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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  A piece of crap - 2015 Ford Fusion
  By CRM - November 29 - 9:59 pm

  The electronics of the car is shorty and cheap. Ford will do nothing to rectify the situation. They are liars and act as if they are trying to fix the issues, but they really dont care. Do not buy a Ford from Germain Ford in Dublin Ohio. Anything they cant figure out, they say its normal. I will never buy another Ford again in life. I wouldnt even accept a free one, thats how much I hate Ford.

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  LEMON!! - 2012 Ford Fiesta
  By E. Lucero - November 29 - 12:05 am

  I purchased a used 2012 model from my local Ford dealer as a graduation gift for my daughter in 2013. This car has been nothing but trouble almost from the start! We have had to take the car in for constant service due to the ongoing recalls associated with the clutch, transmission and door locks, and still the car is not up to par. Thank god for warranties! We finally had enough and traded this lemon in for a Fusion hoping for better luck this time around, and peace of mind knowing my child is driving a safer car.

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  Focus transmissions are bad - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Do not buy Focus or Fiesta - November 28 - 3:12 am

  Do not buy. Period.

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  Run away as fast as you can - 2012 Ford Fiesta
  By Dan - November 26 - 2:23 pm

  This has got to be the worst car ever made by any car company, including Yugo. This car should auto qualify for a lemon. If you buy this car, chose a lemon law attorney the same day you drive off the lot. The ford sync system is terrible and never works properly, and i mean NEVER. The transmission is a constant problem. It sound like its grinding during every shift point and even when no power is applied. It shifts erratically, surges, stalls out and sometimes leaves me stranded at red lights. Dont buy this car, dont even look at it.

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  RIP. OFF. - 2014 Ford Fiesta
  By Disgusted - November 21 - 5:53 am

  This car is a death trap and an embarrassment to drive. The transmission is constantly jerking, grinding, hesitating, etc. This is a common problem that Ford is apparently doing nothing about. It should be illegal to sell a car like this. Of course the fact that the Ford salesman lied to me when I purchased the car doesnt help. Will not ever purchase another Ford. Cant wait to get rid of this piece of garbage.

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  Do not buy Ford Focus!!! - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Erwin Rempola - November 20 - 3:00 pm

  I made a big mistake buying my 2014 Ford Focus Hatchback Titanium. I bought this car brand new. After a year, it started to shake or jerk al low speed. It is so bad that I felt unsafe driving the car. I took the car to the Ford Dealership at Capitol Ford of San Jose, California for service and nothing happened. They have my car for 8 days now and they have not fix anything yet. One of the service advisor said that Ford have no fix for this issue. There have been a lot of lawsuit against Ford about Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta. Before you buy Ford please check online for Ford Transmission issue. I dont know what to do with my Ford Focus. Ford has not issued a recall for Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta (2011-2014). I cannot believe a company so big like Ford will not issue a recall. They would rather fight the lawsuit or wait until someone dies driving Ford Focus until they finally admit that there is something wrong with their cars.

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  The Worst Vehicle Ever, Glad I Escaped from Escape - 2013 Ford Escape
  By Jim J - November 20 - 2:30 pm

  Oil Burning Odor being drawn into the cabin from the engine compartment, FORD NEVER figured out the problem. Hood seal was bad and something was letting off a burning oil smell, smoke under the hood. Transmission Failed and was rebuilt, rear differential was rebuilt. All of this happened before 3 years 36,000 miles. Safety restraint computer needed to be replaced under recall... It took Ford almost a year from announcing the recall to actually have the part available. FORD Seems to put their sales before taking care of their current customers... They got your money, now you dont matter to them...

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  Never buy a ford again - 2013 Ford Focus
  By FoundOnRoadDead - November 20 - 1:37 am

  2013 ford focus is a joke. Bought the titanium edition with all bells and whistles, got the nice lcd touch screen with navi (2500$ option). After about 1 year and 38,000 miles the lcd touch screen stopped working rendering the navi and most other options useless or a complete inconvenience to use. Ford says sorry, but warranty ended at 35,000 miles and it is an 800 dollar repair, sorry about your luck. Did I mention on my second oil change dealership noticed a transmission leak. Then there were Multiple trips to dealership for reprogramming, cleaning clutch plates. Recently at 80,000 miles vehicle wouldnt switch out of 1st gear. Ford says just needs computer update,that should do it. Two weeks later as Im attempting to accelerate onto freeway tach goes to 7000 rpm and I cant get out of first gear as the vehicles jerks and sputters. Left me stranded about 50 miles from home. Had to get it towed off the freeway. Now ford says it just needs a new control module, that will fix everything. Yeah right!!! Do not buy this vehicle, you will be sorry!! Ford is not stepping up to the plate to get these issues fixed. I will never buy another ford vehicle!!!!!!

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  Worst car purchase ever. - 2011 Ford Edge
  By Wes Howard - November 19 - 8:26 pm

  I have had (4) Ford trucks and loved them. No problems. Great trucks. Love the look of the Edge and I bought mine from a dealership, one owner, 62K miles, great CarFax, great shape, no issues best I could tell after inspecting and driving. After 9 months and putting 26K mainly highway miles I have spent $3000 on a leaking PTU - replaced PTU assembly, a shock rear shock gone bad - replaced both, brake issues - fixed, an axle seal gone bad - replaced, a leaking power steering hose - replaced, a transmission that had to be reprogrammed (no charge for this), bad rear wheel hub assembly - replaced.........and at the moment I have a back seat that will not go down which I rarely ever do but the dealership informed me that the release wire/cable had broken and that repair is a bit over $300 and today my sunroof opened and would not close. And the dealership this afternoon looked at it and had no clue what to do other than say bring it back when that have a full day to look at it. At the moment this lemon of a car is in my driveway with the the sunroof wide open and thankfully its a clear night. Funny thing is Ive owner a Toyota 4Runner and I know how dependable those cars are...I was deciding between the Edge and a Toyota Highlander and the Edge was my choice..and the only thing I can remember that sales guy saying who had the Highlander was you better keep in mind, theres a big difference between a Ford car and a Ford truck. Man if only I had listen to him. There you have it. I just got my bank approval back and I cannot trade this piece of junk quick enough.

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  Another story of a transmission problem - 2012 Ford Focus
  By Cynthia Beard - November 18 - 10:05 am

  I was rolling along in traffic on a main interstate highway and 2012 Ford Focus suddenly would not accelerate and then stalled. This was followed by all sorts of things lighting up on my dash, and the car would not re- start, wouldnt turn over, nothing. I was lucky to be able to get over to the shoulder of the highway, although it was on the left side of the road, which was super dangerous. Long story short, I was denied roadside assistance (which I thought I was covered under) because my car was no longer under warranty. I had 76,000 and change. My warranty apparently ran out at 60,000. However, this well known transmission problem that exists with this vehicle, is covered under an "extended warranty" up to 150,000 miles (but theres a $100 deductible!!!). So, because theres a faulty issue with this vehicle, a documented, known fault in the manufacturing my money, time and convenience are not a matter of concern. My car had been properly maintained, in fact had been inspected not a week before this happened, and there was no indication of this happening. This is extremely dangerous and frankly I find it unacceptable that FORD didnt do more to prevent this from happening. There is one Service Advisor at the dealership who was helpful. He has agreed to submit my towing bills for reimbursement. No one was really apologetic or concerned with my satisfaction as a Ford customer. If I was knowingly selling dangerous, faulty vehicles, I would be falling all over myself to make sure I could make the customer happy, if that were possible. Basically the attitude is one of indifference. I thought I was doing a good thing by buying an American car, but I would never buy another Ford again, and will try to trade this vehicle in ASAP. I will buy a Subaru if I can afford it. In short, buyer beware ... transmission problem, Ford not too concerned with customer satisfaction.