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 my new Explorer! - 2011 Ford Explorer
  By mgward3 - October 27 - 2:36 pm

  I purchased the new 2011 Explorer after retiring my 1993 Explorer XLT after 18 years and 200K miles. The 93 Explorer was the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned so I figured I would buy another one. The new Explorer has more power, better gas mileage, more seating, more tech toys, better ride and handling, etc. Whats not to love? After 6 months and 5K miles, the only item that required adjustment was the alarm. It would go off if a loud truck or motorcycle went by while parked. The dealer adjusted that when they did the first oil change and all is well. I can only hope this Explorer lasts as long and is as reliable as our beloved 1993 model.

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  Ford CVT Transmission problems - 2007 Ford Freestyle
  By algc - October 26 - 10:16 am

  Our 2007 Ford Freestyle was purchased used in 2009 with 17000 miles. Immediately a traction controll light kept coming on on the dash. When we took it to the dealership, they couldnt find a problem and we were told to ignore it. Now at 66,000 miles, it has severe problems with the transmission not working. Worse, when we took it to two local dealerships, neither worked on the CVT transmission and wasnt able to diagnose or repair the problem. From reading reviews on the internet, I find that this problem is common in the Freestyle and the lack of Ford Trained Transmission specialists is common also. This car isnt reliable and I would pass on buying another with the CVT transmission.

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  Ford or Hyundai the MPG is about the same - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By roadwarriorlt - October 26 - 9:37 am

  I have an S 4 door with an automatic and drive 78 miles one way to work plus 100 miles of city making calls each day, so I got the car to cut my daily gas cost. At the same time I was looking at a Hyundai Elantra which another sales person picked up for basically the same price as we both purchased pre-owned with 5k to 7k miles on the cars. I bring this up because Ford says 37 mpg for the automatic on the car and Hyundai says 40 mpg. Well after more than 1,100 miles and 3 tanks of gas. Im at 36.46 mpg and the Hyundai is at 37.10 mpg so the MPG are pretty close to the same.

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  Ford Service is a Joke - 2011 Ford Edge
  By calcarnut - October 25 - 10:13 pm

  We purchased our Edge SE 4 weeks ago and have put 1K miles on it. I switched the headlights to "auto" and the first time it activated the driver side low beam popped. I brought the Edge into the dealer. Going on day 3 and they still have not been able to locate the bulb. They gave me a Nissan Altima as rental replacement as they are keeping my vehicle until its repaired - for a headlight bulb.

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  Unbelievable - 2006 Ford Explorer
  By stobias - October 25 - 6:50 pm

  6 radiators Ladies and Gents. You read that correctly - 6 radiators. Averaging about 1 radiator for every 20K miles. I brought a 2006 Explorer for my 16 year old son in 2008 - only had 26K miles on it. We have replaced the radiator 6 times since purchase at $700 a pop. This vehicle is so unreliable that it now sits in my driveway, I cant trust it to be a reliable vehicle for my son, who is now 2 hours away at college. Huge mistake on my part for buying it, huge mistake on Fords part for not recalling it. BTW, tranny jerks when you shift into reverse.

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  Transmission news - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By babbs3 - October 25 - 5:44 pm

  Saw on this evenings news that Ford got bad marks for their transmissions .Finally all of us that have been complaining about the strange 6sp. auto. has been heard. Can we hope that Ford will properly address these problems? Ford is still building some great looking cars but oh those trannys are a nightmare. The 6 sp was supposed to increase mpg. but how can it if the engine is reving like a race car between gears?

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  Best American car i ever owned - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By hopefulone - October 25 - 3:07 pm

  Purchased car April 2 2010 and right out of the box until now October 25 2011 the car is perfect. Not one thing has gone wrong "Yet".With time i may experience something but until then i have no complaints about the Fusion SE with Stick Shift. Some cars purchased during the economic downturn (2008 thru 2009) seem to be the cars people are complaining about.These cars were mostly sold during the "cash for clunkers" government program and i know of others on the Ford Fusion forum who have had some silly to some serious setbacks in their cars.

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  subframe failure - 1992 Ford Taurus
  By phtann - October 25 - 1:20 pm

  Car was overall a decient car for $100.00, however the subframe rusted out at the rear passenger side mount and the subframe dropped out luckly just after exiting the interstate. No Im not embelishing this story, its all true!! After finding out there was a safety recall on this car from ford and the National Highway Safety Association. I contacted Ford and was told they would NOTY do anything to help me because of the age of the vehicle. I was also told not to contact them again. i know i only paid $100.00 for the car but I put plenty more into it which I was not able to recover via driving it. The car went to salvage with all the new parts i installed which i got $50.00 after towing.

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  Fun, Fast but squeaky - 2006 Ford Focus
  By nickmbb - October 25 - 12:59 pm

  Its a nice fast city run-around car. Great on gas and is fun to drive. On the highway, it drives smooth at high speeds. Had it for 6 years now and havent had any mechanical problems (except that squeak).

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  Recent Purchase, WARNING DO NOT BUY! - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By amcrowe - October 24 - 3:50 am

  While driving home, my driver side window quit working. The buttons on my radio quit working, although it randomly kept trying to reprogram "preset 2". Finally, at 65mph on a busy road, I rapidly lost all acceleration. Almost exactly like many of you have explained with the erratic RPM. I flushed the transmission fluid, hoped that it was a fluke. Fixed a loose connection on the driver side door, got the window working again. The radio was still acting up, but feeling confident I hopped into my ‘NEW’ van only to have it NOT START AT ALL. [violative content deleted]