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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  Dual clutch sucks - 2016 Ford Focus
  By Arthur James - September 23 - 7:42 am

  Do not buy this my brand new ford focus se makes grinding noises and trembles when its going from 1 st to 2nd gear.

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  Stay Away From 2005 Ford Escape - 2005 Ford Escape
  By txm - September 16 - 10:07 am

  The 4 cylinder engine in this car is extremely underpowered. Its especially worse in the summer when the air conditioning is on, then it becomes unsafe to drive, because when you need to accelerate, it just doesnt do anything for about 3-4 seconds and trying to accelerate when necessary would probably kill you in this vehicle. Also, the engine is very noisy, sounds like diesel engine. I have 60,000 miles on it. The fuel economy is terrible. I cant get any more than 20 mpg, not matter what I do. Stay away from this car.

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  Lemon FORD 500 - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By DR-DALE - September 11 - 1:06 am

  Purchased NEW March 28 2005 and it is now April 12 2006. The car has 4000 miles on it and is sitting unlicensed and unsafe to drive. Entire back end suspension and brakes have been replaced. Some items more than once. Last brake fix turned rotors down to 1/1000 over minimum. Tried to invoke Colorado Lemon Law, but Ford has arbitration clauses which precludes using legal remedy. You must use their designated arbitration service run by Ford Autoline (BBB subsidiary in Washington DC). This process is a sham and I still have the new car sitting unused. Ford Corporate Office tells me they are done fixing this car, which has 4000 miles on it and a 3 year warranty. Ford stonewalls certified letters.

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  cheap 2014 King Ranch - 2014 Ford F-150
  By Ed - September 10 - 11:09 pm

  This will be the 4th King Ranch SuperCrew F150 I have owned and I will have to say it is the worst handling on a windy day is a challenge, my 2007 would ride smoothly on a windy day down in South Texas" Pulling a 5x10 trailer" from around 17 miles per gallon drops down too 9 miles per gallon " this truck feels like it has no suspension and that is City driving in Houston, just terrible" my 2007 King Ranch out rides this 2014" :( and i would get a way better gas mileage on my 2007 pulling a small trailer" dont think this 3.5 engine will last 8 years :(

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  Junk Ford as always - 1990 Ford Tempo
  By Tab - September 10 - 8:44 pm

  We bought this used for a second car, w/ 87k on it for $300, maybe too much. Slow, did make it good in the snow though, ugly all around. Transmission went at 90k, who would have thought, it is a Ford.

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  A dangerous vehicle to own. - 1999 Ford Windstar
  By Former Ford Man - September 10 - 4:18 pm

  This van started off serving us well but quickly became a nightmare. At 75k mi. the transmission failed requiring rebuild. At 85k mi, the speed control deactivation switch caused a fire at the ABS module while the vehicle was off and parked in the driveway. Along the way, electrical system issues caused the power windows, power door locks and horn to stop working. This vehicle has major electrical system flaws causing a dangerous safety issue!

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  Ford wont build to last - 1996 Ford Taurus
  By mao caves - September 10 - 2:21 pm

  Bought my 96 Taurus with 20k miles on, a week later transmission broke down and it was replaced by the dealer. The transmission performance is miserable, dealer could never properly fix it, lots of problems and trips to the dealer, got tired of it. Service engine light on all for years, nobody seens to know whats wrong with the car, at 120k miles car got no ac, no heater, transmission going bad again, engine often stalls, ... A real mess. Nowadays you can only enjoy a Ford for a couple years before becomes a nightmare,

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  Lemon - 2005 Ford Freestyle
  By D. Anderson - September 8 - 10:13 am

  Trouble 35 days after purchase. Poor MPG, not as advertised, transmission leaked & completely went out, repaired, a/c unrepairable, vehicle surge (dangerous), front steering went out, could not turn left. Brakes recalled and replaced at 7500 miles, body not attached to the frame properly, computer malfunctions, wiper fell off, emblem fell off. 14 service calls in 1 year. Vehicle looks good, but has huge glare front windshield, dashboard red KLM cannot be read in daylight, dash board lights intermittent. In a tunnel lights goes out when they should light up. Always opposite of normal function. BBB Auto Line investigation. Would not advise anyone to purchase a Freestyle.

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  Avoid the 2.3! - 1994 Ford Ranger
  By superbird_71 - September 8 - 12:41 am

  Bought truck from original owner, now has 278,000 miles on it. Burns no oil. Idles rough, check engine light pops up at random, has electrical problems - if you turn the wipers on they dont turn back off. 2.3 has no power at all and gets lousy gas mileage - 20 mpg average, even with the five-speed. It has 8 incredibly hard-to-change spark plugs - why 8 spark plugs on the 4 cylinder? rear spring hangers rusted off, even though there is not a spot of rust on the body.

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  It starts, thats where it ends - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By colonelredsock - September 8 - 12:33 am

  I bought this vehicle (91k miles) for the 4wd, which works just fine. Im now around 150k miles, some suspension problems. Whats most frustrating has to be all the little things. Heres the list: rear wiper, oustide temp on mirror, Cruise control, led lights on/around cd player (had to replace with aftermarket cd player), lights no longer come on when you open doors, levers on both seats broke, fog lights dont work, headlights occasionally short out while on the road, all door locks work occasionally at best, Ive had to replace upper and lower joints, passenger mirror fell out! All this and not to mention it gets lousy gas mileage. I get 15 mpg if Im lucky.