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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  Probably not best - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By cars77 - November 24 - 11:29 am

  This car is probably not the best for your money. I have the SFE with auto trans and the trans is very jerky and makes strange noises and movements like it doesnt know what gear to be in from 0-30 mph. The car has 9000 miles and ford said to change oil every 10000 so that is what i was going to do. Around 5000, checked the oild and it was low so i added some. Around 8800 checked again and was again low so i added some. So i called the dealership and they said the would get it in 2 weeks. Took it to the dealership and said there was nothing wrong. That is just the oil problem. Also took it to the delership for a backfire that happened as i was merging. Ford says nothing wrong to that too.

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  Objective Review - 2011 Ford Focus
  By godspeople - November 22 - 8:17 pm

  Car is great on gas and fill up is the lowest among similar size models. Bought the SE Automatic as a Demo at the dealer The brakes sorta grind when it is pressed and the stopping distance is too long for my comfort. The seats are upright with little or no thigh support. However, you do not fee cramped in the cabin. There is an abundance of room. IT takes longer than usual to heat up in the cabin in the winter. Will report on the AC when it is summer. Bump absorption is decent. It is an econo car so do not expect great acceleration. It is ample at best. The Sync system works satisfactory, no complaints so far. For the price, overall it is a solid car. I will run regular updates as the Ks go

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  Troubles in KY - 2003 Ford Explorer
  By rgross1 - November 20 - 7:00 pm

  I have always been a Ford Fan. I refused to buy any other model for close to 40 years, but that is about to change. I purchased a 2003 Ford Explorer XLT and it has been one problem after the other. I have replaced the rearend, the motor, and now the Transmission has gone out. Before all of this I also had the heater control swith to mess up. This was $800.00 to replace. The gas hand is going out and works only part time. As you can see one headache after another.

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  Lemon - 2011 Ford Explorer
  By chuckerrx - November 10 - 2:58 pm

  Im about to contact a lawyer about my 2011 Explorer Limited Lemon. I just spoke with a customer service manager at ford for my dealers district and was basically told tuff cookies! The MFT ( I can think of another word for the F instead of Ford) is junk. Goes black all the time and takes out the phone, stereo, nav, and climate controls. On a 100 degree day the MFT decided to turn on the heat and defrost full blast and there was no changing it until the car was off for awhile, nice. Ford said there might be an update fix in the first quarter of 2012. Might? might? great!

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  FIRST EVER FORD - 2011 Ford Explorer
  By smallmouth - November 6 - 4:55 pm

  We purchased our first ever ford vehicle. 3 days later it was in the shop for a computer failure. One week later we got it back. So far 7000 miles later we havent had any more problems. My ford touch wasnt a well thought out plan. I think Ford released it during the devolpment stage. The road noise is bad, I have a 2004 Dodge 2500 diesel that has less road noise that this thing.

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  DO NOT BUY THE CAR WITH THE SYNC SYSTEM - 2011 Ford Edge
  By tuffcookie - November 6 - 12:51 pm

  I purchased a 2011 Ford Edge with the Sync system. The system does not work Ford is covering up the problem in all of the Edges and Explorers The dealerships are unable to fix the system My car is my office the whole system does not work can not recieve or talk on the phone Radio some times goes out System re boots on its own If you use your car as your mobile office do not buy I have an internal Ford e mail stating system does not work and supposedly fix is coming in Jan Feb . I bought an American car to support our country. They have not lived up to the problem in their customer service divsion and have not come out publically and admitted they have a problem Maybe they should follow

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  Love/Hate My Taurus - 2011 Ford Taurus
  By kdawn - October 31 - 7:23 pm

  I have had my Taurus one year and have 38k miles on it. I use it for my job. I have had it in the shop 6+ times for transmission issues. It shifts very hard and hesitates going into gear, leaving me in unsafe situations. I love the look of my car. Its fun and sexy, but just very dissappointed in the service I have received. I am now dealing directly with Ford and am reviewing the ins/outs of the Lemon Law. I HAVE to have a safe vehicle as I am a mom and a grandma and I want to stay around for a while.

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  Stuck in the middle. - 1993 Ford Mustang
  By davey_t16 - October 29 - 7:27 am

  Got this as my first hot rod at 17 after having two trucks and a jeep... Convertible model, was great but had some problems with the weak roof motor. Car had good take off and the 5.0 was impressive but the top end could have been better. Transmission shifted hard but held up til I hit 180k. Handled decent, gas mileage about run of the mill for the type of car. The car was babied but after I hit 80k I had some serious problems. The transmissions in these things are not built tough car has some wiring and temp control issues. Engine seemed like it was made a lil cheap for standards. Fun cruiser though, sharp looking ride my favorite of the pony bodies.

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  Ford CVT Transmission problems - 2007 Ford Freestyle
  By algc - October 26 - 10:16 am

  Our 2007 Ford Freestyle was purchased used in 2009 with 17000 miles. Immediately a traction controll light kept coming on on the dash. When we took it to the dealership, they couldnt find a problem and we were told to ignore it. Now at 66,000 miles, it has severe problems with the transmission not working. Worse, when we took it to two local dealerships, neither worked on the CVT transmission and wasnt able to diagnose or repair the problem. From reading reviews on the internet, I find that this problem is common in the Freestyle and the lack of Ford Trained Transmission specialists is common also. This car isnt reliable and I would pass on buying another with the CVT transmission.

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  Ford or Hyundai the MPG is about the same - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By roadwarriorlt - October 26 - 9:37 am

  I have an S 4 door with an automatic and drive 78 miles one way to work plus 100 miles of city making calls each day, so I got the car to cut my daily gas cost. At the same time I was looking at a Hyundai Elantra which another sales person picked up for basically the same price as we both purchased pre-owned with 5k to 7k miles on the cars. I bring this up because Ford says 37 mpg for the automatic on the car and Hyundai says 40 mpg. Well after more than 1,100 miles and 3 tanks of gas. Im at 36.46 mpg and the Hyundai is at 37.10 mpg so the MPG are pretty close to the same.