. Total repair cost $4,000. We have had some annoying electrical problems (power locks). Dont lose the transponder key ... its over $100 to program a new one.