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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  99 Ford Contour se comfort sport - 1999 Ford Contour
  By Snowman - September 25 - 10:31 pm

  Well for what I can say is that its only a good car for a few years but after 100,000 miles you better just hang it up problem after problems and it drives and performs at a milaseconds and havent drove any other ford better but the enignes fail badley after 100,000 miles and the transmission begins to have major problems only after 80,000 miles and that in my book is very poorly and I think ford should replace the engines and transmission including the malfunctioning computer systems at fords cost because why should we pay 15 to 20000 dollars for a car that wont last for more than 115000 miles when the car has always been worked on by a pro and then having to another 8 grand to fix it.

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  New Ford Purchaser - 2006 Ford Escape
  By Not a Ford Person - September 22 - 8:21 pm

  Well Im not a Ford person really as I swore Id never own one but my wife and I have noticed that we have been taken by the style and appearance of certain model years of the Escape. We have only had our Escape for a few weeks now and despite the negative reviews as seen here regarding the less than anticipated fuel mileage so far our initial trials have been at least 500kms to the the full tank or better with city and highway driving. Well see in the months to come how the fuel mileage will end up being.

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  93 Explorer at 382K Miles - 1993 Ford Explorer
  By Tom - September 20 - 9:04 pm

  Our 93 Explorer XLT 2WD 4door just reached 382K miles--Have replaced wear items such as brakes, spark plugs, shocks (1X) and replaced plug wires (2X)--Am currently on second after-OEM A/C (live in FL, use the A/C 11 1/2 months per year)--Have replaced first after-OEM alternator--tranny rebuilt at 325K miles and replaced head gasket around 275K--Havent touched any suspension parts--have had two after-OEM water pumps and just replaced heater core--Now, I think the radiator split it is the first after-OEM radiator--

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  Focus, Ford!! - 2000 Ford Focus
  By unit-i - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I put about 40k miles per year on my cars, and this one has not held up. It has gone through brakes every 30k miles, the suspension eats through tires, the windows have stopped working on 2 occasions, the fuel gage has never been accurate despite 3 repairs, several interior panels are loose, the drivers side mirror is loose... I have already spent twice as much in repairs on this car than I have on my 96 civic hatchback, which has almost 200k miles now and has again become my daily driver due to the poor build quality of this car.

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  Ford Explorer Trouble? - 2004 Ford Explorer
  By JoeLyn - September 18 - 2:08 pm

  This is the second Ford Explorer that we have owned. Im not sure that there will be a third. Our 2004 explorer has had the timing chains replaced, the paint is coming off in sheets from the top, the heater would not work until we had work completed on it, now we just replaced the valve lifters. Whats next???? We are heart sick. Does Ford not back their vehicles any better than that. My husband and I planned to wait until later to buy a new vehicle. It probably will not be a Ford. Too bad, I have always like the style of the Explorer.

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  Selling because of key - 2000 Ford Focus
  By chr2000 - September 18 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car new and ignition cylinder has had to be replaced 4 times. I put key in ignition and wont turn. As Im sure it will happen again, I sell. Tired of getting stuck and towed to a dealer who tells me I dont know how to use a key! Also, brake problems and rear hatch lock goes twice. This car only has 41,000 miles. After owning a number of Ford products, wont buy one again. This car has been a terrible disappointment.

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  Can be a good vehicle, but cheap parts - 2016 Ford Escape
  By Craig - September 18 - 5:34 am

  Cheap parts, and bad designs is what sums up my SUV. First, I have the panoramic top and the interior fabric shield is poorly designed. They stretch fabric over a frame that opens and closes below the glass top... the problem is that if you have the windows down, it flaps. Flaps so bad, I have to roll it back to prevent it from tearing itself apart. I bet in a few years, everyone will have to replace this as it will not hold up. Poor design and cheap. In addition to that, the main system of the car is horrible. It is poor connecting to bluetooth devices and is very buggy. There are times that I cant turn off the radio because its locked up... to fix... change to the sirius "output" and then back. That fixes that bug. It can be a good SUV, but they went cheap.

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  2010 Mustang GT with 3.73 rear axle pack - 2010 Ford Mustang
  By Joseph - September 17 - 3:14 pm

  I got the GT (not Premium) with 3.73 rear axle package which came with better brakes and sportier stability programming. My 08 335i was repurched by BMW due to repetitive faulty high pressure fuel pump. So got a Stang to ride out the economy. The engines power, torque, and sound are more fun than a 335s. Handling is shameful however..very loose and bouncy front to back and side to side. I find it necessary to spend $2k extra to upgrade the supension from 2005-FR3 package..which lowers the car and tighens things up. I hope that helps. Steering feel is light and dead numb unfortunately. Steering wheel is also to big.. Still, Engine makes up alot..Very Fun Car!

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  Looks are not Everything - 2002 Ford Escape
  By lair - September 12 - 1:03 am

  The transmission died at 54k , replacement cost: 3k, The alternator died at 72k replacement cost: $600. The fifth door does not open on hot days. Either I bought a lemon or its just a typical American built car, and thats all it is, mainly because it has the same transmission as the ford contour (why would ford use a car transmission in a 200hp SUV?). It looks great though, Just engineered stupidly. I trust my 1995 Toyota pick-up more than this piece of junk. Now, on the bright side, it truly is a nice ride and the interior, sound system and all the rest is great. [just beware it will break down on you].

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  1995 3.8L Fall Apart Mustang - 1995 Ford Mustang
  By McMahon - September 10 - 3:14 pm

  First the paint went bad. Then the air conditioning went bad. Transmission went bad twice and needed replacement. Then the door locks and windows broke. Both windows stopped going up and down within a weekÂ’s time. It wasnt too bad on gas when it was running but overall it was a ford and had many problems. I almost forgot the speedometer was intermittent and the odometer stopped working. I would have been better off scraping it when the first transmission went bad.