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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  900 problem free miles until 901 - 2008 Ford Edge
  By Jim Wright - February 5 - 9:53 am

  Found car dead on sunday 2/03/08 called Ford for road side asst.they arrived little over an hour could not get car out of park.Tow driver told me there was nothing they could do for me and left.Called road side asst. again and was told because it was sunday nothing they could do for me and to call dealer on monday.They left me stranded with no way to get home.The anti-theft system shut the car down.

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  Im never buying a Ford again - 2005 Ford Mustang
  By crc0069 - February 4 - 11:18 am

  All that I have had is problems with this car and every time time I take it to the dealer, they dont want to work on it. Items that have had problems: Gas gauge which is failing again 1 year later, Transmission does not shift at the 3rd shift point unless you let up on the gas and push it down again, Windshield washer bottle 2 times, trunk switch, strip was replaced, the front-end could be aligned and need a shime about $140, the steering wheel has always had a shimmy (guessing that the rotor are warped). Water pump went and they did not even want to look at it until I ask what I would need to do when it blow up on the way home. Unsafe to drive.

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  GOOD MILEAGE.....GOOD CAR? - 1999 Ford Contour
  By Tom - February 4 - 11:05 am

  Even though I bought this car when it was 8 years old, I never imagined I would have so many problems. I have repaired every single item and component on this car INCLUDING the IGNITION SWITCH! Good car? NOT! Good mileage? Only if you consider 22 mpg good mileage for a small car with a 4cyl engine. Now the heater stopped working! Remember, at Ford, quality goes in before the name goes on! NOT! NEVER BUY A USED FORD, the new ones are bad enough! I have NEVER had anything but problems from Ford, regardless of the model, T-Bird and Lincoln inclussive.

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  Wont Make Same Mistake Again - 1999 Ford Windstar
  By bill davis - February 3 - 5:56 pm

  While the exterior design is very good and the interior is adequate the overall quality of this van is horrible. Shortly after purchasing it the transmission went out. It is extremely noisy on the road and in town. Idles rough, the service engine light and the ABS light stays on. The "door open" light stays on and the automatic locking system works intermittently. I wanted to but a Toyota or Honda but I let my wife talk me into this Ford because she liked the exterior better than than the Toyota/Honda. She agrees now that tis Ford has really lived up to its name "Found on road dead". Cant make this mistake again since the Windstar is no longer made which is a GOOD thing.

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  Steer Clear - 1999 Ford Taurus
  By Tom - January 30 - 12:31 pm

  Bought this in 2000 with about 24,000 miles. Sporty, with 24V V-6, alloy wheels, spoiler. This car has been plagued with electrical problems including wipers that periodically turn on by themselves, power locks dont work, power window doesnt work. It started using oil at about 50k miles despite changing it every 3- 4k miles and no hard driving. Gas mileage is poor for a mid-sized V6 (worse than our V6 Camry and V6 minivan). The rack & pinion steering had to be replaced at about 40k miles. Has the upgraded stereo with CD changer which sounds excellent. Overall the car looks nice and is fun to drive, but the reliability is poor. I am buying Japanese from now on.

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  What a joke. - 2017 Ford Fusion
  By Bryan J - January 26 - 5:55 pm

  This foreign engineered, made in Mexico piece of crap is not only a huge rattetrap, its slow and depreciates around 8 to 9k from the sticker price in 3 months and less than 6k miles. If you enjoy searching for the cause of rattles and poor fuel economy, this is the car for you. Last. Ford. Ever.

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  LEMON - 2002 Ford Escape
  By laurl - January 26 - 10:00 am

  Read the consumer complaints section on NHTSA.gov, for some important info on this car. You will find 106 others like me who own this car and have multiple experiences with stalling headed down hill or on the freeway. We loose steering and most of our breaking. Its like someone cut the lines. Its frightening. Dont be snookered by crash tests and packaging. Cause you dont want to know what that crash feels like! The car also surges a lot like you have the cruise control on.

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  Worst Car I EVER owned - 2001 Ford Focus
  By corncars - January 24 - 9:47 pm

  This is the worst car EVER! I did not want an American car, but my spouse insisted. This is like driving a time bomb! The dash board lights flash and blink, the radio works when it feels like and the speedo just stops abruptly! The dealer can not figure out what is wrong. It is leaking and burning oil and when the heat is on, the fumes fill the car, again, Ford has not explanation. It looked nice and sporty, but the inside is ROTTEN! Spend your money on a nice Toyota or Hyndai, at least youll get a 100,000 mile warranty!

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  Dangerous Windshield Glare - 2006 Ford Explorer
  By Ed Farmer - January 23 - 6:10 pm

  This is my third Explorer and is the worst due to really bad design. Chrome trim around the instrument panel produces so much glare in the windshield that it is both distracting and dangerous. Read the car reviews online and notice that all of them complain about the terrible glare problem. Ford was supposed to fix this safety problem but has done nothing. This trim is on all models so you can not avoid it. My recommendation is to not buy an Explorer until this major design flaw is fixed. The glare affects every minute of driving and becomes worst in cloudy/rainy situations.

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  Built Ford....Doh ! - 2002 Ford Explorer
  By MLR - January 23 - 1:26 am

  Varied intermittent problems pointing to poor quality. Radio turns on with no key in ignition. Rear defrost bars in middle of window dont work. Interior is cheap. Plastic around window controls separates from door. Leather is more like pleathor. Brakes/backing plates made with cheap metal. Rusts easily. 4 wheel drive in to be repaired. Replaced transmission at 44,000 miles. Car has had two recalls. blah blah blah blah blah. Maybe I got the only bad one.