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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  Decent car but nothing special - 2017 Ford Escape
  By Ron - August 7 - 10:34 pm

  This is my review of the SE edition with 4wd, only other options are heated seats and remote start. Have only owned this car for about a month so I cant comment on long term reliability, but so far, it rides decent enough and theres no squeaks or rattles. I like the styling inside and out, and I have the base engine, but for my purposes, it gets the job done. If you want zoom zoom, get a bigger engine in this car. Esacape, in my opinion, is not a family hauler, its more of a 1 or 2 person car as the rear seat legroom is anemic to say the least (e.g. you have to push a button to fold down the headrest on the rear seat so you can fold down the back seatback to put more stuff in it, or the headrest will hit the front seat. Really Ford? This is an SUV, not a Ford Focus. Another major issue (to me), is the really foolish eco mode which turns off the engine when you fully stop, say at a stop sign, then restarts the engine when you take your foot off the brake. You can turn this mode off by pushing a button, but the default mode is on, so you have to push the button every time you drive the car to turn it off. Apparently Ford likes to annoy its customers. Everyone I have talked to who owns a Ford with this mode, says they dont want it, and shut it off (even an employee at the Ford dealer where I bought my car :-). Also, this mode has to put xtra wear and tear on your starter and battery. The cruise control buttons should swap places with the display controls for gas mileage, etc. would be easier to see and use. And the heater/air conditioning controls, well, theres way too many buttons, this could have been simplified. The backup camera screen is rather small, and recessed into the dash too far, this doesnt affect me, because I really dont use the backup camera very much. My wifes Equinox is bigger than the Escape, has more back seat room and rides much better over bumps and has a bigger backup camera screen. As far as Sync is concerned (this car doesnt have sync 3), I dont use a cell phone with it so I cant comment on that part of it, but I did put around 2.5k mp3s on a USB stick and hook it up. The voice commands leave a lot to be desired with a USB stick. Mainly, the commands it recognizes are few and far between, and the parser/search engine is rather rudimentary. For instance, I told Sync to play the song Pretty Woman. After searching, it came up with the Van Halen song, but not the Roy Orbison song whos title is Oh Pretty Woman. I should have recognized that Pretty woman was part of the title and gave the option as to which I wanted. And also, Sync doesnt recognize folders, and all my songs are neatly organized In folders, so that doesnt work, so I simply have to resort to searching for the folder I want with the buttons. You have to pay $1400 to upgrade to SYNC 3 (with other options in a package), or buy the Titanium edition which costs 5k more. You can get a 9 inch touchscreen with wifi in almost all Chevys as standard equipment??? I still like the Escape, but it has its shortcomings. BTW, im 70years old, and have owned many new cars. They all have their good features, and their faults. I think they made the escape a little too small, and went overboard on Eco mode, which looks to me like a gimmick. Time to update this review after going through the winter months. The 4 wheel drive system works well in the snow and slush, much better than the front wheel drive vehicle it replaced. Dont believe what you may read on certain web sites that all that matters is having winter tires on a vehicle (that would make it better though), the 4 wheel drive or an all wheel drive does make a difference in starts,stops and handling in snow or slush. On ice, nothing will help that much except chains or studded tires which are not allowed on highways anymore. However, this Escape is abysmal when it comes to riding over rough, rutted urban roads. You feel every bump, and the car tends to rock from side to side when going over ruts, not very pleasant. My wifes Equinox has a much smoother ride over the same kind of conditions. Seems when buying a vehicle, you either get a smooth ride, or better handling/cornering so it depends on your priorities. Another winter thing: I have a factory installed remote start, and it starts fine with the remote, however, it doesnt default to the heater settings you had when you turned the car off. I leave the front window defroster on to de-ice the windshield and warm the car interior when using the remote start, and it does warm the car, but the front vents do not go to the windshield. When I get in the car and turn on the key, the heat does go to the windshield. Who buys a remote start for the winter months and doesnt want their windshield cleared of ice or fog? This is one of the 2 main reasons for having it in the first place! Poor implementation by Ford.

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  No trust in this one - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Going Titan - August 4 - 2:00 am

  Love the design, but wish Ford would have put more thought into the vehicle. Replaced three thermostats, two waterpumps, sensors, breaks and rotars all under 45000 miles. No faith in this vehicle any longer when traveling long distances. New breaks, but it squeals like crazy when attempting to stop.

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  Wont buy a Ford again - 1996 Ford Explorer
  By cl - August 3 - 10:00 am

  Other than the repairs and recalls on my truck since I bought it new, it was quite fun. But I wont buy a Ford again.

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  My first and last Ford - 2000 Ford Windstar
  By never-another-ford - August 3 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my 2000 Windstar SEL in late 2000. Have had nothing but problems with it. Transmission is making unusual sounds and it occassionally slips. Engine is making "ticking" noise during idle...etc. Dealership has fixed maybe half of the problems. I consider this vehicle a "heap of junk" and certainly not worth half of what I paid for it. You know what they say "FORD - Fix Or Repair Daily" and that is EXACTLY what I have gotten. It has spent nearly half of its useful life at the Ford repair shop. MY FIRST AND LAST FORD!

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  Issues - 2004 Ford Explorer
  By Bobhc2 - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I find that my SUV rides nice when the tire pressure is checked atleast once a week. I agree with the interior being cheep. My interior rattles and shakes I have a window on the drivers side that rattles loosely and according to the dealer there is nothing wrong. Also my rear glass door latch was defective where is was loose shaking when hitting bumps the dealer again said it was fine,but I requested the latch be changed and the noise stopped. I also found that it hesitated a few times almost stalling on cool mornings.

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  Think Twice Before You Buy! - 2003 Ford Focus
  By mffswebmaster - July 19 - 10:00 am

  As the webmaster for the MyFordFocusSucks website, my feelings on this car should be quite clear. Although initially fun to drive, the repair nightmares and shoddy build quality have changed my mind forever about Ford. As the owner of five other Ford/Mercury products in the last four years alone, they have lost a significant amount of future business!

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  First Car, Now Last Ford!! - 2000 Ford Focus
  By KatieR - July 17 - 2:00 am

  This was my first car and what a deal I got.:( Consistent recalls, having to replace rotors every year which run me $300+, starter blew after only 6months old, cheap rubber lining around outside door frame kept falling off (3xs), makes a lot of noise, hard to sell back for descent price. I wanted to stay and buy American but Im going foriegn next. All other car dealerships can thank the makers of the Ford Focus for the increase in business.

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  Disappointment to acceptance - 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid
  By Tony DOnofrio - July 11 - 4:16 pm

  Ive owned by Ford Escape Hybrid since Oct of 2004 - the first ever sold by my dealership. Gas mileage was VERY disappointing in my first year: Average 21 mpg city but 28 mpg highway. Live in a hilly town & every hill, the gas has to kick in; plus almost every pothole caused my foot to slip & kick-in the gas motor, etc. Also, colder weather requires MUCH longer "warm-up" time (5 to 10 minutes more) in the morning before the electric motor will ever kick in. Have learned tricks to up mileage, i.e, run AC or heat on minimum to avoid using gas (defroster always requires gas) ,coasting down hills, etc. Still only getting 24 mpg city & 29 highway. Better than my last car but not nearly what was promised.

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  Vibrations - 2003 Ford Expedition
  By Samuel L Orlando - July 5 - 10:00 am

  I took this vehcle to the dealer on July 7, 2003 for vibrations at 45 to 50 mph. They checked front end alignment, tire balance, replaced rear end, drive shaft, u-joints and engine and the vehicle still has the vibrations. Ford has offered to replace the vehicle with a like model and forgive the mileage. I have submitted a request for arbitration under the Lemon Law. I have found that Customer Service from the corporate office, customer service and local dealer to be disgustingly indifferent.

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  LACKS POWER - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By STANNY - June 23 - 11:36 am

  The car seems to have a hugh hesitation when weather is warm or cold and a lot of pull on the motor. It seems to have no 0-30mph get up and go.