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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  Feel Stupid - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By Pam - November 7 - 11:07 am

  I bough a 2011 Ford Fiesta hatchback about 7 months ago. Within the first few months I had it at the shop for a recall on the manual clutch then next will be the door locks I guess the door open while driving. Now I am having issues with the Power Train in the steering wheel. When I purchased this piece of crap I also got an extended warranty. I got a Power train care plus warranty what good that did because the part I need is not even on the warrant list. The breaks constantly make a noise which i ask the shop about and got some stupid reason why now the right front of my car vibrates as i drive and the steering wheel shakes... If I could get rid of this car it would not be fast enough...

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  Buy something else! - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By Carly - November 4 - 8:36 am

  I bought this car( brand new) after doing my homework... Thought it would be a great investment. So I got it fully loaded seeing that I planned on having it a long time. Well two months in the problems started... Fuel system was failing. Replaced it. Then recall after recall they kept showing up. Needless to say I was starting to get annoyed. Then the horn and speaker died and check engine light kept coming on. Car only had 15,000 miles on it. Finally the damn transmission started acting up... Shifting so hard I felt like I was driving a stick shift. Took it in. They reprogrammed it.... No change. Took it in again before it started getting cold (drives even worse then) and they gutted the transmission replacing everything and fixed MORE recalls. Then the doors wouldnt lock because of bad wiring. Didnt chance it took it back. The car drove nice for all of 3 days before the hard shifting started again...not even 20,000 miles on it. Just a shame. Dont get stuck paying for this lemon people... Ford can take it back.

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  Flex - 2015 Ford Flex
  By Byron Schaeffer - November 3 - 11:39 am

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  Good and Bad - 2013 Ford Focus
  By Brian in Florida - October 28 - 1:38 pm

  This car is well built and very nice looking. Easy to clean. Logical controls are easy to use. Surprisingly roomy. Surprisingly nice handling, and adequate power. A fun car to drive. By using the cruise control as much as possible I could get well over 40 mpg. However the drivers seat is a deal breaker. The seat is NOT height adjustable. The back part of the seat surface does adjust up and down but the front part - which touches the backs of your knees - does not adjust. This is a problem for anyone shorter than 56". And the seat back is narrow and curved which pushes your shoulders forward. There is no lumbar support at all. The headrest, even when pushed all the way back, leans forward too much and prevents you from holding your head so that your eyes look straight ahead at the road. This poorly designed seat will cause you to need frequent chiropractic care. After 19 months of trying different adjustments and different types/sizes of seat cushions I could not take sitting in that seat anymore and I traded the car for a Taurus. A few other dislikes - the glove box has no lock and no interior light. The headlights cannot be turned on unless the engine is running. No cup holders for the rear seats. No heated mirrors, which affects visibility in the rain or cold weather. The switch for the dome light is illogical: the button closest to the back turns on only the front light, whereas the button closest to the front turns on the back and front dome lights. This means that a rear passenger can turn on the front dome light but not the rear one, unless he loosens his seat belt and leans forward and reaches the front switch that is close to the front passengers. The driver and front passenger can easily turn on the rear dome light, but in order to turn on both lights hed have to reach back to the rear switch. Trade in value is not good because these cars are so common, "a dime a dozen" so to speak. Used car dealerships are flooded with these. The are so many great things about this car, but the few not-so-great things outweigh them. I was glad to get rid of this car even though I still had 43 payments left.

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  Low Quality, Unreliable, get a Toyota - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Jeff - October 25 - 5:58 am

  2015 Explorer, 9K miles and been in dealer service five times for warranty issues. Aircoditioning out of service last visit!!!!!! Very cheap build and finish out, rattles, viberates and squeaks.....very irritating while driving or riding in vehicle. Leather seats are ok, ride is good, handling is spongy, V6 power is adequate, but sluggish. This will be the last FORD product Ill ever purchase due to cheap build and quality.

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  Same ol, same ol - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Tisaac - October 24 - 9:57 pm

  I have a 2014 Focus Titanium...colossal mistake. With less than 15k miles I learned through my own investigation after having problems with the lower gears that there was a recall on the transmission! Took it in for repair to find that they also needed to order a new clutch assembly...8-12 week back order. Apparently this is a major problem! I have only had the car for one year and am already looking for a replacement.

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  only 26000 mi on this 5 yr old auto - 2011 Ford Explorer
  By Rodney Martz - October 22 - 6:58 am

  Battery went bad in 37 mo. no warranty! navigation went bad @38 mo no warranty! tires went bad @38 mo. no warranty! sidewalls cracked and Ford would not stand by them! only 19000 mi on the auto Auto was out of warranty. Ford does not stand behind their long time customers time for a change!

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  Lemon - 2013 Ford Focus
  By Sharon Lee - October 21 - 12:03 pm

  I have a 2013 Ford Focus I bought it new. I have had it in to the Ford Garage to fix the shaking and shuttering twice now and here I am a year later having the same issue. I just called the Dealership that I bought it from and they tried to tell me this is "normal"!! Its definitely NOT normal!! Do not buy this car... run as fast as you can away from it!!!

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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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  poor mileage since recall - 2015 Ford Escape
  By JF - October 15 - 3:06 pm

  I used to get good MPG, 22 in city, 28 highway, ever since the so called recall for who knows what my MPG suck, 17-19 city, 22 highway and I am not a fast start, dime stop driver. What happened, who knows, took to dealer and their test says overall 22mpg, that SUCKS. I have 9000 miles on this car and why did it drop, well Ford claims it is not due to the recall, I disagree 100% as it happened after the update. Wont be buying another Ford, and this is my 2nd Escape, first one was a LEMON, had it 5 weeks and was in shop every week. Ford in my opinion is 100J% WRONG, I asked them to remove the update considering it can be done, it is a computer they do it to and they mouth off about some stupid government law saying they cant do it. So be careful if you expect to get good mileage, you will not. I cannot give high marks for anything because of poor miles per gallon after the recall. The information below is good except for zip code, will not allow me to enter mine and the miles, I have 8,800 miles