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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  Ford Escape - 2014 Ford Escape
  By Robert - September 25 - 3:16 pm

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  The little engine that cant. - 2013 Ford Focus
  By Chris Landis - September 25 - 7:12 am

  This vehicle was my first new vehicle purchase before this, i had mostly clapped out rusty trucks. To say this car dissapoints in the power department is an understatement. Its dangerously slow and underpowered. To climb any kind of moderate grade, it needs to be in a low gear and engine screaming to maintain speed. Forget about trying to gain speed if you need to. Mine has a 5spd manual, and its dopey and clunky to shift sometimes, and others its like working a fine bolt action rifle. Depends on the day. The clutch feel is non-existent. The seats legitimately cause pain after being in them for more than 30 minutes at a time. Making long trips miserable. On the up side, its a decent looking car. Gets good fuel economy for how much you have to tramp on it to go anywhere. I dig the Ford SYNC radio set up. Even though the AUX jack is junk. Its got fair storage and the rear seats fold down. Overall though, i wish i had kept the rusty old Dodge D100 i had traded on the Focus and kept putting monies into it. At least it had power...

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  In the Competitions Rear View - 2013 Ford Taurus
  By Patrick - September 23 - 9:24 pm

  I purchased a used 2013 SEL with 26,000 miles. I now have 67,000 miles. The car has been very reliable. Overall, its fairly comfortable, but fatigue sets in on long drives. Ford did an excellent job of reducing wind noise. Sadly they did a poor job of reducing road noise. I test drove it on new pavement and it was smooth and quiet. However, the ride becomes harsh on anything less that smooth surfaces. Expansion joints, road cracks, bumps all produce a deep pitched clunking sound and you really feel every imperfection. My previous Avalon and Azera both absorbed bumps with barely a notice or sound. Other drawbacks are so obvious they are painful. The console cup holder is not wide enough for two medium sized coffee cups - the lids overlap. One coffee has to be lifted before the other can be picked up. I guess auto engineers dont actually use the components they design. A more serious drawback has me considering trading it in after less than two years - the sound system. It is the WORST sounding stereo system I have had in car since the 1980s. The absurd center channel speaker in the dash board is a little 2" wide range that sounds like a tin can and sounds like it came out of my old transistor radio. Not to mention that it also destroys the channel separation (stereo effect.) The high frequency tweeters mounted in the front windshield columns emit hideous harmonic distortions that are painfully ear splitting even at low volumes. I cannot turn up the volume even a little without experiencing pain when certain notes are hit - literally. A car priced at $30,000 and up should have at least a minimally good quality sound system, but not this Taurus. On the plus side, the exterior design is fairly sporty, and the interior is mostly comfortable. The engine is strong and smooth and I can close to 31 mpg even at 75 mph. The trunk is huge, although the console storage space is not so generous. The cover on the forward console storage compartment is made of hard plastic and it rattles quite a bit. The car is a very mixed bag, but I would not buy another one. Toyota Avalon, Hyundai Genesis or Azera, Kia Cadenza, Chrysler 300, and the newly redesigned Chevrolet Impala are all better alternatives.

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  Terrible Experience for a first car purchase - 2013 Ford Focus
  By Eboni Cumberlander - September 23 - 3:00 pm

  Well I purchased this vehicle in 2012 with excitement for my first new car! What a disappointment I have nothing but problems with this cars transmission, air conditioner, clutch, electrical fuses and now the transmission mount. The transmission mount broke and cause the engine to fall/shift while driving. I was scared to death with my 1 year old son in the car and the engine falls in mid motion. This car is a joke. FORD THIS UNACCEPTABLE!!! RECALL PLEASE

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  not much of an improvement over the last one - 2015 Ford F-150
  By JM - September 21 - 8:09 pm

  My 2015 F-150 isnt my daily driver so I only have about 1,500 miles on it. I have owned it for 3 months. This is my 3rd F150. The others were almost flawless. I am Ford loyal so despite the misgivings about the aluminum body I bought one. First the good: it drives like a dream. Unbelievably good handling (it has the FX4 package). The interior is very comfortable, even for trips of 2-3 hours. It looks good. Acceleration is excellent with the V8. Now the bad: Within 2 months of ownership someone tried to break in. The police think it was to get to the tailgate (which can only be locked electronically now - bad). The driver window was on order for 2 weeks through the dealer (unacceptable). The dealer complained non-stop about the new aluminum body while I was getting an estimate. The instrument panel is a mess. I viewed it as a weakness when I was test driving it, but had no idea how much I would hate the layout until I bought it. Every button seems misplaced and awkward. The transmission is still a 6 speed and shifts a little oddly (mistimed). The radio and nav are below what I would expect for a Lariat level truck. Mileage is worse than I expected. Not sure Ford did its best with this one, but I will keep it for a while and see if it grows on me.

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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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  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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  Not enough free time to own this car - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By Justin - September 14 - 2:18 pm

  Nothing but problems. Axles breaking, stuff leaking, gaskets blowing out, muffler rotted from the inside out, etc. Overall terrible car. Would NOT recommend.

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  A strong, spacious, unreliable ride. - 2007 Ford Taurus
  By Oriley Conner - September 13 - 12:57 pm

  I Taurus used in 2008. At the time it only had 14,000 miles on it. The first few years of owning this car was great. It is roomy, comfortable to drive in for long periods of time, has ample capacity for passengers and luggage. The acceleration was pretty decent, and the front wheel drive made driving in snow and rain safer. For about the first 5 years the car was reliable and I never really had any problems with it. But then the car just start to fall apart. In last 2 years of the cars life I had to constantly put take it in for repairs and replacement of parts. The rewiring, replacement of spark plugs, battery, the solenoid, breaks, the flex pipe (twice... my mechanic told me that the Taurus is famous for breaking flex pipes.) But the real glaring problem with my Taurus is that the transmission started to act very badly. At first the gear changes would be a little clunky, then they started slipping when ever coming into or out of first gear. If I didnt hit the gears just right when starting from a dead start the gears would grind horribly, especially when making a turn from a dead stop doing this would make the whole car shake violently. In fact it shook the car so bad that it broke my flex pipe, my mechanic thought i had hit something. I cannot really recommend this car because of its reliability issues.

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  Engine Lemon - 2007 Ford Expedition
  By Maureen Brown - September 10 - 2:22 pm

  I have never in my 36 years of driving had to replace an engine before. Now, I am currently on my second engine, and getting ready for the third, all before I hit 120K miles. How can these engines go bad that fast??? The first one died at 88K miles (after the warranty expired of course!!!), and the new engine (granted it was rebuilt) died within 30K miles. It is currently in the shop waiting on the third engine. When you pay so much for a car you tend to expect reliability. How reliable can a car be when it is fine one minute, and has an engine crash the second? Now that it is in the shop I will be without a car for 4 to 6 weeks. The last time this happened I actually missed my fathers funeral because the car was in the shop and the replacement car was unable to make the trip when the weather turned bad. The main reason I have this car is because of the snow, and the fact that it moves many people at one time, but when you cant use it then those points are moot.