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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  worst car in the history of cars - 2001 Ford Focus
  By Jessica - February 20 - 12:20 pm

  This car is the worst car Ive ever had. I bought it used in 2013 with 60k miles on it and I thought I was getting a good deal. But EVERYTHING has gone wrong with this car! It could have partially been because it was possibly poorly maintained by the previous owner, but it has been an absolute nightmare! The radio stopped working after about a month, the fuel pump went out within 2 months, the timing belt, serpentine belt, motor mounts, spark plugs, radiator hose, thermostat, and alternator all went out within a year and now the cooling fans are out. When I replaced the alternator it then went out again a little over a year later too. This car has left me stranded 3 times!!! I have done all necessary maintenance on time since owning it, but there is always a new problem to be had. The electrical issues have been the worst problem, it took several mechanics and 2 alternators, pigtail connectors, and a new battery cable harness just to keep it from dying and yet it still has electrical issues. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!! I cant stress it enough!

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  I hate my car - 2004 Ford Focus
  By Hate my Focus - February 18 - 2:00 am

  To this day, I so mad at myself for buying this thing - knobs/trim have fallen off, the transmission makes noises - I am honestly as afraid to drive this car, as i was when i had a beater in college

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  danny - 2003 Ford Explorer
  By ddanny - February 5 - 10:00 am

  this car has been in the dealer since l bought it i did not get to drive it for 1week the car does not start in the morning and this car has alot of body role you feel you are going to flip when you take a turn at 20 i am going to buy the chevy tahoe because it has better ride. that will be the last time i will buy a ford

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  Most un-reliable car on 4 wheels - 2012 Ford Focus
  By 2012 Ford Focus - January 6 - 12:34 am

  Ford blew it with this car. Due to my wifes job we buy a car ever other year. This car has left us stranded 4 times with only 70k miles. There stupid dual clutch design transmission in this car has been nothing but problems. Car slips out of gear, sometimes wont even back up, makes chattering shifting noise while sitting in park. Took it to 2 Ford dealerships. AutoNation Ford technician in Katy said the best thing for me to do is run from this car and sell it. (This is after the third transmission reprogram). Finally took to Joe Meyers Ford they ripped me off and said faulty shift solenoid Charged $500 (after I told them I dont believe this is the problem because car runs fine for about a week after re-program), while still in shop then they said "Oh faulty transmission computer". Ford replaced computer under warranty. Now 1 month later car has a roaring noise coming from inside the transmission ( no its no the hub bearings). If Ford would have left the hydraulic style transmission in this car it would be a great car everything else is nice. New transmission is $3,101.02 screw that. THANKS FORD FOR MAKING JUNK!!!!!! YOU MUST BE SO PROUD. Go on Craigslist and look at how many 2012-2014 Ford Focus there are. Save yourself a headache and do not buy. I guess its true Foreign cars are better then Ford cars. RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!

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  Fun once Fuel Problem Solved - 1999 Ford Taurus
  By rwise - December 30 - 10:00 am

  Extreme hard start and sometimes no start. Many parts later, leaking fuel pump regulator. Fuel pressure bleed down when parked, no or little fuel pressure to cylinders on initial cranking, then sputter, start. New regulator. Fixed. Brake rotor warp. Have had 2 sets of front rotors and just ground 2nd set to get out warp. Lug nuts not tightened evenly? Car had slight track off to one side of road. Rotated and balanced. Worse. Put all wheels back to their original positions. Much better. Local garage says get rid of cheap General Tires cheap tires. Windshield wiper sometimes comes on by itself.

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  Dont buy this car, it sucks - 2012 Ford Focus
  By David Woomer - December 21 - 6:11 pm

  I usually keep a car 10-12 years, but this piece of junk was gone in less that two, at a big financial loss. All electronics suck, wont keep my Android phone synced and its a real pain to re-sync it. Whole Ford myTouch and Sync systems really poor. Naviagation hard to use. Worse yet is the tranny, 80% of the time when I put my foot down it will go, but 20% of the time it sits there and shakes like its gonna fall apart. Dangerous car to drive, you cant rely on getting out of a bad situation. Front wheel drive, but REALLY poor in snow. Grew up and learned to drive in the snow belt - this is the FIRST vehicle I was actually afraid to drive in bad weather.

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  first 5000 miles - 2016 Ford Fiesta
  By mark - December 19 - 7:22 am

  lets face it everyone one loves a new car so lets keep that in mind. Took my new ford fiesta titanium car on a 4000 mile round trip holiday get away and it was better than great. The only problem was fitting two people ,winter clothes, a dog and Christmas presents all in an economy car. This car has a very large hatch back area an I had hoped to fit it all into the back and not have to pile it into the back seat. Well that dream died quick. So for this trip I should have got the Escape. However as the gas mileage creeped up over 40 mpg (which the sales man swore it would once it hit 2000miles) I became more pleased with my new ford fiesta titanium. The great stuff: 1)the leather heated seats - the best 2) the huge display for the radio and Nav so even I can see it . 3) the sun roof -makes the car seem bigger and lets in the fresh air. 4) this car is layed out so you feel like you have driven it forever. we rent cars and some car brands put things in stupid places 5) a real glove box and console to rest your arm- sounds simple but try to find this in a car under 20 grand and you will see what I mean. 6)dead pedal - a place to rest your left foot on long trips- a back saver. 7)the sync 3 system works great with my iphone The not so great: 1)the nav/gps works good but I have used the garmins for so long that its all I know. So for the first 5000k review this is a great car! we will see at 30k if I cheaped out or got a great fully loaded car that fits in my garage for 18k and change.

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  My last Ford product - 1998 Ford Expedition
  By Kurt - December 14 - 6:41 pm

  My first vehicle was a Ford Mustang purchased back in the 70s. I owned a Honda and then a Toyota that I put over 200,000 miles on and its going strong for someone else now. I tried a Ford Ranger in 1994 purchased new with poor results. I dumped it before the warranty expired. The 1998 Expedition averaged one trip to the garage each month. I put countless thousands into it and traded a big loss for another Toyota. I would really like to buy Ford products but Im not willing to dump money and worry when the vehicle will break down next. Ironically, my new Toyota is built in Indiana.

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  Do not buy this car - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport
  By gerti - December 7 - 10:00 am

  I used to have a explorer sport after 75000 miles I had to change the engine because it start making noise .Stay away from this devil car

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  Fusion Stinks - 2006 Ford Fusion
  By Jeff Dill - December 7 - 12:10 am

  I hate it, this car clunks around like cheap junk. The car makes so much noise when you go above 50 on the freeway. The interior details look nice and function well, but the durability is questionable.