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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  1.6L ecoboost engine recall and fire - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By stayaway6 - December 18 - 6:08 pm

  Let me begin this has been the worst car puchase of my life. I had the car a week and it got recalled in a week for engine fires Sept 7 Ford recieved a report of engine fire Sept 24th Ford recieved another report of engine fire. Oct 22 Ford recieved a report of engine fire Between Nov 8th and Nov 29 Ford recieved 5 additional On November 29th Ford issued recall 12S41 I purchase my car on 11/23. If I would of know of the issues above I would of never bought the car. Ford offered 1) 2500 Trade assist - not enogh for dealers trade casue about axtra $3000 because of taxes he should offer $4500. 2) The would make one car payement 3) ESP Warranity 75000 miles

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  avg bang for avg buck - 2003 Ford Focus
  By midlevelbuyer - December 18 - 4:09 pm

  Whaddya expect... youre buying a used car! Granted I bought it 40km and am now past 130k, but its been a great car for the buck. ( had a Toyota dealer ask 10k for the used price at first though? what the..!!) But reading through these reviews its obvious too many poor quality parts were used given how many similarities in repairs: trunk latch has been replaced 3x now and still doesnt latch all the time. Door handles. Ignition locked up. Battery is being drained by something, replaced once already. Sway bar/bushings. But be realistic. Otherwise its been a great little mid level car.

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  Over-all Excellent Vehicle - 2006 Ford Freestyle
  By ownedmanycars - December 18 - 10:14 am

  Purchased it used with 80,000kms {50,000miles} on it. Drove it for about 2 years then was written off when someone smashed into it. It was hit when it had 155,000kms {97,500miles}. No major issues. Maintained regularly. Drove it across Canada & the US without any issues. Awesome fuel mileage too for a vehicle of its size. Wish we would have bought another to be honest. Only issue we had was the fault of the garage we had the fuel filter replaced and they didnt put one clip back on which cases the gas line to pop off at the filter. The garage covered the tow, put another new filter and get new clips and installed them no issues otherwise.

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  Love my Expedition! - 2010 Ford Expedition
  By tdezzutti - December 16 - 11:19 pm

  We LOVE our 2010 Expedition! When car shopping we were looking at Acadias and Enclaves, but when the I test drove the Expedition I was in LOVE! I was so impressed, it drove like a car! I love that adults can actually sit comfortably in the third row plus we have plenty of cargo space. I am a mom of three kiddos and two 120 pound dogs so we love our Expedition on road trips cause everyone has plenty of room! I average about 14.5 mpg in city and 20-21 mpgs on HWY if Im not romping on it LOL. I think the Expedition is a great family friendly vehicle that will not only keep your family safe but is also a stylish ride for moms like me who do not want to do the mini van =)

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  after 15,000 I can review it - 2012 Ford Focus
  By va_car_teacher - December 16 - 7:38 pm

  I have had this car for 7 months it has 15000 miles and I never reset one of the MPG calculators and I have averaged 37.3 MPG over the 15000 miles and many fill up calculations agree. I have not experianced any of the issues some people have. My sync system has worked well not perfect some times it does not understand me but a cancell and try again works every time. I do have the automated manual trans and it took a little time to get used to. But on average I have no problems, just a harsh 1-2 shift once a month or so and every so often a minor shutter on take off or 1-2 shift. Got a rental the other day a Nissan and i do miss my car a lot. mine was built in april so maybee issues fixed.

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  THE WORST CAR EVER! - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By tamlyn - December 16 - 4:04 pm

  My Ford Fiesta 2011 has been in the garage more than times than I can count with a grinding noise in the transmission. Just got it back the other day from a 2 week stay in the Ford dealer garage, and they told me I had to live with it. How can they justify telling someone that , that has had this car in and out of the garage from day 1 with the same problem! Now that they put 10000 dollars into this car. The grinding noise has gotten so much worst since they worked on it. Not sure what my next step is but if anyone has any suggestions please e-mail me @ tammycrowder777@hotmail. Im at my wits ends with this car and the Ford company.

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  Best American car weve ever had. - 2003 Ford Taurus
  By ndecker - December 16 - 12:15 pm

  Ive had problems with Fords in the past. Got this car for free, but it needed a lot of TLC because the previous owner neglected it. Bought and installed the parts myself, never had a problem with it. This car is absolutely amazing, nothing else like it. Just turned 100k miles and still running strong.

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  Beware of Ford Escape, Beware! - 2008 Ford Escape
  By ahwilson - December 16 - 11:44 am

  I purchased a 2008 Ford Escape in August 2007, and about 8 days after purchase the accelerator cable line broke. The dealer chose to repair the care, even though I expressed concern and worry about keeping the car. I immediately notified National Highway Safety. The dealer could not explain the malfunction. Cable line broke again at about 15,000 miles. This car has multiple problems. Windows freeze, and wont roll up..even in summer. The fabric seats stains very quickly and car offered cleaning of seats and carpet for additional. Every time I presented it for cleaning, the dealer never had appropriate staff. This add-on cost is a rip off. The keys to car wear down. I hate it!

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  A solid value - 2012 Ford Escape
  By ripdaddy - December 16 - 3:13 am

  Leased the 4-cyl Escape and took a 1500 mile trip. The four cylinder is adequate. Passing power on the highway was pretty good. The only problem would be long steep grades. The 6 speed auto shifted smoothly. It didnt hesitate to downshift when needed. The engine only turns over 1700 RPM at 60 MPH. The first leg of the trip was mostly interstate with about 100 miles of Ozark hills and twisties at the end. I have an easy foot and averaged 30MPG going and 28MPG returning against a 20mph head wind, lightly loaded. This is a great around town vehicle. I wouldnt want to take on the Rockies, though.

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  Too many problems - 2011 Ford Explorer
  By rryan5 - December 15 - 11:46 am

  Swore I would never buy another Ford after the Explorer I bought in 2000 had the transmission go out at 37000 miles and Ford would only cover half the cost even though I had sevice records showing I had been complaining about it from 15000 miles on. If I didnt have those records they werent going to cover any of it even thought it was only 1000 miles past warranty. But when the new model came out in 2011 I really liked it and since Ford looked like they had a turn-around the past few years I figured they must have improved their quality control and customer service. Wrong again! Not going to go over every problem (just read through these reviews) but this time, never again!