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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  You make excuses to go for a drive - 2009 Ford Flex
  By Bob Rivera - September 2 - 3:40 am

  Everybody loves the Flex, the kids always want to go for a ride. Most of the time, a new car is just transportation but this vehicle looks great and rides smooth. I park it in the driveway and neighbors stop and look at it with wonder. A new Honda van would never stop traffic, but this does. If more people drove it they would fall in love with this car.

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  Everything breaks but it keeps on going! - 1992 Ford Tempo
  By 6 yr Tempo - September 2 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car back in Spring 1997, at the time the car had only 26,000 miles. Since then I have had no major problems with the vehicle. I put over 100,000 miles on this car in a 5 year period. What has gone wrong is the AC has been out for 3 years, 2 alternators, 2 starters, engine mounts dont seem to last (2 are broken now), the front struts are bad, the interior leaks in several places, the rear defroster has about 3lines still working, and finally the power mirrors never have worked. Besides these things, the I feel the engine can reach 200,000 miles. I just took it on a 1800 mile trip and it performed just fine!

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  Love it. - 2001 Ford Escape
  By nrea992 - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned my Escape for 2 1/2 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. The interior is comfortable and functional, exterior looks great even now (the Turedor Red still looks brand new!) The gas mileage is averaging around 21 per gallon and the performance is excellent!

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  ford ranger - 1999 Ford Ranger
  By nathan byrd - September 2 - 2:00 am

  in the time that I have had my ford ranger it has been a relly fun truck to drive. The reliability is relly good on it and it gets good milige to.

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  Ford - 1995 Ford Taurus
  By japaneseman - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Good. I love the V6 engine and its really fast.

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  1997 Ford Explorer XLT 4WD - 1997 Ford Explorer
  By scooty - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Alot of options for the money.The 4.0 SOHC motor has plenty of horsepower.Beware of the timing chain tensioner problems and intake manifold gasket problem,though.Recall on these will fix it,but warranty runs out 7 yr/84000 miles.I have had no major problems with this vehicle.Only problems so far were two thermostats and front end alignment.It could use some shocks.All in all Im satisfied with this SUV.

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  This is a LEMON - 2003 Ford Focus
  By Steve - September 1 - 11:00 am

  This vehicle performed superbly right up until the 40,000 mile mark. First of all, the Pirelli tires are horrible and will need to be replaced between 35-40k. Secondly, I had to replace the brakes and rotors because they were shot. Third, I had to replace a transmission part that caused my engine to skip (thankfully covered by the extended warranty). Lastly, and most important, the engine stalls in the middle of traffic with no warning. I have taken it to the dealer but they cant figure out what is wrong. I used to think "buy American" but in the case of cars, ITS NOT WORTH MY LIFE or yours either! Do yourself a favor and STAY CLEAR of this one!

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  Great vehicle - 2005 Ford Focus
  By csteven - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Consumer reports is correct, ranking ti #1 Ford has come along way. Great value and great vehicle.

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  Comfortable and economical - 2004 Ford Crown Victoria
  By Manchester - September 1 - 10:00 am

  I get up to 26 MPG on the highway in full comfort and luxury! What more can you ask for in transportation?

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  Great Truck, but would tweek a few things. - 2015 Ford F-150
  By John Trecker - September 1 - 8:02 am

  First off I have the 3.5 and while I never bought a truck to get good gas mileage, it is a good thing. I am not heavy footed at all, and only get 13-14 mpg around town and about 18 on hwy. Funny when I first got it I got about 22-23 on the why but after a few thousand miles that dropped, and the truck still only has 5k miles on it. With that said, very comfortable truck, and seems like much more room inside than in the Ram 1500. Not a big fan of the fan switch location as you have to reach around the shifter to get to it and it is a small switch at the bottom of the console, either a different location ( like the steering wheel) or a knob like climate control would have been nice. On the shifter, there is no off-set when dropping into D before going into manual gears. On a couple of occasions I have just dropped the truck into gear and slowly pulled out of the drive and onto a side street only to find when I step on it getting onto a busy road I am not in Drive but in a lower gear and hear the engine rev. Would like to see an offset to go lower than drive so one cannot do it accidentally. Like I said, the comments are very picky as the truck is very nice.