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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  70,000miles Just Fine - 2011 Ford Taurus
  By Mark - October 17 - 2:05 pm

  Buy with largest wheels and heavy duty battery

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  Awesome Track Suv! - 2013 Ford Explorer
  By Moses Alvarez - October 17 - 2:05 pm

  I have a 2013 Sport Black on Black. This Suv looks great, the interior is nice, and the performance is awesome. When Im driving this bad boy around town, peoplw in other Suvs and sometimes cars always want t race me and I destroy them everytime. So one day I took this to the track, and ran a 14.07 bone stock! So I decided to do a livernois Stage 3 Tune and now Im doing Mid to High 12s in an Suv!!! This Suv is just awesome, the EcoBEAST engine is phenomenal. 5 out of 5 stars in performance EASY. Sure there may be a lot of plastic pieces, compared to a Range Rover or BMW X5, but the interior is very decent for an american Suv. Plus when you know your faster than all of them, who cares am I right?? My wife even enjoys leaving the other Soccer Moms behind in their Mazda CX-9s, Chevy Traverse, Honda Oddysseys etc... All in all, this things is a Rocket and I am so glad I decided to purchase this over a Grand Cherokee SRT, AND I get a THIRD ROW!! WAY TO GO FORD!!!! Highly Recommend!

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  93 ford thunderbird LX V8 - 1993 Ford Thunderbird
  By Tanya - October 17 - 2:49 am

  I love my car its my first one ive had it for a year. Ive replaced the water pump and starter and done a tune up and full oil change and front brakes. I also had to fix the AC when i bought it. Recently my cars been shaking alot something its never done and it gets way worse if you try turning on the AC. Also overheats when i run my AC. Does anyone no what could be wrong i really want to figure out whats up and get it fixed before it causes something else to go wrong

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  Unusable Parking Brake - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Richard Mondy - October 17 - 12:48 am

  Bought a 2015 Ford Explorer for my wife. She is small 4-10" age mid-fifties so we got the Limited model for its adjustable brake and gas pedals. Problem is the parking brake is so hard to push she cannot set it with her left foot. She pushed the brake so hard to set with her right foot that it has made her right knee sore. Local Ford dealer says he cannot fix the problem because the brake would not hold if it were made easier to push. I find it hard to believe that Ford engineers are so incompetent they cannot design a parking brake that is usable by a small lady. Local service manage says just do not use the parking brake. I wonder if he cleared that advice with the national highway safety Board?

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  Quick little car - 2011 Ford Mustang
  By S. Davis - October 16 - 10:14 pm

  I have had this car 5 years and1 month. For the first 5 years I had perfect service from this car. At 5 years 1 month the traction control came on by itself [on a clear, dry, straight, stretch of road] and cut the fuel and made steering very hard. This is very dangerous, if someone is following you and you lose power it would be easy to get hit from behind. Ford dealership tried to sell me a steering box, even I knew this wasnt the problem. After much research I found this is a common problem that ford has not really addressed. I have taken it to other places that say it could be a sensor or any number of things. I really enjoy the car, and have decided to keep it for awhile longer to see if this happens again. With only 52,000 I dont think it should be giving problems. Overall its been a good car.

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  To be honest.... - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Damion - October 16 - 8:27 pm

  Okay what youve read about everyone elses experience with this car is basically accurate. Ive had my focus for about 4 months and Im beginning to experience all these transmission problems. Hesitation, spuddering, slow acceleration. Fortunate for however is that I had manufacturers warranty, but that doesnt make me happy knowing that this isnt going to be the first in going to have transmission failure... So to sum it all up id recommend waiting for a newer model that will be more effiecnt than the 2014 sedan.

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  Good design but crappy parts - 2014 Ford Escape
  By Jon - October 16 - 5:04 pm

  I got the 2014 Ford Escape Titanium AWD (2.0 Liter engine). I really like the design of the vehicle and the interior. The fuel economy isnt as bad as some have stated. I average about 24mpg combined (27-28 highway). The AWD does a really good job in slippery conditions, and I was pretty impressed with it. However! I bought it in Nov 2013 and Ive already had a few issues that really surprised me. The first issue was within 10k miles. I had a bearing go bad in my front right wheel. The warranty covered it no problem, but it was still really strange. A couple of months later I had back left strut go bad, and I had to get that replaced. Still it was under warranty so it wasnt a huge issue, but I was starting to worry about the quality of the Ford parts. Now this week I took it in for a knocking noise when I back-up and it turns out my front left strut is bad as well. This time however it was only covered under the extended warranty for some reason, so I had to pay a 100$ co-pay. At this point Im basically considering my options to escape this Escape. Im barely at 35k miles on this thing and not quite 2 years of ownership. I understand parts go bad, but for 3 parts to fail in the first 2 years and 35k miles worries me.

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  Steer clear of the new focus. - 2013 Ford Focus
  By Mr. Willoughby - October 16 - 8:52 am

  Dont buy one with an automatic trans. They are total junk. Dual clutched, fluidless paper weights is about all theyre worth. May as well put a lemon badge on the front grille. I bought my 2013 SE flexfuel sedan with 13 miles on it. Ive got over 60k now, but ive been in the shop 4 times due to trans. My car is actually on its 3rd. transmission since new. Still getting the issues as the first 2 did. Guess i shouldve bought a foriegn car. Atleast theyre a lot more reliable. Thank you FORD for ruining 1/3 of american automotive reliability. The worst part is that most car lots wont even give a fair trade in automatics because they are aware of focus transmission problems... ughh!

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  BMW performance on a budget - 2015 Ford Edge
  By JJ - October 15 - 10:54 pm

  I was originally going to buy a Taurus SHO but decided the Edge Sport would be more practical for my specific needs. I have owned many cars over the years and put a lot of miles on some pretty bad roads in all types of weather, unfortunately I cant comment on the Edges winter performance yet. What I can tell you is that this crossover is absolutely great on the highway and very pleasant to drive in an urban environment. Its quite, and soaks up bumps and irregularities in uneven road surfaces like a big luxury car. What it doesnt do is have a ton of body roll or wobbly feeling like a lot of vehicles in this segment. I suspect this is due to the stiffer springs and bigger anti sway bars on the sport model. Cargo storage and access is very good, the stereo is better than average, the navigation system is pretty straight forward and loads fast, visibility is also good, however I personally find the inability to turn the lane departure system completely off rather annoying as I dont always use turn signals so that little shudder it sends through the steering column when Im passing is a bit distracting. Yes, it has bunch of bells and whistles but the real reason to buy this thing is the engine. The 2.7 v6 twin turbo is absolutely incredible. The power is very linear and triple digits happen in the blink of an eye. The thing is you never realize how fast your accelerating until you look at the speedometer or the line of cars in the rear view mirror and it does it so smoothly and quite. Its not a Corvette or Porsche 911 but I can assure you an X5 or Lexus is going to be embarrassed if they challenge you on the 4 lane. My point is to find the level of technology and performance you find under the hood of this thing you would have to spend a lot more and it will be from Europe.

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  Excellent ride and features..but moisture in lamps - 2015 Ford Edge
  By Vito Keburis - October 15 - 8:29 pm

  First I have a 2015 SEL 3.5L (which is not listed) I traded my 2013 for the 2015. The ride felt better, looked better and handled better. 2 weeks after I bought it I noticed after it rained, there was moisture in the rear center reflector and tail lamp lenses. It went away after a couple days. I washed it in a touchless car wash and the moisture reappeared. Willowbrook Ford agreed that there was an issue, they took pictures and emailed them to Ford. Ford authorized replacing the rear lamps and center reflector. After Willowbrook Ford repaired my Edge they washed it and I picked it up. When I got home I noticed moisture in rear tail lamp lenses again. I will update this review.....