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:

• 

  Solid car but sync support is terrible - 2011 Ford Fusion
  By snowfire20 - June 20 - 2:48 pm

  I love the car. It drives great the handling and performance are perfect. The only issue is Fords sync support. There is none. There support staff know nothing about when or if they will upgrade. They dangle adding pandora or applink but no date has been set. Its been 2 years. Ford may have been the first to start with sync but there last place when it comes to customer service on sync.

• 

  Very pleased - 2011 Ford Fusion
  By chootoi - June 20 - 10:19 am

  I have a 2011 SEL in tuxedo black and I love it. I traded in my Altima, which was a a great car. The only issues Ive had is that the SYNC system was an unreliable piece of junk the first year. Ford finally released an update in May 2012, and SYNC has worked flawlessly since then with my iPhone 4S. My 3.5L Altima had a lot of punch, and the Fusion doesnt have quite as much get-up-and-go. That took a little getting used to. I test drove the 4-Cyl Fusion and that was too big a drop-off. I get just under 23 MPG in mixed driving--19 miles one-way to work each day on highway, the rest in town. Thats a little disappointing, but I dont really drive in a way that lends itself to better mileage.:)

• 

  Sell it when you hit 120k - 2004 Ford Explorer
  By saben - June 20 - 7:52 am

  Purchased the car in 2005 with 30k on it. The truck operated fine until I hit 125,000 miles. at 125, the transmission went out and I had to put a new one in. at 135k, the timing belt went out. I guess the way they designed the belts, they have to pull the engine out of the truck to replace them, so were talking approx 3,000 to replace the belt. The tow truck guy and the mecanic both said that whoever designed these was an idiot. lovely.

• 

  do not buy this vehicle - 2003 Ford Explorer
  By hondacbr954rr - June 19 - 3:00 pm

  safe vehicle but not reliable,have electricle gremlens that come and go,the rear end goes,(clucth pack),replaced twice still no good.not cheap.have only 60000k on it.

• 

  I love this car - 2010 Ford Focus
  By bstraw - June 18 - 1:42 pm

  I needed to downsize from the Trailblazer I had and needed something that was a lot better on gas milegae so I looked at the Focus. Ive had mine for a few months and really like it. Other than the road noise which I read may be either the factory (kumho) tires or rims and the fact that my ignition coil went out at 40k thousand miles I love this car and would defintely purchase another one.

• 

  2006 Freestar = Junk - 2006 Ford Freestar
  By brokefreestar - June 17 - 5:14 pm

  2006 Freestar has the same failures as the 2004 and 2005 Freestars: Transmission and PCM. Also, leaking coolant and power steering. Purchased from dealer at 53K miles one owner. Head rest bent forward for some strange reason. CD player jammed. Click in right front wheel when backing. Rattling noise in fan during idle. Walked out of the dealer with $5500 positive equity. Now we know why. Junker. Stay away.

• 

  May be dangerous - 2007 Ford F-150
  By nomorefords43 - June 16 - 9:22 pm

  Overall, I am not happy with my purchase. I bought my 2007 Lariat new in 2007. My CDs all got stuck in the 6 Cd changer and had to replace the stereo and then it did it shortly after. I use my Ipod and dont use the CD at all. Then the accelerater got stuck and lucky i was just taking off, i breaked and it RPMs reved up that i turned it off. Started and it was fine. When i took it in they said maybe i was accelerating at the same time i breaked. So i let it go but it happened again and now i am scared that it will happen when im at a speed of 100km. Replace breakpads twice, rotars, fuel pump, and now it is losing power, cuts out and shakes so taking it in again. All of this under 120,000km.

• 

  Winner Hands Down - 2013 Ford Explorer
  By jimmywilde - June 16 - 7:57 pm

  Was in the Market for an affordable Mid-Size SUV, the Nissan Maxima was getting a little to small for our family. Looked at Honda Pilots first, was not impressed with service but interested in the Pilot. Went to Ford, just for kicks. Very surprised at how nice the explorer was when test driving. VERY COMFORTABLE!! Told the sales man that we were still going to go back to Honda and see what kind of deal we could get. He encouraged us to take the Explorer home for a night, then take it to Honda the next day. In his words, " If you drive this car a night you will like it way more than the Pilot." He was right. Handles great, Features are Awesome, Just enough room for us! Great Buy So Far!

• 

  2001 F-150 XLT SCrew, 4x4, AT, 5.4 Triton. - 2001 Ford F-150
  By norsechild76 - June 16 - 3:38 am

  I bought this truck used in 2011 with 185K on the odometer. It needed shocks and tires, also went through and did brakes, fluids and rebuilt the front end with Moog parts. Very happy with the truck and paid $5k for it. I expect to get 250K out of this truck without any issues. Front seat pad needs replaced, but that is expected.

• 

  2012 3.5L EcoBoost F150 XLT 4x4 - 2012 Ford F-150
  By cmayes72 - June 15 - 11:18 pm

  I just purchased this truck after driving 2008 and 2010 F150s for the past four years. Both of the older trucks were great, however I never felt the 5.4 liter V8 had a lot of get up and go (had both the 3.73 and the 3.55 rear ends). The 5.4 pulled my boat, however you could feel the truck working on hills and passing on the highway. With the new EcoBoost the power is much more noticable and it tows the boat effortlessly. The ride and steering also feel much improved over the previous models. The exterior styling is well done, the truck has a very strong stance. The interior is spacious and comfortable with a nice wide armrest that folds up for an extra seat on the front bench.