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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  most uncomfortable vehicle ever - 2017 Ford Transit Connect
  By Ken - July 6 - 5:13 am

  I have had this vehicle forced upon me by my company. DO NOT get the vinyl seats!!! If youre 511" or taller you will be uncomfortable regardless of which seats you choose. My company ordered the XL model, which is a step above the Flintstones car. It has absolutely nothing up front. If youre planning on getting shelving installed, choose very carefully and keep in mind that your workers cannot be kept to cookie cutter rules. Storage space is definitely not one size fits all. My work is not the same as Joes work so why do we have identical vehicles? I cant fit my tools in this thing because they put so many shelves in it. My tools are too big for the shelves. If you like to drive with your arm on the door you could forget it. They put this weird trim on it to give it a curved look that forces your arm forward and punishes you for trying by digging into your elbow. The armrest is too low on the door and the armrest on the seat has a mind of its own, comes out of adjustment constantly and the only way to correct it is to turn it straight up and hope you get it right on the way back down. Ive had many work vans over the last 25 years. Full size Dodge, Ford, Chevy, Mercedes, minivans and pickups, this thing is by far the least usable and most uncomfortable piece of crap Ive ever had the displeasure of sitting in.

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  Please dont buy this car - 2013 Ford Focus
  By Cotton Wildbrook - June 10 - 9:09 pm

  We bought this car used with less than 50K miles on it. We had it serviced twice in the first month of ownership because the transmission studdered while shifting. We were told that was normal behavior for the car and that the transmission was designed to learn your driving style and thus not be suitable as a car for multiple drivers. How foolish is that? They reprogrammed the TCM both times, which did absolutely nothing to fix the problem. The car had to have new wheel bearings put on at 60K miles at a cost of $700! Finally we got a recall notice about the obviously faulty transmission, so back it went for more repairs. Again, this did NOTHING to correct any of the problems. In fact, after we had that done, the car died en route to work with no warning whatsoever. It literally lost 100% power while merging onto a 50 mph road. We had it towed to the dealership where they said it needed a new wiring harness that wasnt covered under warranty and wasnt related to the bad transmission (they said). That was a $500 job. After owning it for only 9 months we traded it in for another vehicle at a loss of $5000.00 Honestly, were just happy to be rid of it. It was too big of a risk to drive. You never knew if you were going to get to your destination alive.

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  The unreliable Ford - 2003 Ford Escape
  By Rob - June 9 - 4:57 pm

  As soon as my warrenty expired my ford fell apart. First it was a 3300 $transmission, then 1500$ rebuilding the front end, then the wheel cencers for 1000$, then the driveshaft bearing 500$, and now ford says it needs a new transfer gear box for 5000$! This car is unreliable, and constanly breaks down. i could have got a better car with the money I have spent fixing this one.

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  The unreliable Ford - 2003 Ford Escape
  By Rob - June 9 - 4:57 pm

  As soon as my warrenty expired my ford fell apart. First it was a 3300 $transmission, then 1500$ rebuilding the front end, then the wheel cencers for 1000$, then the driveshaft bearing 500$, and now ford says it needs a new transfer gear box for 5000$! This car is unreliable, and constanly breaks down. i could have got a better car with the money I have spent fixing this one.

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  I brought this truck from auto nation fort lauderd - 2015 Ford F-150
  By Andy - May 23 - 5:06 am

  This truck is the worst and the dealership is the worst. I over paid for this piece of aluminum. I should have brought the Toyota Tundra

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  Ford cant build or fix their cars! DONT DO IT! - 2014 Ford Fusion
  By McGovern - May 10 - 7:33 am

  I have brought my brand new vehicle in at least seven times(probably more) in roughly two years. That is absolutely unacceptable for a new car. I have outlined the major issues below that Ive brought my vehicle into the dealership for. I cant trust this car to be reliable in the future, would you? At this point, I am fed up and on the verge of trading this car in and I will never recommend Ford to anyone. The regional area managers keep referring me back to their dealerships and they cant seem to correct the numerous issues with their product. All Ive gotten from Ford is a Premium Care Extended Service Plan for 5yrs 75k for all of this....thanks for nothing! Theres obviously issues with Ford and their designs/quality. The 635f transmission on this especially look it up it shouldnt even be out there but shows how much they care. Heres the list of my troubles with this: On February 5, 2015 - My vehicle was leaking transmission fluid at 6,412 miles. The front axle shaft assembly needed to be replaced. February 21, 2015 - Transmission was making a grinding noise, shifts rough randomly usually 1st to 2nd, flares shifting when cold, slams into gear from park to reverse randomly.(said couldnt reproduce problem) May 16, 2015 - Weather stripping on rear door was loose and the p/s wheel well cover was loose due to missing pins. June 16, 2015 - Light sensor was inoperable at 9,255 miles. (had them check transmission for same above...same answer) July 11, 2015 - Brought vehicle in for power steering recall. Mileage display faded in areas when hot inside (had them check transmission for same above...same answer. Now also cant replicate mileage display problem....) Feb 20th - Rear headliner hanging down.The audio speaker on the passenger side makes a vibrating noise during certain bass frequencies. The dealership disconnected it and then plugged it back in and they were not able to correct the issue. Reset ACM for trans helped for about one week...... May 7th - Passenger side speaker now sounding consistently terrible when wet and cold. Speaker was replaced. (had them check transmission for same above...same answer. Now also cant replicate mileage display problem....) I may have forgotten some of the pointless visits but as you can see 7 here that are legit things that had to be fixed and Im at around 16,000 miles and I still have issues lingering especially this jerky transmission they say is fine. Says it all....

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  Dangerous Transmission Stay Away - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Lee - April 15 - 9:23 pm

  Ford should not allowed to sell cars with this auto-manual transmission. It is dangerous. Ive almost had 4 accidents from it. Twice it jumped in front of cars when i did not want to go and twice when I was turning in front of someone it did not go when I needed it to. Then it is jerky the rest of the time at low speeds like stop and go traffic. Ive had it in to the dealer 4 times so far. They have replaced and reset the control modules but it has not helped. Ford has extended the transmission warranty but if theyre not going to fix it what good is an extension. If I had known the problems I never would have purchased it.

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  Lemon - 2001 Ford Focus
  By Kaitlyn Marie - April 13 - 3:27 am

  I paid $3500 for my 2001 Ford Focus with 60K on it. 2 years later, Ive put $2900 into repaires alone @ 93K. My car might have very well just been a lemon, but I wouldnt ever buy a used ford again. Get a Honda or a Toyota. Do NOT waste your money! I love the look of my car. If I didnt have to constantly repair this car it would be great.

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  P.O.S NEVER AGAIN!!! - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Jen - April 9 - 3:23 pm

  Dealership sold me this new car back in 2014. From the start the transmission was jumpy. Taking off from a stop that car shakes back and forth like it doesnt want to go. This type of acceleration is dangerous if you need to get out of the way. Dealership was no help and I was told there is not fix except computer updates which dont work. I have had 3 computer updates since having the car. I will never buy from Ford again. Value of the car went down quick. Now that I have had it long enough and paid of enough it will be traded in for a better car NOT with Ford. I will be surprised if someone doesnt get help with this issue. I was told sales reps do not have to tell you about the problem. No integrity!!

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  Two thumbs down for ford! - 2012 Ford Focus
  By David - April 1 - 12:29 pm

  Been sent in for transmission issues 4 times since first purchased new in 2012. Everything from grinding slipping and rolling backwards no repairs every worked just told thats how it works , now at 56k miles the transmission quit completely! Radio repairs multiple times now it just flashes " indexing " car should have been recalled. Nobody in their right mind would own or purchase this unit.