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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  WOW!!! - 2015 Ford F-150
  By Ken - September 20 - 2:25 pm

  This trucks 2.7L twin turbo engine roars with speed and power, its incredibly fast off the line. Considering its power the mpg its good, but in real world not great when compared to other trucks. Supposedly with the 4x4 I should be getting 19 combined, in actuality Im getting 17-18. The computer is showing close to 18.7, but when calculated manually its a mile or more less. That said, by electing the smaller engine it would matter if there was a trade off for mileage vs power, but thats not the case. Im suspecting with a custom tune the shifting would improve and the turbos performance would increase substantially. There is probably no end to what could be done in performance mods. Pros: Fast/Powerful, handles great, very roomy, good gas mileage for a truck, awesome front end look. Aluminum body reduces weight, seems tough and doesnt dent easy. Cons: Front seats not the most comfortable, plastic trim Interior, halogen lights, navigation and leather arent included until you fork out big bucks. Ford makes you pay for options other makers may include. They probably needed to give and take somewhere considering the expense they forked out for the lighter aluminum body. Ford needs a black out option, this truck is black and there is to many emblems colors on it, plus the white lettering on the tires. It weakens its appearance.

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  Im losing my job and livelihood over this thing! - 2012 Ford Focus
  By John the car guy - September 20 - 10:03 am

  WARNING: 6 Paragraphs Long! Patient/caring readers only The number one thing you have to watch out for is that ridiculous auto/manual/automatic transmission. In all due honesty I absolutely love everything else about this car. I love the seats, I love the handling, I love the entertainment system, I love the engine, and I love the color and style. But that transmission is such a negative that it takes away all the positives. I cant enjoy the rest of the car when the transmission never shifts correctly. Its most annoying habits to me were the loss of acceleration in 3rd gear and up. 1st and 2nd gear pulled just fine. Whenever it shifted into 3rd, there would always be a nasty chattering sound and acceleration would drop. Next, the transmission would not let me accelerate to passing speeds on the highway, especially on an incline. I put the foot down, the transmission downshifts, the car starts to accelerate, and just as soon as the engine picks up in RPM, it up shifts, killing the acceleration. I found that to pass effectively in this car I had no choice but to give it full throttle. Not what I call an economical pass. Now, this is ALL bad news about the tranny... now let me explain the title of my review. My car is sitting at my workplace, collecting dust and God knows what, because the transmission cant figure out what gear it was last in and therefore IT WILL NOT START. This is a major issue that I have read HUNDREDS of reviews on from loyal Focus owners. Its just 2000 miles out of its powertrain warranty, so Ford is giving me the middle finger and has the audacity to tell me that its a normal issue (a normal problem... who would have thought) and that Im already looking at roughly $2000 to get it fixed. Problem is... Im a low level bachelor who doesnt exactly have the largest savings account built up in my young existence. I know it may have been stupid to finance a car without a respectable financial foundation, but Ive always known the Focuses to be very good cars. I got a decent deal with my non-existent credit, and I could afford it, and then some. Paying for preventive maintenance is not a problem for me. Paying for extensive repairs when Ive done my part in keeping the car stays in tip-top condition IS a problem. So right now, Ive got a dead car sitting at my job 24 miles away, my bank account is getting thinner, and lets just say my family and friends are too busy to help out a brother in a time of great need. I am in good with my boss, but he called and told me that he cant keep flexing for me and will have to let me go and hire someone else. If I lose my job, then I lose the car. And if I lose the car... well... fat chance getting another job to buy another car with because with no car and cant transport myself to and from a job and this is just a spiral of doom developing before me. All of this... because Ford basically released an overly-complex, software-dependent, unproven and flawed transmission design to the public that can and WILL fail. After reading so much dirt on the transmission, I drove to work everyday feeling fearful that it would let me down... and it happened. I cant hate the car as much as I can hate Ford for such an asinine support. Expensive repairs... failed repairs... DEATHS. I have come across so much material from other Focus owners that has made me decide to NOT have it fixed. Hopefully I can find some way out of the loan and get myself in something with a good old fashioned manual transmission before I lose my job and/or my life over this mess.

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  The 200K Explorer - 2007 Ford Explorer
  By D G - September 20 - 12:34 am

  Bought this vehicle new in 2007. Ive had to do very few repairs and have had the oil changed every 5,000 miles. I took over changing oil at around 120,000 miles and started with synthetic oil. As of writing this review, I have just over 200K on this vehicle and did an oil change on it yesterday. All in all, this has been, and continues to be a very solid and reliable vehicle. The only repairs I have needed to do so far are replace the thermostat bypass hose, replace upper and lower thermostat housings, and replace the front and rear wheel bearings. I have had a coolant leak for some time now. Im not sure where it is going, but I keep filling the overflow tank to keep a proper level in it. Yesterdays oil change was not normal though. The oil was congealed inside, therefore I figured out where the coolant is going. I would have expected the oil to get milky, but apparently the gold coolant that Ford uses does not do this, and normally the vehicle gets driven far enough every day to bring the engine up to proper operating temperatures. I pulled the oil pan off and cleaned out what I could. At this point, I will continue to run the vehicle until the engine gives up. I will switch to regular high mileage non-synthetic oil and increase the oil change frequencies to 3,000 miles. I will pull the oil pan off as needed to clean out the sump to keep the oil pump pick up screen clear. I would say that if I had to do it over again, I would get the V8 and not the V6. The V8 would be easier to work on. The V6, although a great engine with more than enough torque, has a cam chain and chain driven oil pump on the back side of the engine that require the engine to be pulled to service them. I mention this because I also found a piece of chain tensioner in yesterdays oil change. Whether it is from a cam chain tensioner or the oil pump drive chain tensioner is unclear, but Im sure I will find out soon enough. This was also my first 4WD vehicle. The 4WD has only been needed a handful of times since purchased, but I try to exercise the system at least every six months to make sure everything still works. So far Ive had no problems with either the 4WD system or the Stabilitrac Traction System in it. Under the performance category, I gave road handling and transmission OK ratings. Its an SUV, so road handling is low on the list anyway, but it does a pretty good job. The transmission has always been a bit twitchy, but has not exhibited any of the failures of the earlier model sealed transmissions. I gave the overall rating 5 stars. 8 years, 200,000 miles, and many miles of vacation memories. Hopefully, it will last a few more months, at which point I can start car shopping again.

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  2012 F150 ECO BOOST ENGINE JUNK AT 84,000 MILES - 2012 Ford F-150
  By Gregory - September 18 - 3:43 pm

  Ford should have warranted there Eco boost engines at100,00 miles so I dont have to replace it at 84,000 miles with my own money.

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  FUN and Sporty - 2015 Ford Fiesta
  By David Michaels - September 18 - 6:58 am

  Had my 2015 Feista for 2 months and very impressed. Looks small but once you get in its bigger then you think. Also was amazed at the power it had going from ramp to highway. Inside was designed with good taste and style. Why pay so much more for a bigger car when you are paying for empty space. Know I know why Europe has so many smaller cars.......there smart.

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  Van has been in dealers repair shop 4x in 2 month - 2005 Ford Freestar
  By Bill Gould - September 18 - 12:07 am

  I bought this van used with 150xxx miles on it and was very, very happy with it. It is comfortable to ride in. I buy and sell used furniture and I removed the second row seats so that I can carry a lot of "cargo". It handles very well. Put on full set of new tires and the ride was improved, very smooth and quiet. BUT....out of the blue one day I lost power without warning (later found that this was fairly common on this model). Dealer replaced torque converter because it was a recall item. It has been back into the repair shop three other times since them, each time I was told it was one sensor or another, which were replaced. It is currently in the repair shop for the fourth time, has been there five days already and no word on what will make it work the way it is supposed to. Thankfully I have a free loaner car to use while waiting to hear. Great car, ..........until it breaks down.

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  I didnt want one, honestly! - 2015 Ford F-150
  By Dave - September 17 - 5:29 pm

  I loved the 2015 Tacoma TRD Pro w/ custom leather, my wife said it was too small. I liked the 2015 Tundra Limited - not enough / if any? features to warrant the cost. I loved the 2015 GMC denali exterior, bad ass! The GMC interior was like walking into a 70s house with shag carpet. The 2015 F-150 - I didnt like the exterior design and started to look for the 14s. I couldnt find what I was looking for, so I test drove a 2015. Once inside, I can honestly say I was in awe. The interior of this truck was without a doubt EXACTLY what I expected a truck of this caliber. Safety features galore, comfort above and beyond, technology that out weights competition 10:1. I have massaging seats, Lane assist that keeps me from swerving, Running boards that retract when I open and close the door, Heated rear seats, My headlights are on Auto Bright and detect on coming cars so I dont have to switch from dims to brights, Adaptive Cruise Control, Turbo Engine, LED lighting... OverHead Parking Assist as if a drone is above my cab showing the entire truck surroundings front, back, both sides!!! Please ask me what else, it goes on and on. Tundras back window goes down, cool. GMC? the interior looks like my buddies 97 Grand AM. The exterior redesign has grown on me, its starting to look more like a transformer - however Im not a comic book kind of guy. Truth be told, the interior sold me so much so that I could be in a bright pink school bus and not even care. I get compliments non stop on my truck, and people really do turn their heads (maybe because its ugly, or maybe because its nice). Im ending my review here because I personally wouldnt read past this point. Please trust me in that the 2015 F-150 Platinum is hands down the best truck in its class. If you dont believe me, just go test drive one and try to bash it agains competition without bias, its impossible. Expensive? Sure, but you wouldnt be reading a review about the Platinum Trim if you couldnt get one... go get one.

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  Mustangs 4 Life!!! - 2015 Ford Mustang
  By David - September 17 - 12:23 am

  I had a 2006 before I got my 15 GT in white, the 5.0L is by far one of the best American motors for the value out right now. No turbos, no supercharger just a n/a V8. If you can comfortably and have the experience to get a manual DO IT! Ive had manuals all my life with performance cars. If your buying this car for the fun and addicting power get the stick. Coming for a 2006 manual the 15 transmission feel is greatly improved over the S197. Not great on gas but its great on looking forward to driving it everyday.

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  2006 transmission problems - 2006 Ford Explorer
  By Loretta - September 16 - 11:00 pm

  I bought this from a mechanic shop Took it out of town it was ok when I got back the transmission went out i have no reverse after i pay 6000 i only had it 4 mouths lnow i have to come up with 1200 and it not easy when you live on Social Security

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  It just works - 1998 Ford F-150
  By BK - September 16 - 3:01 pm

  Got an XLT 4.6 rear wheel drive with the 3 doors as a hand me down from my dad and it has been good. I have had it for the last 15000 miles and it sits at 168000 on the odometer now. Works great for on road use, hauling stuff in the bed, and reliability. A testament to the quality of the drive train happened several months ago when merging onto the interstate and the accelerator stuck. I wasnt sure what was happening at the time but I flicked the gas pedal and it didnt help so I went to pop it into neutral going 80 and went to far and put it in reverse and locked the tires up for a second before putting it back in drive and turning off the engine and coasted to the shoulder. Turns out the floor mat, which has since been removed, stuck the gas pedal down and I should have messed with the pedal more before trying to put it in neutral. After getting my blood pressure to go down I started it up fearing it was done for, no problems at all! Made sure the tranny wasnt leaking for the next couple days and was surprised how well it held up for the abuse that surely put on it. This old truck is rusty, has a decent ding on the outside of the bed, and overall looks rough but it is a champ in terms of reliability. Recently it has had new rotors in the front from brake pads failing to give a screech indicating they needed replacing and has had a heater core replaced but the core components have been awesome for both of us. I am in the market for a new truck with 4x4 and a locking rear dif since I was stuck on the hill where I parked it overnight after a snow storm since the rear dif puts power to the wheel with less traction, but it has still made a true Ford believer out of me. You can bet my next truck will be an F150, dad got a used 2012 F150 after he handed this one down to me and it has been great for him too. Something is to be said about having a vehicle that can be depended on.