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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  Too many glitches...... - 1998 Ford Expedition
  By jmurray - August 25 - 2:00 am

  Bought Jumbo w/30k as it came off of Ford Exec lease program. Nice looking EB version. Good thing I got the extended warantee program 6ys/75k as the car has had fairly continual electric and mechanical problems (starter, engine mgmt system, rear wiper motor, etc....) Wife wont drive it anymore as shes been towed to the dealer 2 times. Jumbo currently is running rough and has the check engine light lit and the airbag failure light on, so into the shop we go manana. Might need to sell before winter. Not considering another Expedition. Nice concept, poor delivery. Dealers not too helpful either.

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  Dont Make the Same Mistake! - 1995 Ford Contour
  By zippy78 - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Overall, a terrible, TERRIBLE car...in only 2 years/24,000 miles of ownership, it had a plethora of problems...mostly suspension related. Then the auotmatic tranny blew at 65K...1K miles after the extended warranty expired. Wound up doing battle with Ford on this repair. Ford didnt want to budge, but with the help of my states attorney generals office, I managed to get a $1,000 settlement. Three weeks after it was fixed this lemon was gone...traded it in 99 and havent looked back since.

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  Bad luck-truck - 1999 Ford Ranger
  By Ford Ranger Owner - August 16 - 10:00 am

  Recalls, recalls, and more recalls. Poor accelleration, problems with clutch, tinkling noise while driving, howling noise while going into 1st, squeeling while starting (pully coming loose), front tire rubbing on controller arm, probs w/ cruise cntrl, bad tires, wiper motor, water pump...the list goes on. Most of all we had problems with Ford dealerships being able to diagnose any of our problems. They always seem to have an excuse for every noise..."oh that loud noise is normal" or "we hear it but it isnt anything important."

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  Beautiful Dangerous Lemon - 2002 Ford Windstar
  By chipmcd - August 16 - 2:00 am

  Ive had numerous problems with this van. Engine/Trans noises and clunking. What scares me about this is the doors come open when driving and then when you pull over they will not let you shut them. This has been worked on 7 times including the final repair under the lemon law. Many reports of this have been reported to NHTSA. Im now suig Ford for replacement under the law.

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  Avoid this car at all cost! - 1992 Ford Tempo
  By chris schath - August 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car from my aunt for $500 dollars, it was in exceptional condition inside and out, and it was the worst purchase I ever made. The Tempo left me high and dry many a time with such repairs and replacements in its relatively short existence as Head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, the entire ignition system(Starter, sylenoid, battery) TWICE, water pump, radiator, fan(twice) thermostat(twice) temp sensor, brakes(3 times), The harmonic balancer(which requires the removal of the engine) TWICE,the lens on my turn signal fell off and I glued it back on, then I said "to hell with this" when the tranny started shimmying and sold it.:)

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  Probe = Problem - 1992 Ford Probe
  By Wei - August 13 - 2:00 am

  owned it for two years and spent $2500 on it without fixing burning oil problem.

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  Bad Bad Bad Bad transmission - 1997 Ford Taurus
  By do_not_buy_ford - August 13 - 2:00 am

  My Taurus is about 60000 miles and 5 years, the only owner. I replaced a new transmission just after the warranty (only about 40000 miles), and got "Service engine soon" lighe on 3 times now.

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  Needs work - 2004 Ford F-150
  By applanice1 man2 - August 12 - 2:00 am

  brakes noisey,dealer wont fix, dash noisey,dealer tired to fix,ulgy rims, blackwall tires,gas hog

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  BAD ROTORS - 2004 Ford F-150
  By swampdog - August 11 - 11:23 am

  My truck has 4000 miles and rotors are already scarred. I guess everytime I change the oil I will have to do a brake job. I also have problems with a/c and radio. Whats next? If you are thinking about buying or already have a new truck CHECK THE ROTORS! The dealer or ford will not fix they said thats normal wear. I wiil not buy a ford anything again.

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  AC Failure in less than a year In Hot Miami summer - 2016 Ford Mustang
  By Li - August 9 - 11:00 am

  My wife bought the Ecoboost Premium version of the 2016 Mustang as her everyday commute car. First few month, everything was perfect. The car drives great and have good responsive handling. And acceleration when fully step on the pedal is just fun. But when the nightmare comes, one hot summer morning, the AC started to act really strange. It is blowing hot air on driver side, and warm air on the passenger side. Took it to dealer to fix... It took couple days for them to finish replacing the Evaporator (Thats what they said was failed.) Have to go through the hassle of driving to another location for a rental car, as the dealer does not have any loaners on the lot, which wasted us a lot of times and ordination. Then it come back to us, and worked for another 2 or 3 month. Then suddenly last week, AC started to blow hot air again... We took it to dealer AGAIN and this time it took them 3 days to fix, and they told us the problem was the Evaporator AGAIN... Well thank god this car is only a 2 year lease. And after the lease end we are seriously considering other alternatives.. Ford AC tends to fail fairly quickly as my wifes previous car -- A 2004 Ford Mustang had AC failure after only 60000 miles of driving. The AC problem absolutely kills the joy of driving this otherwise very fun machine.