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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  Reliability is Horrible - 2000 Ford Windstar
  By Patrick4 - June 29 - 6:23 pm

  We have a 2000 Windstar which we bought new. The transmission has gone out twice (60K and $70K miles). Everything breaks on it. The paint is peeling around all doors and on the roof, the electrical doors locks have broken, and the rear window water spray broke after about 3 months of ownership. My sister had a 2000 as well and the transmission went out on hers also. This is just the beginning of the problems.

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  Ford 500 a disappointment - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By JG - June 29 - 6:06 pm

  A real disappointment inside. Front seats are very uncomfortable. We did a six hour drive with two stops; both of our lower backs were sore. The seats are hard and dont support your lower back correctly. Driver side seat is not in alignment with the steering wheel. Drivers side has no room to extend left leg, passenger side has same problem - cant extend right leg because the front wheel wells are in the way. Very uncomfortable to drive any distance with your legs bent all the time. CVT transmission noisy, has outside wind noise over 50 mph like window open. Steering problems, rear doors at bottom by rear wheel wells paint chipping. Traded in a 2000 Ford Taurus. That was a better car than this 500.

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  Iffy! - 1992 Ford Tempo
  By tom - June 29 - 4:15 pm

  Good vehicle, but Ford could have made better motors for the windows and locks (they went out in 2002).

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  Wont buy another Ford - 1998 Ford Taurus
  By PQD - June 29 - 4:04 pm

  This car (bought new in 1998) has had many things go wrong at a lower mileage than it should, e.g., transmission replaced at 63,000 miles rear brakes at 70,000 front brakes, struts, and a "rotted plug" for the coolant at 87,000 miles (the latter required a major amount of labor, though the part was small). My husband has a 1 year older Honda Accord with about 35,000 more miles on it which has had almost nothing expensive needing replacing. We usually buy cars new, keep them maintained, and drive them until they drop, generally well over 100-150,000 miles. Given how much Ive already spent on this Taurus, I think Ill trade it for a more reliable "foreign" car before anything else goes wrong!

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  review - 2006 Ford Expedition
  By Luka Frankovic - June 29 - 1:24 pm

  Too large side view mirrors create wind noise above 65 MPH. Poor quality of material. Plastic bumpers instead what it used to be. Poor quality of interior material. Steering is not anymore "lady friendly" like it use to be on 97 models. Lack of power(4.6 L/V8-2004 EB ). I drove car for 5 months and traded it for Armada...what a difference. I would not buy/recommend Expedition any more. People do know these days what quality is and sooner FORD leadership figures that out sales will go UP again or else.

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  Decent Reliability/Everything else break - 2001 Ford Taurus
  By Mindi - June 28 - 4:15 pm

  The car has worked for what we needed, but every summer so far something has broken with the air conditioner and had to be repaired (Buy the extended warranty!). My Taurus has to be aligned about every 6-12 months. It is roomy and comfortable and the engine has held up quite well. Im not impressed with the fuel economy. Be sure and get all rebates and dont pay too much for the vehicle and dont count on good trade in value as these vehicles along with most American made ones do not hold their value well at all.

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  I dont know if I ll buy it again - 2004 Ford Thunderbird
  By RNK - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive, lots of power ,poor and cheap finish .Very poor paint finish. Good A/c .Not noisy for conv. Cheap interior finish

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  Buyer Beware! - 2000 Ford Windstar
  By TheWizardOfAhhs - June 25 - 4:00 am

  We bought this van in 2000. Intermittent electrical problems from day one and they could never fix it. Got 4 years and 38,800 miles out of it before the TRANSMISSION WENT OUT! Warranty was 3 years or 36K miles so Ford would not help us with the repair. They didnt disclose this until AFTER milking us for another $250 for them to diagnose that the transmission was out. (The car was towed in). Dealer wanted nearly $5K to replace. Fat chance!. Heck the van is not worth much more than that on the used market. We are in the market for a sedan, but will never buy another Ford Product. if you buy this van, follow dealer maintenance religiously and buy extended warranty.

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  Need more thought into interior design - 2004 Ford Explorer
  By Big Bubba - June 22 - 4:53 pm

  The SUV itself is ok but needs more interior design like A/C ducts under dash and the gear shift handle is in the way to supply air to the driver. The SUV has running boards that serve no purpose.

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  Disappointed owner - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By jeanne morrison - June 19 - 9:03 pm

  I fell in love with Fusion and at first the car delivered style and a great ride. However, after only 4 months the transmission was a problem and I was told the car was not safe to drive. It has been out of commission and on the dealers lot for over 2 weeks with no return date. In all fairness, Ford Motor Co. has been trying to be helpful, but this is a disappointing experience. I bought a new car to have a safe and reliable vehicle and this car wasnt.