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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  practical sports car - 2003 Ford Escort
  By crash86 - November 17 - 4:31 pm

  i purchased this car for $6500 with around 23000 miles, 5speed, the whole package. accelerates and turns very well. a lil rough but its a small car so no surprise there.

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  Good Family Hauler, Bad Transmission - 2001 Ford Expedition
  By boomer99 - November 17 - 1:05 pm

  We took delivery of our 2001 Expedition Eddie Bauer 4WD in December of 2000. We have four kids and a big dog so the room was great. We expected the mileage to be a few mpg higher but we average around 13 with about half city and half highway. Nice ride on smooth roads but somewhat of a wallowing pig over any type of bump or undulating road. Corners with a lot of body lean as you would expect from a vehicle with such a high center of gravity and a suspension that is a little soft for a big SUV. Some cheap interior materials. Our only complaint was a failed transmission at 35,700 miles that was not covered under warranty due to the vehicle being over 3 years old. $3000 bill was a shock!

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  2nd van in 5 months - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By Bob Folger - November 15 - 12:03 pm

  I have three young kids and rely heavily on the automatic doors and the seating for my kids to be able to get in and out of. The first two months of ownership we had repeated automatic door issues! It would open on its own, or not close when the button was pushed etc... The electronics on this vehicle I beleive are poor! The couple of months our van was in the shop more than at our house. Finally Ford broke down and gave us another van! I am writing this review because the problem just started again on the other psgr. door. We are on our way in to get a loaner. I am very surprised to see the high reviews of others but encouraged that maybe the two lemons that I got are just a fluke.

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  Fords quality issues continue - 2002 Ford Focus
  By fcsdrvr - November 14 - 10:00 am

  I had hoped by giving Ford a couple of years to get it right they would address there quality issues. I will not buy a another Ford product unless there is >30% price advantage over competing vehicles. If you buy your vehicle get a Civic at least it is still worth something after 3 years. When are they going to learn that without producing quality products the consumer will not return.

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  Whining noise in rear end - 2004 Ford Explorer
  By babergy - November 14 - 10:00 am

  I purchase my Explorer on 3/8/2004. At just 2100 miles, I developed a high pitch whining noise in the rear of the vehicle. I returned to dealer no 3/29/2004 to have them check the problem. They told me that this a known problem, that Ford is working on a redesign of the rear end. HOWEVER, there is no fix at this time and ask ME to call them back in a month. I called Ford Customer Service. They told me the same thing the dealer did and also that Ford does not consider this a safety issue, that there WILL NOT BE A RECALL ISSUED for this problem. As of today, April 14,2004, my Explorer is still NOT repaired and the noise is getting louder!

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  Glad I bought the extended warranty - 2002 Ford Escape
  By Mike Zac - November 13 - 1:32 am

  Ok, its a great little SUV. Quick and peppy. But I am putting my $1500 extended warranty to use! In the last year I have replaced the master cylinder, the torque converter, the oil oan and gasket, a burned up exhaust valve, front brakes and rotors (twice!) and have it in now to replace the timing belt cover. It is dripping oil on the exhaust manifold and I am afraid I will be roadside BBQ soon. My warranty company has shelled about $5000 on the fixes so far!

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  disappointing fuel economy - 2004 Ford Focus
  By jim worcester - November 11 - 9:02 am

  Although we have only put on 6900 miles so far, I am disappointed with the fuel economy (5 speed manual). Much of our driving is rural and we are seeing generally slightly less than 30mpg. We are still driving our 1995 Ford Escort Wagon 5 speed manual with 220000 miles that is still getting close to 40mpg (summer). Owners manual said to wait until after about 5000 miles to check mpg, which we have and still hasnt improved.

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  Design flaws apparent - 2002 Ford Explorer
  By Ravenayr - November 10 - 4:36 am

  At 2 months we replaced the CD player which quit, then it was the ignition fell out of the steering column onto the floor, the master control for the power windows on the driver side caught fire, and the transmission and various sensors gone at 46000 miles, very disappointed in the overall reliability of this vehicle rearend and bearing are next and this vehicle though equipped for towing has never towed a thing, all miles are highway with some mountain driving which it did not handle in Rocky Mtns in summer, quit for lean fuel mix.

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  No more aluminum - 2016 Ford F-150
  By Texas Exes - November 7 - 6:00 am

  What should have been just a scrape turned into a major body repair. My son was parking this large truck in tight spaces at his college parking garage. While making a turn he scraped a concrete column. With most cars (certainly trucks) this would have been an ugly scrape - probably would require repairs for cosmetic reasons. However the aluminum body literally tore open around the rear door handle. The side of the truck bed literally buckled. I expect, with the typical steel body truck he could have driven around with an ugly scrape until not taking classes and convenient to repair. Now we have to get it fixed asap to avoid water getting in through the gash in the body, etc. After less than 500 miles the windshield washer pump stopped working. The service people were helpful enough to take it in on a Saturday and replace the pump at no charge or deductible. The auto stop/start also stopped working. I dont think its needed so much, but I need to get it diagnosed to make sure there is not some issue with the electronics. The dash display says "vehicle is charging". With less than 1,000 miles on the truck not so happy with having to schedule repairs and dealer appointments.

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  Disappointed - 2003 Ford Escape
  By Big White - November 5 - 5:41 pm

  Im very disappointed. I Have 13000 miles and had to have my transmission replaced. Ford would not replace with a new one so on a 1yr old car I now have a rebuilt transmission. The service I received from the dealership was the worst experiance Ive ever had. This is the second time Ive had it in for stalling reasons. I will never buy another Ford car. I DO NOT feel confident driving this SUV.