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:

• 

  Not too thrilled!! - 2000 Ford Windstar
  By swyatt - December 22 - 2:00 am

  Owned a 96 Windstar and 00 Windstar. 96 developed Transmission problems around 65,000k. Wouldnt shift properly after transmission was hot. The 00 needed some maintenance when I bought it, but ran fine for awhile. The power steering creaks really badly and I am afraid to take it in. I see a $400+ bill in my future. Also, transmission clunks most of the time when placed into gear. Check engine light came on again last week. Too many recalls

• 

  Good utility car - 1991 Ford Taurus
  By l1049g - December 22 - 2:00 am

  Basically a good car. Hatch lid came from factory misfitted to car and cannot be corrected. Air conditioner and head gaskets replaced at 55,000 miles, but otherwise average on repair.

• 

  The Perfect Vehicle - 2002 Ford F-150
  By Naudtz - December 21 - 6:20 pm

  There is no vehicle out on the planet that can match performance, safety, and work capacity of a Lightning. Sure, the there are faster cars out there, but lets see a Camaro, Corvette, M3, M5 come out of a racetrack and haul a 5000lb. boat. Good luck.

• 

  What is all the fuss about? - 2000 Ford Taurus
  By Cheapo - December 21 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car new because of the less than invoice ad in the paper. Car has been great except resale. Now has 49k and no repairs, just keeps purring along. Only complaint is engine pings in winter. Maybe because it is an LX, I have no options that can go wrong.

• 

  03 Wagon Good Performance, Poor Quality - 2003 Ford Taurus
  By Jiicc - December 21 - 2:00 am

  Stylish, good highway acceleration and excellent handling. Exterior luggage hardware, and support runners had multiple crackings in the middle rivet holes within 2 months of purchased. Oil pan gasket defect produced intolerable burning oil smell when heater, ventilation is turned on.

• 

  My Coupe - 2002 Ford Mustang
  By gbeith - December 21 - 2:00 am

  The experience with the car has been pretty good. The only problem was understanding how the hood needed to be closed very heavily (i.e. dropped from a height), and that on occasion the parking brake seems to stick on a little cuasing over heating of the brakes.

• 

  bought it used - 1998 Ford Ranger
  By shurur - December 21 - 2:00 am

  had some initial problems with brakes GEM and door latches..bought with 83K miles. 1. needed new drums as the originals had already been turned...fixed. 2. problems with door latches (lube) and GEM module (dome light)..fixed. basically everything the consumer reports metions...brakes and electrical If you want HP, dont consider the 3L OHV engine...buy the 4L SOHC engine up front. 4X4 is barely adequate with the 3L...(my opinion of course)..and no amount of chipping will put a shine on this turd...but 3L is ok if get-up-and- go is not an issue for you. 3L is a dependable engine though..believe me, it is dependable.

• 

  Nice SUV...But... - 2016 Ford Edge
  By Dave J - December 20 - 9:42 am

  I have owned the 2016 Ford Edge SEL 2WD for about three months, traded in a 1999 Ford Explorer so modern technology like this a first for me. I can not speak for reliability because it is too new. I have taken the Edge on two trips from Florida to Pennsylvania and coast to coast in Florida. All trips were straight through, 17 hours of driving each way. My review is mostly negative as I expected much more thought put into design for the money you spend. The driver seat is very comfortable, never had an ache (drove straight thru to PA both times). The interior overall is nice, no complaints on material except headliner color choices. Vehicle very quiet with windows up. Windows down...very noisy. The steering wheel is either too small or door armrests too narrow. I like to drive with left arm resting on armrest and holding the wheel, cant do that in the Edge. Steering wheel controls need a bump or each shaped differently. I have to continuously look at them when using as I cannot tell which my finger is on, they are all shaped the same and feel the same. I do not like the feel of the steering, my arm actually gets fatigued. Guess I prefer the "Cadillac" feel, nice and easy. The one touch window is a bear to just open a crack. The radio and climate controls straight forward and easy to use with the exception of the steering wheel tuning. It scrolls through just the current favorite channels. In other words, you can program so many stations on channel one, channel two and channel three but can only scroll stations on channel one if that is the one radio is on. You cannot scroll all channels, have to select channel two on radio to then scroll those. My Chevy you can scroll all by using steering wheel controls, very nice feature. Navigation...where do I start with this. Was VERY excited to have this feature, first ever for us. Well, it has gotten me lost three times and my house/street are not even listed...can not find. I live in an established neighborhood built in 2001 yet my street is not listed. The street leading to mine is and you can see my street on map but it is not named. I have found this with several places I have traveled, streets not listed and yes, my settings are correct under options. I was told if it ever gets updated I would have to purchase update, it is not free. The other part I do not like is the vehicle has to be stopped to search a destination by typing. Its ok to scroll through everything on the radio, settings, station search, look for restaurants, etc. while driving but cannot type an address. I have settings set to take fastest route and on a trip in FL, it mapped the long way home, not the quickest. Very poor navigation system, we use our smart phones to verify before we trust it. Last Ill speak on the engine. I have the 2.0 I-4 turbo, wish I went with the six cylinder. There is a very distinct hesitation in the engine which I did not notice when test driving. If you are pulling out in heavy traffic or going to pass, hang onto your heart because it takes about 1 second after mashing the accelerator before she goes. Very scary finding that out the hard way! Took it to the Ford garage and they said it was turbo lag and nothing can be done. Also find the engine noisy and hear tapping constantly. And speaking of noise, the radiator fan extremely loud. Ill end on a good note which was the main thing I was looking for, love the cargo space in back...

• 

  Good Transportation!! - 2002 Ford Focus
  By Truckguy37 - December 20 - 5:06 am

  Fun little car!! short turning radious....goes good and wanted to get to 300,000 miles which it still could! Currently at 232,000 and unfortunately because of old car/high mileage issues I decided to purchase a 2008 Focus!! Great heater....best I ever experienced!!!

• 

  2003 F150 STX Super Cab 4.6V8 - 2003 Ford F-150
  By Bob Bailey - December 20 - 2:00 am

  Love the STX 2003 truck! It is a one of a kind. Dont even look at the 2004 STX, it is lacking the package when you compare it with the 2003.