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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  Dont Explore this Explorer! Throttle Body Fail! - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By K&M - April 28 - 3:40 am

  My wife, 6 year old daughter, and dog almost stranded because of throttle body failure at just over 8,000 miles with no warning. This thing is not safe nor reliable and will most certainly cause death or injury, and Ford already knows its an issue but will not inform or warn you ahead of time. My wife was driving when the vehicle just shut down to an idle on the highway. Luckily it was early and traffic was minimal. The part is on backorder with no estimated time limit for repair. If you plan on traveling or exploring the great outdoors away from home, think again before purchasing the Ford Explorer. It is totally unacceptable for a brand new vehicle to be this unreliable and unpredictable to just shut down anywhere at any time without any warning. Very disappointed in choosing this vehicle I thought would be safe and reliable for my family. Now, even after it gets repaired, I cannot trust or take another chance with it and will be trading it in as soon as I can, even if it means going upside down.

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  Good truck - 1994 Ford Explorer
  By Osborne820 - April 25 - 2:00 am

  Good truck very dependable. ONly problem i had was a sensor going out on it and it now has 152000 miles on it and is still running good. I hope it makes it to 250,000 it is a really nice truck.

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  nothing but trouble - 1991 Ford Explorer
  By john kiernan - April 24 - 2:00 am

  ever since I bought my 91 explorer Ive had nothing but headaches with it.first it was the fuel relay sensor that went then 2 brake lines, then the ignition shroud is shot and last but not least I had to replace the front end upper and lower ball joints and the tie rod arms.and just tonight it started making grinding noises in the front as i was turning a corner....what a piece of crap!

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  1994 Ford Taurus - 1994 Ford Taurus
  By Ripped Off in 2001 - April 23 - 2:00 am

  Horrible dealership. The car was beat up and no maintenance actually done to the car. A REAL LEMON. We were ripped off.

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  Never buy a Ford Five Hundred! - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By smac315 - April 21 - 3:40 am

  I bought this car with just under 35k miles on it. The car just hit 68k miles and I had to replace the transmission already. Ive heard from the transmission repair shop the the Ford five hundreds are having this problem. I contacted Ford and they said they wouldnt do anything about it and to simply take it to my "local Ford dealership repair shop" and they could fix it for me. Yeah they could fix it, at the tune of $1700.00. Its funny how we support an American company that wont even back up there product when there is clearly a wide spread problem with the transmission on this car. I am now looking to buy a Toyota or Honda!

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  2017 Ford Raptor - 2017 Ford F-150
  By Raptor love - April 19 - 9:39 am

  So I purchased a 2017 Ford Raptor... that I special ordered and waited for about 8 months to receive. Upon receiving it I Loved the truck! However after putting 13,000 miles of dirt/ commuting miles on it i started hearing a loud noise when it was downshifting and climbing small hills for some reason it would only do it occasionally well eventually it started making the noise all the time.... I started talking it to the dealership to try to find out What the noise was I am now four times in and a total of 25 days in the shop and they can not figure it OUT!!! Im totally DEVASTATED!!! I will continue to go back to the dealership until they can resolve this issue however I would not recommend buying one!!

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  Stinks on workmanship - 2002 Ford Windstar
  By xolo90 - April 18 - 2:00 am

  This is my second windstar. It sucks big time. everything is falling apart @ 14.8k miles. Windows dont close right. radio had to be replaced. The a two sliding doors did work for a while. Ford need to stop allowing workers beer breaks some the job.

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  piece of junk - 1995 Ford Windstar
  By never_buy_ford_again - April 17 - 2:00 am

  2 head gaskets, an entire new cooling system, lots of electrical problems and a trans rebuild later, i dont think i would feel comfortable selling this car to osama bin laden. at least ford will fix the head gasket for you till 100k but that fix wont last long. the trans is as big a problem as the head, the aluminum part that they replace with a steel one is as good as an admission of guilt in my book, but ford wont pay for that. never never never buy a windstar. i grew up in a ford family, but my kids will grow up in a honda family, so long henry

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  Poor gas mileage - 2016 Ford Escape
  By Greg - April 16 - 11:01 am

  Came nowhere near advertised MPG. Gets about 17 city, 24 highway.

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  nice truck,bad trans - 1996 Ford Aerostar
  By D.J. - April 15 - 2:00 am

  had a 93,loved it.bought a 96,at 90000 the transmission went bad.was told the shops called it the exploder since it was the same one in the explorer and was a bad design.other than that love it.