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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  No Focus - 2001 Ford Focus
  By tinkeredout - August 3 - 7:39 pm

  Do your self a big favor and buy something else. This car (if you could call it that, should be yellow). I have been a mechanic for more than 28 years. This car is not built to last more than 50k.

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  FORD FREESTYLE IS A PIECE OF JUNK - 2005 Ford Freestyle
  By trishaiam1 - July 21 - 10:56 am

  Purchased this car from a auction 6 months ago. The freestyle has a smooth ride but not kid friendly at all. Easy to get dirty. Ive had transmission problems since. I took it to a transmission mechanic and he said he just replaced one 6 months earlier and the lowest transmission he found was 3k used, a new one is 6k. Ive emailed Ford because I am driving a Ford and not a Lexus. If I could afford a transmission that cost 3 or 6k I wouldve bought a Lexus. Ive emailed Ford and Dan responded that hes glad I purchased the freestyle, sorry for my problems and good luck. So they are not standing behind their junk....Im stuck with a piece of JUNK. Please dont buy this car.

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  Horrible Car - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By fiestaflop - May 10 - 7:05 am

  Why are there no reviews of this vehicle since July 2011?? Why does nearly every post mention significant problems with the vehicles transmission, including complete replacement in less than 5,000 miles yet all the reviews give the car 3 stars?? Overal rating 4 stars?? I bought this car for my 18 year old daughter. Ford has already replaced the transmission once for the same issues being reported by many other owners. Now they are trying to say the grinding noizses and extremely rough shifting is "normal". Do not buy this car.

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  FORD FOUND ON ROAD DEAD LITERALLY!!!!! - 2000 Ford Contour
  By countourhater - March 6 - 10:27 pm

  What bad things can I not say about this car. I bought this car for almost $10,000 in 2008 with only 86000 miles. Within a matter or weeks of buying this car my spark plug popped out of the engine. It didnt stop there. Less than a year later my head gasket blew 100miles away from my home and luckly drove back but ate gas up all the way home. I had 3 wheel bearings replace. The car died right in the middle of the road beccause the Transmission died while in Drive. The starter died. Fuel pump died in a parking lot. A hose deteriated and made the car stall out. This car has cost me an arm and a leg for the loan but mostly in the cost of repairs. All theses probs occured b4 car could reach 150K

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  Ticking Bomb. Avoid !!! - 1997 Ford Escort
  By madcarpenter - March 1 - 1:52 pm

  Our 97 Escort, 2.0 SPI engine recently succumbed at 121k miles to the well known, dreaded Dropped #4 Valve Seat fatal engine defect particular to this poorly designed powerplant. ALL 97-04 Ford vehicles using this engine are at risk of this happening as they approach 100k miles. Most consumer reviews of this problem claim it happened abruptly between 100k and 130k. It even afflicts vehicles that have been meticulously maintained by their owners! The steel valve seats pressed into the aluminum head of these engines expand and contract at different rates, eventually loosening. WHEN (not if) this happens, its like dropping a grenade into your engine! Google it! Shame on you, Ford!!!

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  garbage - 2001 Ford Ranger
  By j433r - January 30 - 5:31 pm

  this truck is absolutely awful, everytime i drive it there is something breaking on it. Just got the heater valve repaired along with all the ball joints when i noticed a hole in my vacuum and also a strange loud creaking sound coming from my front wheels. Truck is very prone to rust, and should be checked thoroughly before purchase. Not to mention, very low cosmetic appeal when compared to tacoma or frontier. Suspension is very stiff and leads to a very uncomfortable ride Also horrible on gas. Just plain a nightmare like experience, I will never buy a ranger ever again in my lifetime, or simply any American made vehicle. My uncle just hit 320xxx in his toyota which is a real truck.

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  Ford KNOWS the transmission SUCKS! - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By glowmomnmy - December 30 - 9:54 pm

  This is a dangerous, nightmarish, horrid and horrible vehicle. Broke down yesterday in the middle of a major highway intersection- slipped out of gear and would not get back in gear. Took 20 minutes and a lot of praying to pull it off the road. Its in the shop AGAIN- just had to replace the tranny less than 2 years ago at less than 60k miles and replaced cam shaft sensor as well just a year ago. There is a class action lawsuit out because of the trannys- but like most of my fellow co-owners, who among us has the $$$ to get the lawyers Ford has at its beck-and-call. There was no warning- just accelerated through intersection and it stopped- the motor was still on, but no gear! SCARY!!!

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  Transmission problems! - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By daveglo - November 13 - 9:39 pm

  Buyers beware! This model year of Ford Fusion has had many, many transmission problems, and I can not recommend this vehicle. Im a lifelong Ford owner, and would normally stand up for them, but this machine has been extremely disappointing. The dealership has done the repairs as recommended by Ford, but its never going to be enough until they re-design the transmission. The transmission started slipping before 20K miles, and would slip bad enough to drop a gear when accelerating at highway speed. It completely disengaged once while at normal highway speeds, and had to coast to the shoulder and "re-boot" the car (its all electronic controls) to get it back to shop. Do not buy!

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  subframe failure - 1992 Ford Taurus
  By phtann - October 25 - 1:20 pm

  Car was overall a decient car for $100.00, however the subframe rusted out at the rear passenger side mount and the subframe dropped out luckly just after exiting the interstate. No Im not embelishing this story, its all true!! After finding out there was a safety recall on this car from ford and the National Highway Safety Association. I contacted Ford and was told they would NOTY do anything to help me because of the age of the vehicle. I was also told not to contact them again. i know i only paid $100.00 for the car but I put plenty more into it which I was not able to recover via driving it. The car went to salvage with all the new parts i installed which i got $50.00 after towing.

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  Recent Purchase, WARNING DO NOT BUY! - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By amcrowe - October 24 - 3:50 am

  While driving home, my driver side window quit working. The buttons on my radio quit working, although it randomly kept trying to reprogram "preset 2". Finally, at 65mph on a busy road, I rapidly lost all acceleration. Almost exactly like many of you have explained with the erratic RPM. I flushed the transmission fluid, hoped that it was a fluke. Fixed a loose connection on the driver side door, got the window working again. The radio was still acting up, but feeling confident I hopped into my ‘NEW’ van only to have it NOT START AT ALL. [violative content deleted]