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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  Brand new car, still no peace of mind - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Michael P. - December 20 - 5:11 pm

  My second Ford Explorer. We leased a 2014 now we have a 2016. We loved them....up to the point where my wife and 4 year old daughter almost had a horrible accident in traffic during 4th of July. Where to begin...Like most of you, my vehicle, a Ford Explorer exhibited similar issues. Whats different is that my truck is a 2016 with roughly 7400 miles on it. My wife and 4 year are in 4th of July traffic in the Washington DC area on the inside lane. Her exit is coming. So shes about to change lanes when all of a sudden..she has no power to the gas pedal. A wrench light comes on and shes freaking out because traffic was heavy. Several cars narrowly avoid rear ending her. Thankfully she makes it to the shoulder of the road unharmed. Fast forward to today...we finally get our truck back after almost a week. Everyone in the service department nonchalantly brushes aside the fact that lives could have been lost. Now, I have to figure out what to do because wife is so traumatized that she doesnt want to drive, or even step foot in the vehicle anymore for fear of them replacing it with the same part and it happening again. She has contacted her Doctor to help deal with the anxiety she is dealing with. This issue started with the escapes years ago. Obviously they are purposely still using faulty parts. I need help.

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  Worst Truck Ever Built - 2003 Ford F-150
  By Adam2909093 - December 2 - 2:00 am

  This Truck was the biggest mistake in my life. I paid too much, and got a very poorly made, truck, that rattled down the road, and broke down, more then it ran. Dont buy this truck, What ever you do. Skip it, you be glad you did. Far as problems are concerned, there are too many to list. About the only thing that was good was the A/C and the sound system was good. besides that. Nothing else was good.

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  Truck from Hell - 2001 Ford F-150
  By Distraught and Angry Ford Owner - November 9 - 5:31 am

  This truck model is very unreliable. I am replacing something constantly, the truck manages to leak oil, water, even dot 3 fluid for the transmission. I think the check engine light being on constantly comes standard from the factory. The people responsible for designing and producing this truck in 2001 can be thanked for the incredible rise in Toyota, and other foreign truck sales in the US since its introduction into the market due to such notorious unreliability.

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  People with hobbies - 2007 Ford Explorer
  By mtb guy - November 7 - 1:56 pm

  Ive had my explorer for about a year now and i still hate it. first off im a mountain biker. When i tried to haul a trailer full of weight weenis CrossCountry mountain bikes the Explored bogged down. also there needs to be some fairly substantial mud flaps on this car. Very disapointing V8. No one can figure out where the inner door handles are and the outside look is about as plain as you can get. this car is unbelievably clumsy and lurpish in real 4 wheelin situations i dont trust it.

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  Dont Buy this Truck - 2003 Ford Ranger
  By suckerfish0 - November 1 - 10:00 am

  I have had a mechanical problem with my truck since the day after I bought it new, and Ford will not take responsibility for the defect. My truck shakes and rattles in idle, so much so that you can see it moving from outside the vehicle. I have had four different dealerships tell me four different reasons for the problem, and ever single one of them refuses to make a repair attempt, even though it is under warranty. I recommend everyone that is thinking of buying a truck to steer clear of a company that will blatantly refuse to take responsibility for a defect that is so obvious.

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  Horrible drivers seat! Hurts my Back and Butt. - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Sheila K. - October 17 - 12:37 pm

  Make sure you test drive this car. My butt falls asleep, the length of the seat is too short and puts pressure on your thighs the back of the seat is hard and the way the lumbar is built puts pressure on my back. My back actually hurts when Im not even driving in it now. The arm rest console is too far back so I cant rest my arm when driving either. Its also hard to get in and out because there isnt enough room between the steering wheel and the seat. Its really hard to see out of also. Also the phone charger wont charge the phone when you arent in the car. It has an extra mirror for blind spots and it annoys me because it seems like its in the way of the full view of the mirror. And it seems like too much thinking to look in both mirrors. Also only the large part of the trunk opens, so you cant open the smaller window part. Which is annoying when you have tons of groceries about to fall out of the trunk and you just want to open the window so you can grab the stuff thats about to fall out. Really disappointed in this SUV.

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  so sad - 2016 Ford F-150
  By brandy nichols - October 5 - 1:30 am

  i have owned fords my whole driving life from ford mustangs to ford f150 trucks.. the 2016 is sad. i have owned it 6 months and its been it the shop 3 times. the latches freeze so when you open your door you cant get it shut and when you finally get it to close you might not get it back open. the other day my radio quit working for the day and the next day it started working again. the trim on the driver side rear door came messed up from factory. i emailed ford directly about the latches they are on back order with no eta date. i asked them to send me a hammer to break the window if i couldnt get the door open. they provide no rentals for this problem. unfortunately i am stuck in the lease for 3 years if i would have bought it outright it would be sitting with a "for sale" sign on it

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  Forgot to add - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By ponygirl - September 7 - 2:00 am

  This SUV stinks! The LED lights on steering wheel, CD/stereo player crap out and will fade in and out on occasion. The auto door locks will not unlock, even when I try to unlock the doors with the key so must climb thru the back hatch to unlock the truck! Gas mileage sucks..Transmission is starting to go, too (have 55,000 miles on 1998). This SUV stinks, would never buy another one.

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  This Car Is A Lemon... - 1994 Ford Taurus
  By poofusnoof - August 31 - 8:30 am

  I got this car in 01, and its been nothing but trouble since we brought it home. We took it for a test drive..all seemed well, then we brought it home, and after you stop, and press the accelorator nothing would happen, and then your tires would squeal, and your off. We got the transmission rebuilt twice and looked at again, it still jumps BEFORE and AFTER you stop. PLUS I had to fix both shocks AND struts, Radiator, Water Pump, Motor Mount,Thermostat, Muffler, And for some reason the only power window that works is the drivers side, and the power locks dont work unless you press the lock button really fast, at least 12 times. Theres alot wrong with this car, But I Dont have room to list it!

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  Never Again for Ford - 2015 Ford F-150
  By chillydawg - August 4 - 8:09 pm

  Purchased a 2015 Ford F150 XL Ecoboost 4x4 Sport ten months ago. Within the first two months, on my way to work in the woods, every light on the panel lit up. Truck went into "limp mode". After taking over an hour to get home (I was only about 20 minutes away), I called roadside assistance and set up for a tow to the dealer. Tow truck came within an hour and off to the dealer we went. I was given a loaner and told, "well call you when we know whats wrong". Days pass and after no call from the dealer, I called them to see what was wrong with my new truck. They said, "Nothing, no lights came on". I got real upset because I knew they didnt even drive the truck. I asked how did they come to that conclusion? They said, "the computer shows no codes". Now I went off and told them Ill be right there and your service manager will go for a test drive with me. They said no, theyll take it out. Two hours later they called me to tell me my truck has a serious problem that it did in fact "code up" while being driven. They told me they needed to order a very hard to get part; a Throttle Body". A bit of history with Ford and the bad Throttle Body parts they use. In 2013, after numerous customer complaints, NHTSA went after Ford for their use of bad Throttle Body parts. In short, they did a "Customer Satisfaction Program" and replaced the defective Throttle body parts, and extended the warranty on the part. NHTSA NEVER made FORD do a formal recall even though thousands of cars and different models were affected. The "Customer Satisfaction Program" expired in November 2015, but guess what? Yup, Ford continues to use the defective parts in their new vehicles. My F150, my friends Explorer, my other friends Edge, all had Throttle Body failure soon after purchasing new vehicles. I wish I did this research before I bought the truck, but knew nothing about the Throttle Body issue to look into it. Now, month 10, the transmission is failing and fast. I stop at a light, give it gas to go and BANG followed by a jerk. Took it to the dealer, and since they couldnt get a "code", they said no problem. You are to drive it until its dead and must be towed in. Not very reliable. Last weekend, Columbus Day, I took the loss and got rid of it. Traded it in and went back to my Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT 4x4 that never gave me a problem. NEVER, ever for Ford again.