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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  Shake, Rattle and Roll - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By Becky Carroll - October 20 - 5:33 pm

  The Ford Fiesta "looked" like the perfect car for my soon-to-be-driver, but after I drove it for a while, I found it unsafe for an inexperienced driver. The transmission is very uncertain. At times it takes off smoothly from stop, other times it hesitates and shudders to a start. The start may be a lurch or a crawl. There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason for the inconsistency. Four months after the purchase, I received a Recall 15B22 and took it into a local Ford dealership. I was informed that they would attempt a repair but it might not work. I was told to drive it for 1500 miles before returning. The problem got progressively worse and when I had done my mandatory 1500 miles, I went back to the Ford service department and was told there was nothing more they could do. We will see about that, but that is where we stand to date. So, the vehicle for my new driver has proven itself unsafe for even I, a driver of 40+ years.

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  what a beast - 2003 Ford Excursion
  By george dougherty - October 20 - 4:33 pm

  Great truck - purchased in 2003 new. 180k miles. no major issues and still runs great. Last week a Dodge Ram rear ended me at thirty five miles an hour while I was stopped at a light. His truck is trashed, broken rad., power steering fluid all over the place, need to be towed. My fender is dented and tail light broken. has been on the beach, in 20 inches of snow, towed horses and other cars out of snow drifts, and has suffered my wife hitting posts etc. It keeps on going strong.

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  Dont listen to them - This car is great - 2012 Ford Fiesta
  By Nellie Gordon - October 20 - 4:29 pm

  First off - DO YOU RESEARCH!!!!! There are recalls for certain parts for this car. They are completely free to have fixed. I did have to have the clutch replaced in my car. (I have the hatchback SFE) This was a recall that Ford had on this model. I waited around 3 months for my service center to receive the part, took it in and had the car back the next day. HAVENT HAD AN ISSUE SINCE. Prior to the replacement part, there was an engine shudder coming out of first. I can see where this is a problem. This is not a transmission issue. So dont let that throw you off, Ford replaced the part with no questions asked and it didnt cost me a thing. When the person above me says they had problems with the door latches, SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE HER RESEARCH. I havent had a single other problem with my car at. all. The gas mileage is amazing on this car. I refuel once a week for 25 bucks. And I drive a ton. Oil changes are painless. I havent had to replace or fix a single thing yet on it, and its a 2012. Its 2015, people. The only thing I dont like about the car is the space in the back for passengers. Its fairly small in the leg room area. For a couple thats always on the go, its absolutely perfect!!!! We throw everything in the back and off we go. The acceleration is amazing, turning is amazing, I feel like Im driving my passat for less than half the price for maintenance. No leaks, its not loud, the transmission runs perfectly fine, my door latches work perfectly fine, everything.

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  2015 Ford Edge Titanium *Guards Green* - 2015 Ford Edge
  By Sage O - October 20 - 8:55 am

  So I am a 24 year old and have had my 2015 Ford Edge titanium with the 2.0 eco boost 4cyl in the guards green color for a bit over a month. So far, very satisfied with the car. The color is awesome, almost like a Greyish-green. Great ride height, good visibility of the road. The 4 cyl, in my opinion is enough power for the car. I would imagine the 6 cyl version being terrible on gas mileage. I drive mainly city, stop and go traffic in Brooklyn and I am averaging 16.2mpg for approx 1200 miles I have already put on the car. Interior is extremely comfortable. A lot of technology!!! Bluetooth is very easy to use and responsive. Touch screen display is excellent as well. I have ambient lighting in the vehicle as well which I love. Another feature I find my self using is the foot activated rear lift gate. Very useful believe it or not. Also the auto start fuction from the key fob is excellent. Use it almost every day, I anticipate using it daily once the winter hits the north eastOverall I am very satisfied with the vehicle and deffinetly recommend it to anyone looking for a luxury SUV

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  Nice...... - 2006 Ford Ranger
  By Kelly stratton - October 19 - 3:33 pm

  Great truck...gas mileage could be better for the 4cyl auto trans. Upgrade the tires to 235/70-15 to give it a little more height. Second ranger Ive owned an think their great trucks

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  Would buy again! - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By R. Martinez - October 19 - 11:06 am

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  Fabulous Ford Fusion gets A+ - 2012 Ford Fusion
  By Cari - October 18 - 8:36 pm

  This is probably the best car I have ever owned, and I have had everything from Cadillacs to VWs. In over three years it has given me absolutely NO problems! It is very comfortable and gives me a good ride every time, city or highway. I plan to get another one ASAP. The only slight disappointment is the resale value (it should be better)..

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  Dont buy this car. - 2013 Ford Fiesta
  By Steve Haering - October 18 - 10:30 am

  Acceleration - dismal at best, I wouldnt want to be in front of a semi-truck when the light turns green. Bluetooth - in theory its fine. But to turn it on, you have to use the voice activation and say "Bluetooth audio" whenever you start the car. It gets old after 50,000 miles. Braking - Substandard. I feel like Im driving a Mustang. Good luck braking on anything but dry pavement Cargo / Storage - Good enough to put someone in the trunk. The back seat could use space. Climate control - The spray seems a bit uneven in places Comfort - Only one arm rest and no center console. Awesome Dealership Support - Yeah, thats funny. Every time I take it in for transmission grinding "Oh, well recalibrate it. Wait three days". Electronics - Somehow they have a crappy Microsoft radio that only supports USB connections via an Apple device. Explain that one. Entertainnment - what entertainment? Performance - see above. Fuel Economy - It gets a great 40mpg when youre cruising on flat land at 55mph. Headlights - dismal, cant see anything. The brights are like my Camaros regular beams. Navigation - None Noise and Vibration - the tranny is constantly shuddering. Makes me feel really good about driving it, let me tell you. Purchase cost - I could have bought a bottom of the line Camaro for three thousand more. Reliability - little to none due to the Tranny issue. Resale value - abysmal. Okay. Anyway. Let me actually go into detail a little bit. This car is fine, until you hit the transmission issues. It shudders, it clicks, it whines, and it makes you feel like you arent actually going to shift, instead its going to stall out. Its an AUTOMATIC and it feels like its going to stall. Awesome, right? Ive had it into the dealership five times for the same issue, they keep recalibrating the transmission, and absolutely nothing happens. Someone explain that one to me. Trying to get rid of this car is like trying to get rid of herpies - its impossible. Probably because everyone knows that its a horrible car.

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  Goes the distance - 1994 Ford Thunderbird
  By Kevin Richardson - October 17 - 11:30 pm

  I got my V6 bird early in 2008 for free, you could say it needed some repairs with 180000 miles and previous neglect. I would consider these repairs normal considering the neglect and age. After replacement of water pump, radiator, hoses, heater core, T-stat, front end rebuild including rack and pinion and power sterring pump, brakes rotors flexlines and calipers, alternator and a paint job. For awile the car was just like new long cross country trips without trouble also the car gets about 110 miles a day 5 days a week commute. Then @ 285000 miles it failed smog needed new valve guides so had the cylinder heads rebuilt and went from useing 1 quart of oil every 500 miles to useing 1/2 quart every 3000 miles, also had to replace catletic converters, EGR valve, mass air flow sensor, air intake temp sensor, and computer temp coolant sensor. After all that the smog guy said it was running cleaner than most new cars. @ 285000 miles this is considerd normal matenince. Then at about 305000 miles it started missing randomly needed new distrubtor drive gear so I changed the coil and ignition controll module and fuel pump out of reliabilty since these parts wont last forever. As it needs to be reliable I dont need to brake down 2500 miles away from home BTW never had to be towed home or brake down, it easyer to find problems through prevenitve maint. and fix it in the drive way than out on the road. So today I have 348000 miles running great would drive it 3000 miles with out hesatation. The truth is if your comitted your car will last as long as you want, unless rust is there. I dont want to spend 30000-40000 for a new car and have debt spend $1500.00 a year and keep your car cheaper than a new one. At this point I just do routine maint. drive to work and weekend tips ,vacation no worries. Also the V8 has less maint. Yeah the v6 needs head gaskes at 200000 miles but really thats high miles it normal. I have never replaced this trans. I hear thats un ususal but I change the fluid every 20000 miles, maby there is something to that. The cooler line also has an in line filter that is changed every time with the pan filter useing Ford mercon 5 fluid it really matters dont use cheap trans fluid. The best part or funny part is as the years go buy the parts get cheaper. Go figure newer car more expensive parts older cart cheaper parts. Transmission and lower end of the engine is orignal and rear diff. Looks like a new car with the paint job. runs/drives like a new car too. Ill probally keep it forever or untill corosion takes over underneath. This car also stops on a dime wow, its got 4 wheel disk and ABS un heard of in 1994. Turns great for how heavy it is.

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  Transmission problems headed your way - 2014 Ford Focus
  By 1jadedtroll@comcast.net - October 17 - 6:40 pm

  I bought the car brand new and after 7400 miles I am having transmissions issues. It shudders bad and has issues trying to climb hills. Fuel economy is around 30 miles.