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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  Poor reliability and performance - 2012 Ford Focus
  By samc - December 22 - 8:16 am

  2012 Focus spent $22K new, has 37,000 miles and the transmission needs to be rebuilt, Ford is covering the repair. Passenger window motor is gone and needs to be replaced. the Passenger front seat adjustment mechanism is broke. I would not by a Ford their reliability is terrible . Big mistake on my part.

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  bad truck - 1999 Ford F-150
  By Gen - December 20 - 8:42 am

  I own a 1999 f150 and I hate it. I bought a toyota tundra a few weeks ago and Ill never buy another ford. But my 99 ford broke everywhere week the back window leaked and tons of rust on it. I got terrible gas mileage I was lucky to get 8 mpg it was bad. Id fix 1 thing then another thing would break. It had 128,000 miles on it. Ill never buy another ford I put 3 front ends on it I hated it. I just came to the point that I got tired of fixing it so like I said I went out and bought a toyota tundra and I love it.

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  Nice SUV, Bad build Quality - 2015 Ford Edge
  By Vince - November 27 - 10:02 pm

  I bought the 2015 Titanium Edge a couple weeks ago. The car is very nice and rides well, but the fit and finish is very poor. I had to get trim piece on back door replaced due to severe misalignment with rear window trim. The upper section of the driver door is severly misaligned with the rear door while the middle and bottom sections are aligned. There is what looks like a N shaped defect in the leather trim in backside of passenger front seat. The passenger front drink holder has a constant rattle when a drink is in it. There are two spots on outside rear passenger side door that seem to be defects but look like dents. I choose this car over other brands because of its comfort and features, but did not catch these things before buying. I spent nealy $40K and regret purchase due to these issues.

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  Looks great and stylish, but build quality is poor - 2012 Ford Focus
  By John - November 24 - 1:46 pm

  This vehicle is all about looks and style with the only exception the great gas mileage. The suspension is sub par with problems keeping the wheels in alignment. The interior build quality is poor - the headliner is poorly constructed and is noisy. There are dash board rattles at all moderate speeds. The sound system is poor at best. You get what you pay for - as the old adage goes.

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  Big disappointment! - 2012 Ford Focus
  By T - November 23 - 8:02 pm

  I was completely in love with this car when I first bought it back in aug. 2014. I was upgrading from a falling apart suzuki forenza. Honestly, even though my forenza was falling apart, it drove smoother and was a lot more quiet. My focus shutters, hesitates, sticks in gear, has loss of power, sometimes I can barely get it to move which is scary when I am turning at a traffic light....It is also very loud! The entire interior rattles like a tin can, the dash, the door panels and the headliner and its super loud. The engine does this really annoying ticking sound that nobody at the dealership seems to care about. I have brought this car in over 5 times now and to 2 different dealerships and I keep getting the "its normal" for that transmission to drive wacky. But seriously, I pay good money to have a car that drives rough and sounds like a rattling tin can and you cant fix it or even attempt to because it wont give the "proper" readings for them to be allowed to order the parts? This is my first and last Ford and I gotta say it sucks. I am bummed out because I really do love the car but I hate the things that are wrong with it even more.

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  Ford Fusion SE 2015 - 2015 Ford Fusion
  By Owen Baker - November 22 - 5:30 pm

  I bought a 2015 Ford Fusion SE in February and there is a design flaw since 2013 and Ford refuses to fix their heated seats that go on whenever they want to. Ford issued a bulletin in April of 2015 telling their dealers No REPAIRS TO BE PERFORMED. They refuse to fix a problem that they caused. I think the Government Safety Board should get involved. Boycott Ford. They dont even return some phone calls. Do not buy your car from Vista Ford in Woodland Hills, as they do not help you with Ford.

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  Great road car. - 2012 Ford Fusion
  By Buckbean - November 11 - 12:34 pm

  I am 6 240. Drive 1500 mile trips weekly every month. Often PA, WV, and TN interstate mountain driving. Fusion awesome road car for these long trips. Typically cruise at least 75 mph. Without cruise, going 90 before I know it. Handles great, even climbing and curvy mountain driving. Have never driven a luxury vehicle, so cannot honestly compare as far as road noise. Fusion seems very quiet to me. Have had noisy cars in past. On long trips simple solution is cotton in ears. At 80,000 miles, the worst I get on my trips is 32 mpg. Very roomy front and back. Huge trunk. Other than tires, and brakes, and religious oil changing, Ive never had to put a penny into it. I am far from a techy, so its lack of all of these fancy cameras and computer screens and other such crap is only a plus to me. Best performing and most reliable road car Ive driven.

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  I wouldnt suggest this car. - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By Paul Jarrels - November 11 - 8:13 am

  Awful transmission, problems, bluetooth wont connect most of the time, and parts literally fall off.

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  STAY AWAY - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Shane House - November 10 - 7:46 am

  I have had this car for a little over a year and it has been the worst purchase I have ever made. I have about 45k on the odometer and will be trading it in as soon as the extended warranty runs out. First problem problem at about 10k the abs and traction control lights came on. Took it to Ray Varner Ford and They had to order a speed sensor and wiring harness and was told to bring car back the next day. Took a second day off from work to take car in once again but after I made the hour drive to the stealership they told me that the part had not came in and to call back to check tomorrow. Kept calling back but the parts never came in so after I gave up on that dealer I took it to Lance Cunningham Ford. I had started to notice a faint roar and informed them of the roar also. They diagnosed it with the same problem for the ABS and had to order parts. They couldnt find the roar and basically told me I was hearing things. Took the car back a couple of days later and they repaired the ABS light issue. At about 25k the same problem with the appeared. Took it back told them the roaring noise was louder. Once again I needed to come back for parts for the ABS. They found that the roaring sound was from the tires in the rear was cupped due to an alignment issue and that was not covered under warranty. They wanted about $400 to repair the alignment and put on two new tires. I declined and took it elsewhere for half the price. Took it back and had the ABS issue taken care of once again. At around 35k the ABS came on once again but by the time I could get it to a stealership I had already turned over 36k and the warranty was out. I took it to a different dealer and they diagnosed it with a bad ABS module this time and it was going to be a $2500 repair. They even told me that the ABS module should have been replaced the first time and it had caused the wiring harness and speed sensors to go out the first couple of times. They called corporate and Ford refused to pay for the repair. I had purchased a third party extended warranty when I bought the car and they paid for most of the repair and it only cost me around $100 and two more days of missed work. I totaled it all up and these repairs although under warranty ended up costing me around $2200 in missed work. My last car was an Accord and it had one problem with the radio while under warranty and they brought out a loaner car and picked my car up. I made it 340k without any repairs other than routine maintenance. I will trade this in for another Honda as soon as the extended warranty is over.

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  Excellent Car! Except... - 2014 Ford Focus
  By John Donne - November 8 - 10:03 pm

  When I first saw and drive the car I instantly fell in love with it. It was cool, fun,sporty, smooth and solid. I bought it (used) right away thinking I just got a very great deal and a great car. But right away I was finding the car to have really strange transmission feel. When I was test driving it the transmission felt like like a munual. I just assumed it reved high because it was a sport car. It felt sporty. But later on after I bought the car I started notice some jerking when starting from a stop. With all this going on I decided to do some research on the car and transition. I didnt realize it was a dual clutch transmission (automated manual) when I bought the car. This explained the manual feel of it. After that I when on a drive to test the transmission and I was terrible, rough starts, jerking up hill, weird reving. I read reviews on here and everyone says the same thing. Lemon transmission. Dual clutches tend to be not a smooth as tradition manuals but this one is just awful. I cant believe ford would put a transmission this terrible in a car this day and age. My advice to you...just spend the extra money and get a Mazda 3 of corolla. Luckily my dealer offers a 3 day return policy. I will be sadly returning this car at once.