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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  Open airbag recall cannot be fulfilled by Ford - 2008 Ford Edge
  By Steve "fuck you Ford" Stevens - January 29 - 1:01 am

  The strong engine is the only good thing about this vehicle. Electronics are not great. MAF failure. Bluetooth on early SYNC is not great. Goofy interior plastics. Also, the "Sealed" transmission is not serviceable in the vehicle. Not good. Then the recalls came in waves... finally I didnt feel comfortable having my family riding around in a vehicle with a potentially faulty airbag. So I ditched this thing and got into a different manufacturers new SUV.

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  Waiting to get clutch repaired for over 8 months - - 2014 Ford Focus
  By TR - January 13 - 6:41 am

  Ford sold a car with a knowingly defective transmission. The clutch slips, shutters and shakes the whole car. When I took it into the Dealer 8 months ago I was told they know about the problem and there are so many to repair and with the backlog, it would be months before they had a replacement clutch for my car. They added me to the the bottom of a very long list. The car is miserable to drive and I find it unbelievable that it takes over 8 months to get service parts when its a current model production vehicle. Fords lack of customer support is atrocious. How much longer before I get the call that they are ready to replace/repair the clutch is unknown, I call about once a month to check the status and they always give the same answer; "we have so many we need to repair it will take a while to get to yours"

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  Very poor choice - 1999 Ford Taurus
  By bdelauri - December 16 - 10:00 am

  I have nothing but major and minor problems with this car. Not to mention that it has no good resale value. I have had to replace numerous things such as: power steering pump, abs sensors, trans mission, engiene and front struts are now going out. And on and on if I had more time....:(

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  7 Factory Recalls - 1995 Ford Windstar
  By tony22r - December 13 - 2:00 am

  7(!) Factory Recalls! -blown head gaskets, twice -2 transmissions, failed plungers -"Check Engine" light has been constantly ON since new. -weatherstripping falling off -trim, interior falling apart -had a defective, leaky RIM since new! -Electrical problems -Has been towed more times than we can Count! Do NOT buy a Ford Windstar!

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  Ford Escape 2015 New Flooded - 2016 Ford Escape
  By Jerri Manning - December 9 - 6:21 pm

  Purchased car new in May. I am long-term Ford customer. Car FLOODED due to defect in front windshield. Ford will not replace or to buy back program after copious amounts of water was in this vehicle. Will not recommend to anyone due to Ford seems to feel that this is not a serious issue. I did not want a vehicle I purchased new 5 months ago to have a history of flooding.

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  Very cheaply made vehicle that costs way too much - 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
  By SoCalCASK - December 3 - 1:06 pm

  I have had this car for 2 years. I drive the car 120 miles a day in Los Angeles Traffic being the vehicle 4 hours a day, I know and understand this vehicle...stay far far away!!! The interior and exterior of this vehicle is the cheapest that money can buy with a luxury price tag. The technology in this car is about 10 years behind the times. The Bluetooth works about 20% of the time which is awful since I drive 4 hours a day and rely on Bluetooth for basic functionality. I need Bluetooth to be able to take care of any client calls and I also rely on this for my podcasts. I am in the car 4 hours and am stuck without any Bluetooth, it is truly like having a car in the 90s again. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR, it is overpriced and Ford should be ashamed. This car cost more than my luxury vehicle and it drives, rides, and is like the cheapest car I have ever purchased. I am paying a premium for what I consider a car not worthy of the cheapest vehicle on the road. Issues - No Bluetooth - If Bluetooth does work the caller hears the phone ringing several times inside the vehicle before you connect, this is extremely unprofessional and most of the time callers get confused and hang up - The trunk materials fell apart quickly and the trunk doesnt close. I purchased the extended warranty so I took this in thinking this is a basic fix they should cover, NO, they wanted me to pay for their CHEAP materials used that do not allow the trunk to close. No thank you, I cant put any additional money into this piece of **** - When you take the car in under your prepaid service plan the dealership puts you to the back of the line so you have to wait for any basic service well in excess of anyone else. I work long hard hours, I dont have an extra 2 hours to spend at a dealership. In addition, they refuse to wash the vehicle. Basically the dealership even treats this car like its a POS cheap car - 4 recalls on the vehicle thus far. Again, I dont have time to deal with Fords issues This is the worst purchase I have made in my entire life. Do not make the same mistake that I did. Cheaply made car at a premium price

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  Dont Buy Ford - 1996 Ford Windstar
  By FarsideJohn - November 23 - 2:00 am

  An average vehicle at best, this POS has been sitting in my garage for 5 weeks because it has a leaking head gasket (3.8 liter engine) at 64,000 miles. Although there are hundreds of identical complaints on the NHTSA.gov web site due to Fords bad engine design, Ford refuses to make good on the $3,000 of repairs that are required to make this vehicle driveable again. If I am reincarnated, I will never, never, never buy another Ford product.

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  fix or repair daily - 1995 Ford Mustang
  By enfiniti - November 19 - 2:00 am

  fix or repair daily

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  Beware - 1998 Ford Windstar
  By Riv - November 19 - 2:00 am

  Very poor reliability. Radio has been a major problem. Very expensive to repair/replace (suggest replacement with after market radio). Major problems with motor after 45,000 miles. Service engine light comes on all the time. Continue to take to dealer and its something different each time. Vacuum hoses, oxygen sensors, gasket replacements, front steering suspension problems and recalls. Basically a money pit. Timing Head Cover Gasket and Upper Intake Gasket latest repair, $1,400.

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  $30,000 Piece of Crap! - 2016 Ford Escape
  By Scott Wojtas - November 12 - 2:28 pm

  After doing a bunch of research on my next car, having grown up in a family of Fords and previously owning a Mustang; I decided to go with the Escape. Alot of what I wanted was based on the technology aspect as I installed an aftermarket radio that supported Apple CarPlay, which only came with Ford Sync 3 on titanium models. Day after Labor Day 2016, I found a 2016 titanium CPO with what I wanted and thought I had a great deal. Only to experience nothing but problems with the Bluetooth connectivity, drivers side wind noise, and noises from the undercarriage as I accelerate/stop/make turns. I took it back to dealer to resolve the issues as I was still under warranty. The door was adjusted, a part was ordered for the shocks, yet they couldnt replicate the Sync 3 issues that I had documented with video. The service guy was a jag and didnt care to see the videos I had. After that experience, I contacted Ford Customer Care and basically told me that the dealership is their "eyes and ears" and that they have to see it happen. So they said to drive right in next time the issues happen. So what happens when Im driving at night and the glitch happens and the service dept is not open?? I found another dealership closer to home, that was able to do a software update from 1.0 to 1.1 which didnt resolve my issues and still didnt give me the Apple Car play, one of the main reason I bought the car. On top of this, I found a crack in the windshield that I had to pay out of pocket to replace as it did not meet my deductible. As for the radio, it doesnt seem to work right as every couple days i have "reset" the console. Had I known I would be having these problems, I wouldve never bought the car in the first place. Ford continues to lie, and cheat its customers. Promising updates and then not following through. All I want at this point, is for them to replace the radio, as I documented with video the glitches, yet they want stand by their product. And thats why this will be my last Ford.