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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  Ecoboost problems with power and MPG - 2011 Ford F-150
  By exf150owner1 - December 27 - 8:50 pm

  I purchased a 2011 Ford F-150 with 3.5L ecoboost with the hope that it would be a good vehicle. When I first bought the truck I was getting 15 MPG city and 22 MPG highway. After only 8000 km of mileage, I was seeing a drop in fuel economy and power. I was only able to get 10 MPG in city and 17 on the highway. The motor was also more sluggish with increased turbo lag. I tried to have the problem fixed by the dealer on 5 separate occasions without anything being done and no actual problem being identified. The truck appeared to be dying and ford was unable to determine why. After 12000 km, I decided to trade it in on another brand of truck. This will be the last Ford for this customer.

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  Car has been a real disappointment - 2012 Ford Focus
  By kjs1961 - December 22 - 1:23 pm

  I bought a very well equipped SEL back in May 2012. The transmission is rough, the mileage is a disappointment and the Sync Info-tainment system flakes out at least 3-5 time a week. I have had it to two different Ford dealers with only a slight improvement with the transmission, and took a small hit in mileage to improve the shifting. It has been almost 20 years since I bought a Ford, and it will be another 20 before I buy another one.

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  avg bang for avg buck - 2003 Ford Focus
  By midlevelbuyer - December 18 - 4:09 pm

  Whaddya expect... youre buying a used car! Granted I bought it 40km and am now past 130k, but its been a great car for the buck. ( had a Toyota dealer ask 10k for the used price at first though? what the..!!) But reading through these reviews its obvious too many poor quality parts were used given how many similarities in repairs: trunk latch has been replaced 3x now and still doesnt latch all the time. Door handles. Ignition locked up. Battery is being drained by something, replaced once already. Sway bar/bushings. But be realistic. Otherwise its been a great little mid level car.

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  Too many problems - 2011 Ford Explorer
  By rryan5 - December 15 - 11:46 am

  Swore I would never buy another Ford after the Explorer I bought in 2000 had the transmission go out at 37000 miles and Ford would only cover half the cost even though I had sevice records showing I had been complaining about it from 15000 miles on. If I didnt have those records they werent going to cover any of it even thought it was only 1000 miles past warranty. But when the new model came out in 2011 I really liked it and since Ford looked like they had a turn-around the past few years I figured they must have improved their quality control and customer service. Wrong again! Not going to go over every problem (just read through these reviews) but this time, never again!

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  Transmission Problems - 2006 Ford F-150
  By hphcanalfulton - December 11 - 7:41 am

  The transmissions are junk in these trucks and Ford Motors will not even acknowledge that there is a problem with their design. A person with a normal job making less than $40,000 a year cannot afford both maintenance and the payment on one of these trucks.

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  Not bad value - 2005 Ford Taurus
  By darin4 - December 10 - 10:24 am

  I bought this car in 2007 with 130,000kms. on it. The first winter it would not start when cold. Dealer replaced the fuel sending unit ($600). Have had little to no problems since. I now have close to 280,000 kms. and the car works great. Its nothing fancy, but for the price I hit a home run.

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  Comfortable But..... - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By thekonz - December 10 - 9:43 am

  I purchased this car in September with 55K miles on it (SE fully loaded, Auto Trans.). I fell in love with the SYNC system, moonroof, and general level of comfort and build quality in the interior. About a month after purchase however, this car showed its true colors. It has had the stalling issue fixed twice, and still has intermittent issues. On left turns it makes a loud grinding noise, and on heavy acceleration the engine knocks. The rear quarter panel comes loose at high speeds and the headlights fog worse than london. I had to take out an extended warranty from my credit union in hopes of not being wiped clean financially because of this junk pile, hopefully it will get better.

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  Blew the engine... - 2006 Ford Fusion
  By darin4 - December 7 - 7:22 am

  Bought this car at a public auction four months ago. Car was mint, inside and out, you could have eaten off the engine. Consumer reports labeled it a "good bet". Dont be fooled like I was by consumer reports. The car had 98,000 kms when I bought it. Blew the engine at 106,000 kms. Replaced the engine with a new one. I now have 111,000 kms. on the car and this new engine is going through oil the same as the first one did before it blew. If you have this vehicle, keep an eye on the dipstick. Update to may last post, titled "Blew the Engine", which was last night. Guess what, the second engine has blown. Im gonna keep this short, STAY AWAY FROM THE FUSION. JUNK...Plain ans simple.

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  Ford Fusion SEL 2012 FLAWS - 2012 Ford Fusion
  By r5b - December 7 - 7:00 am

  I leased a new 2012 SEL Fusion in late August 2012. An unsavory neighbor got a hold of my keyless entry card. She has the master code. My car was used nightly by this woman as her hangout and smoke den. Ford told me you can change the codes and add codes BUT "the master code NEVER CHANGES" anotherwards some scum bag can always get in my car because she has the main keyless entry code. I had to pay 499.00 out of pocket December 6th, 2012 to replace the module and get a new code. Ford kept the old one??? and by the way the battery was virtually dead. Thankfully that was replaced under warranty free of charge. Talk about disgusted with FORD. The transmission sucks. Ford makes CRAP still!

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  DO NOT BUY This car with ecoboost engine - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By stayaway6 - December 6 - 9:38 pm

  I bought the 1.6L turbo SE engine with the Leather package. I had the car for one week and at 200 miles the car had and engine temp error message. I then found out the next day the car has been recalled for possible fire when engine overheats. There have been 13 fires with this engine. Do not buy a turbo engine from FORD. They have major design flaws. They recalled 15000 fusions and 80000 escapes and they dont even have a fix for it. I got a loner from Budget rental who Ford is paying and Budget keeps putting holds on my CC. Up to $307 in 3 days. Budget told me they would continue to do this.