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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  Transmission beyond hope - 2006 Ford Explorer
  By fdfinance - March 3 - 10:19 am

  I bought the Explorer new and had a thermostat failure that blew coolant all over the engine warping engine parts resulting in $2500 repair. At 70,000 miles started having transmission issues starting with slipping and high revs between gears. Transmission locked up and was replaced. Since then the same slipping issues has caused multiple returns to the shop without resolution. My wife and I like the Explorer design but the engine / transmissions issues make it a nightmare that I would not wish on anyone. This is my last Ford.

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  Piece of garbage - 2013 Ford Fiesta
  By ihatefordtoo - February 27 - 5:58 pm

  Ford should be ashamed to have their name on the Fiesta. The car from makes very loud grinding noise which the dealer tells me is normal (get used to it), it lurches, it halts and seems to have trouble moving forward from a light, as if the transmission is slipping. If you are on a hill you need to keep one foot on the brake and the other on the gas pedal or you will roll back into the car behind you. I firmly believe the car should be recalled and Ford should own up to their poor design. I will never buy another Ford product!

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  Big Disappointment - 2013 Ford Taurus
  By simba13 - February 17 - 11:20 pm

  I purchased a new 2013 Ford Taurus Limited that had all the bells and whistles at over $40K. I wanted a large sedan and thought the new Taurus would suffice my needs. I know I jumped the gun on my purchase with this Taurus. When I test drove the Taurus is was on smooth roads in the day. The Taurus had a horrid, buckboard ride on uneven pavement, the seats Ford uses now are simply horrible, the Taurus halogen headlights are the worst in the industry! I also found the interior to be small for such a big car. It had a roomy truck though. The center console is ridiculous and the ergonomics are pretty terrible. Car has squeaks and rattles and the headliner is bubbling. Car is now for sale.

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  Shiny Junk - 2013 Ford Focus
  By massiejs09 - February 14 - 11:41 am

  I bought this car brand new in August 2012 after realizing that I had to say goodbye to my beloved 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid which had about 125,000 miles on it (and was still getting 45mpg!). Fast forward to now -- the car has 16,200 miles on it and might be the biggest piece of junk I have ever driven. It handles TERRIBLY in snow (like the worst Ive ever seen). Ive had to have the sunroof fixed cause water was leaking into my car every time it rained, and it shakes and judders for no reason. Lots of road noise, bad acceleration. Just awful. Im trading it in and going back to Honda.

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  Terrible - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By serenatexas - February 6 - 2:00 pm

  I bought a ford fusion in July 3013, Brand new, off the lot. It drove well for the first month then started having problems. I had to have the driver module replaced, the fuel pump replaced twice and every time it gets cold the car breaks down. I got it fixed yesterday, drove it for abou8t 24 hours and it broke down again. It died in an intersection and would not start again. This is the fourth time Ive had this problem. It usually starts up again after trying several times to start it but lately it refuses. I hate this car. Im trading it in for a honda or something and I dont recommend ANYONE to EVER buy [non-permissible content removed] FORD FUSION.

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  Pure [non-permissible content removed] but surprisingly reliable - 1996 Ford Contour
  By levip0721 - January 15 - 6:02 pm

  I bought this car in July 2013 from a friend, Id say less than 24 hours of ownership it overheated, hose blew and split a hose and blew water pump gasket, oil pan leaks now fixed antifreeze leaks with k-seal(does wonders) rear struts are junk, pulls hard right ,poor gas mileage, erratic idle, cant loosen tensioner pulley to replace serpentine belt, THE slowest and least powerful car Ive ever set foot in, my old Buick would blow the doors off this. The only positive thing is its never broke down, only not started once from maf sensor wet, other than that I think about running it into a tree to put this useless excuse of a car out of its misery, also all windows have wiring issues

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  Dangerous Vehicle – do not purchase. - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By hmacks - January 12 - 8:10 pm

  I own three vehicles with over 200K miles my 2010 Fusion has 88K miles and I do not trust it. The first dangerous failure was the throttle body. It failed at 50k miles when I was on a busy four lane freeway - the car lost all power. It could have killed my family but thankfully we coasted off the freeway and found a safe spot to land. Ford knew they had a defective part and refused to recall it. Almost immediately after the throttle body failure the transmission failed. I found out that all the 6F35 transmissions in these vehicles are ALL DOOMED to fail and again Ford is not recalling them. The transmission shop said $2000 and the repair may last 60K miles - stay away!

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  Worst Vehicle Ive Ever Owned!! - 2013 Ford Explorer
  By honestguy - January 9 - 7:48 am

  This is my last Ford. I have had nothing but problems with it over last year! Ford service doesnt know how or cant fix the long list of issues. Pathetic! The navigation doesnt allow anyone to use it while driving, even passenger, and is super complicated. I use my phone now. Hvac is all messed up, locking on hi heat while on max low a/c. Fuel feed hesitates when accelerating so it nearly gets u into accidents when quick acceleration from stop or in traffic needed. Too many other items to list. Please avoid at all costs. I paid for leather and nav $2200 outta pocket as this is company car and I was gonna buy it for wife after 70K miles cheap. After 45K, I just want rid of it! Hate it!!

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  One of my all time least favorite cars - 2013 Ford Escape
  By thorpaj - January 4 - 4:57 pm

  This car has been in my possession for 9 months. I drive a lot of company vehicles and rentals through my job, and this is just not a very good vehicle. It is noisy, does not handle well, has very hard gear shifts at times, absolutely terrible rear view site lines, gets about 22.5 mpg with almost all highway driving (cruise control mostly). For the price get a way better sedan, there really is not all that much more room it he trunk to warrant getting this over a good sedan. Heck I had the fusion hybrid as my previous vehicle and it was great. Oh, one last thing, the acceleration is inadequate, sometimes I need a quick burst for highway driving and there is a dangerous 2 second lag.

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  Worse Vehicle Ever - 2013 Ford Taurus
  By tappleton - January 2 - 10:20 am

  Bought a new Taurus and from day one the sunroof had a lot of wind noise. Dealer said it was normal. First rain, and it leaked, dealer said they all leak a little. Finally put a new one in and it was fixed. Automatic door locking is nice but when a spring popped out and sprang across to the passenger seat, I know this was a trashy car. Terrible blind spots, NOISY as heck on the highway...sounded line the wheel bearings were bad or dry, MySync was AWFUL, and I could go on and on. So I traded it for a new Chrysler 300. Absolutely gorgeous, and not one complaint.