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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  Lemon - Ford doesnt fix customer complaints - 2011 Ford Explorer
  By socalstacy - August 24 - 12:28 pm

  LEMON ALERT!!!!! FORD has the WORST customer service in their repairs! I have a 2011 FORD Explorer that anytime I park for the last 3 weeks, it DOES NOT REGISTER that the car is on PARK and I turn off the ignition and the car chimes "SHIFT TO PARK" Its in park, and it does this repeatedly and I have to press in and out the black lever on the gear shift 10 or more times before it "registers" that the car is on park. I have a video of it on my phone, I took a picture of it when I parked at the dealership and they WILL NOT FIX IT because they cant get it to fault. This is NOT my issue alone, just search the internet for the number of people with this issues that DID NOT get fixed!!!!

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  Piece of junk - 2002 Ford Taurus
  By scawvey - August 20 - 6:41 pm

  I got my Taurus new and after a year the adjustable pedals quit working and my air bag light came on and is still on 11 years later. I have had lots of work done to the underneath of my car (almost everything replaced) and it still shakes, rattles, pings, and knocks from underneath. I hate driving this car! It is terrible and It eats tires every year. The engine has given no trouble, but crappy underneath the car. I have also had trouble with the heater hose stopping up and going a winter or two with no heat. It pulls to the right pretty bad, I let go of the wheel for a second and its gone over to the other side of the road. And now its leaking oil somewhere. What next???

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  I hate my 2013 Ford Escape - 2013 Ford Escape
  By hartson - August 18 - 2:19 pm

  I have had problem after problem in the 10 months of owning this car. Leak in tire to start, then sync issues, then bad head light due to bad wiring at Ford manufacturing, horn goes off when open back hatch (sometimes), now water leaking under car, air and heat stop working and the latest vehicle health report says to take in right away for service due to brakes and suspension service required. I bought a new car to avoid problems. And I gave up a Toyota with 100k miles with no problems. Now I have to spend my valuable time once again taking in for service. Also, the last time the dealer acted like they were doing me a favor when they fixed the head light - Really!!!

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  Terrible brakes and awful safety features - 2012 Ford Escape
  By deekay18 - August 18 - 12:40 am

  Safety: The brakes on this SUV is notorious to be the worst braking system in its class. It takes 154 feet to stop this SUV from 60MPH and brake fade is expected, which adds on more footage. This means that it takes a minimum of 11 lengths of Ford Focus to stop the Escape at the best without brake fade. Also, the Escape uses drum brakes on the rear. What is this 1990? The brakes also lock up frequently and this is a known problem all over the internet. The IIHS crash test ratings are not great either.

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  Never buying a ford again. - 2005 Ford Freestyle
  By aparadoski - August 12 - 7:51 pm

  We bought our freestyle off kijiji. At first it was a good vehicle but was a little suckish on gas. We liked it for room for dogs or for passengers or for easy convienvence. After about two years of ownership, we started hearing a rumbling sound when in P or N. We took the car in and they told us that it was the transmission. We will now be trying to get rid of this piece of shit for something better like a mazda cx-7 before our lemonmobile breaks down. ps never buy another FORD.

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  peice of junk - 2013 Ford Focus
  By joesas1 - August 11 - 8:27 pm

  just traded out and lost $$$$ of this 6 mo old 6000 mi junk. it was unsafe at any speed with its fixed 3x steering and jerky transmission. ford knows all about but this crooked co wont do a thing other than say its fine nothing wrong even though it replaced the whole steering system to no avail problem is in the computer. in any case a word to the wise....

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  Fusion 2013 SE (Lemon) - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By nyclorenz - August 10 - 2:40 pm

  Purchased Fusion 2013 SE back in Nov 2012. It was very exciting to have one of the newest cars in the market. At 3000 miles. Engine/ gauges would stop working. This is a electronic car. you need to coast to side of the road and restart. If the battery dies you need a jump to put in neutral. Car computer has been reprogrammed several times since then and battery changed. Car has stalled out countless times while driving on the road. We had contacted a lawyer and filed with Lemon Law in NJ. Ford has agreed to take back the car and paying all fees associated with car. I can only suggest everyone keep a running log of your car if there are any issues. Names,photos ,phone numbers and dates.

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  same old ford - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By gobama1982 - August 8 - 11:03 pm

  auful gas mileage ,16 city,16 hwy,can not talk when outside car due to engine noise,need a megaphone to communicate to rear passengers,no power,difficult to pass anything,so much road noise inside vehicle with windows up reminds me of grandpas 1955 ford 2 ton truck,id hate to see a new car worse than this one !!!!

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  Worst purchase EVER! - 2013 Ford Focus
  By etch1 - August 3 - 3:59 pm

  Not worth the gamble! Sure some of these cars are fine, but there seems to be a high percentage of true lemons. Despite an extensive test drive to stay clear of the bad DCT and all, a few hundred miles later, I seem to be the lucky winner of one of the worst of the worst. This car started going downhill fast once about 4 or 500 miles was put on it. This car is now as loud as a soft top jeep on the highway, and with the dct transmission is one of the poorest driving cars I have EVER experienced. This car is 110% poorly constructed junk. Frankly I would rather walk then drive this loud bucking surging grinding rattling embarrassing piece of excrement. Worst purchase I have ever made.

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  SC = Super-Crap - 1995 Ford Thunderbird
  By oereveiws - July 30 - 10:55 am

  This car is COMPLETE JUNK. Do not buy one... Quality is awful, layout is very poorly planned as far as the engine bay goes. Engine vibrates, transmission is complete junk. Window trim is complete garbage. This car is a complete nightmare to drive and work on.