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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  Love her - 2007 Ford Focus
  By Mar - November 11 - 1:55 am

  I bought this car used in 2014 with 120,000 miles for $4,000 and I am extremely happy with this car. Its a great everyday driver and is impressively sporty. Added a cold air and exhaust as well as cosmetic features. It sounds great compared to most four cylinder vehicles on the road. This car has so much potential. The acceleration is great stock but i believe theres always room for improvement. At 132,000 miles I havent had a single problem. Comfortable ride, easy to get in and out of, great sound system, and extremely tight steering. Gas mileage could be better with a 6 speed. Its not very common to find this model in the US so shes one of a kind. The 2007 focus ST is worth every penny.

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  Money Pit - 2004 Ford Escape
  By David Downing - November 10 - 11:54 pm

  My mom bought this SUV in October 2012 (Ive daily driven it since September 2014) with 113,000 miles, with almost all the maintenence reports, and the vehicle was very well maintained. First year of ownership was great. It Handled very well, rode very nicely, had a lot of power, and got good gas mileage (25 MPG combined). About 13 months later it started having normal issues, like needing tie rods and tires and spark plugs. Then the vacuum leaks popped up. Then the exhaust falling off the car. Then needing a seal on the transfer case replaced. My car died in September 2014, and Ive been driving the Escape almost daily since. In that time, its needed struts as well as two new tires, which are normal things to wear on a car. The not so normal? Power steering pump failed twice, needed new brake lines, new front calipers, as well as a new master cylinder, more vacuum leaks, exhaust leaks, ball joints, and a wheel bearing. Fast forward to now, the car sits at 153,954 miles, and the car has an extremely rough idle, a plastic melting smell that will literally burn your eyes, and stalling. Im pretty sure its a vacuum link, my mom thinks the engine is blown. Either were not sinking any more money into it, as the transmission was on its way out as well.

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  Good looking great value - 2013 Ford Taurus
  By Bill - November 10 - 9:05 pm

  The car feels solid when I drive it. I like the driver position. It feels more like a sport sedan than a land barge. Im 6 ft 220 and fit perfectly.long trips are a pleasure with no fatigue. I feel safe in this car and its stylish in all black. a lot of features for the money. Fuel economy is good. I like the my ford touch system. Traded my 8 year old f150 which was fantastic and this was the only vehicle that made me even think about trading for.Im very pleased

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  Drivers Nightmare - 2013 Ford Fiesta
  By sergey - November 10 - 2:17 pm

  It has well-documented problems with transmission (clutch). I wish Id read this before buying it. It jerks when starts moving and feels absolutely unsafe when driving it. A good exterior design is what makes people to be attracted by this car. Its heavily overprices and its losing its value very fast (60% over 2 years).

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  F150 issues - 2004 Ford F-150
  By Georgia - November 10 - 1:22 pm

  I have a 2004 4 wd. 4 door f150 and more times than not I can hear almost like a hissing noise coming from around to frit wheels. After a short bit there will be a couple thumps and it stops. No one can seem to figure it out. Brakes ok, tires ok, 4wd shifts in and out ok. No Clue any suggestions?

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  STAY AWAY - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Shane House - November 10 - 7:46 am

  I have had this car for a little over a year and it has been the worst purchase I have ever made. I have about 45k on the odometer and will be trading it in as soon as the extended warranty runs out. First problem problem at about 10k the abs and traction control lights came on. Took it to Ray Varner Ford and They had to order a speed sensor and wiring harness and was told to bring car back the next day. Took a second day off from work to take car in once again but after I made the hour drive to the stealership they told me that the part had not came in and to call back to check tomorrow. Kept calling back but the parts never came in so after I gave up on that dealer I took it to Lance Cunningham Ford. I had started to notice a faint roar and informed them of the roar also. They diagnosed it with the same problem for the ABS and had to order parts. They couldnt find the roar and basically told me I was hearing things. Took the car back a couple of days later and they repaired the ABS light issue. At about 25k the same problem with the appeared. Took it back told them the roaring noise was louder. Once again I needed to come back for parts for the ABS. They found that the roaring sound was from the tires in the rear was cupped due to an alignment issue and that was not covered under warranty. They wanted about $400 to repair the alignment and put on two new tires. I declined and took it elsewhere for half the price. Took it back and had the ABS issue taken care of once again. At around 35k the ABS came on once again but by the time I could get it to a stealership I had already turned over 36k and the warranty was out. I took it to a different dealer and they diagnosed it with a bad ABS module this time and it was going to be a $2500 repair. They even told me that the ABS module should have been replaced the first time and it had caused the wiring harness and speed sensors to go out the first couple of times. They called corporate and Ford refused to pay for the repair. I had purchased a third party extended warranty when I bought the car and they paid for most of the repair and it only cost me around $100 and two more days of missed work. I totaled it all up and these repairs although under warranty ended up costing me around $2200 in missed work. My last car was an Accord and it had one problem with the radio while under warranty and they brought out a loaner car and picked my car up. I made it 340k without any repairs other than routine maintenance. I will trade this in for another Honda as soon as the extended warranty is over.

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  Dont Buy It. Dont Be another Statistic - 2012 Ford Focus
  By Mark - November 9 - 11:42 am

  Dont buy this car. Its not worth taking the chance with the transmission. I bought this car thinking that the transmission problems would get fixed. Bought the car at 28,000. In my first months of having the car, I went to the dealership for shuddering and gear grinding noises.. oh and how the car completely shut down engine light on and wouldnt go faster than 20 mph. THAT was scary on the freeway. Supposedly its a safety mechanism. Talked with at Susan with my car at 50,000 at corporate and theres nothing that she can do. My car doesnt count to be a lemon. It would be a great car if it wasnt for the transmission. Everything else is there but the fundamentals are all shot. And to my surprise, they are still implementing the same faulty transmission even in their new 2016 cars.

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  Crazy people - 2006 Ford F-150
  By Brayy - November 9 - 7:47 am

  My f150 has very few problems I had a few lags on the transmission a couple or times and the a/c went out but it runs perfect Id say for 270,000 miles the steering is beyond expectation honestly

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  Very expensive lemon - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By Kenneth - November 8 - 10:30 pm

  Very small car great on gas good for intercity driving car has cost me more money than what its worth I am a mechanic and the issues that I am seeing with this transmission worries me really looking forward to trading this in due to the mechanical issues not worth the money.

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  Excellent Car! Except... - 2014 Ford Focus
  By John Donne - November 8 - 10:03 pm

  When I first saw and drive the car I instantly fell in love with it. It was cool, fun,sporty, smooth and solid. I bought it (used) right away thinking I just got a very great deal and a great car. But right away I was finding the car to have really strange transmission feel. When I was test driving it the transmission felt like like a munual. I just assumed it reved high because it was a sport car. It felt sporty. But later on after I bought the car I started notice some jerking when starting from a stop. With all this going on I decided to do some research on the car and transition. I didnt realize it was a dual clutch transmission (automated manual) when I bought the car. This explained the manual feel of it. After that I when on a drive to test the transmission and I was terrible, rough starts, jerking up hill, weird reving. I read reviews on here and everyone says the same thing. Lemon transmission. Dual clutches tend to be not a smooth as tradition manuals but this one is just awful. I cant believe ford would put a transmission this terrible in a car this day and age. My advice to you...just spend the extra money and get a Mazda 3 of corolla. Luckily my dealer offers a 3 day return policy. I will be sadly returning this car at once.