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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  Quick little car - 2011 Ford Mustang
  By S. Davis - October 16 - 10:14 pm

  I have had this car 5 years and1 month. For the first 5 years I had perfect service from this car. At 5 years 1 month the traction control came on by itself [on a clear, dry, straight, stretch of road] and cut the fuel and made steering very hard. This is very dangerous, if someone is following you and you lose power it would be easy to get hit from behind. Ford dealership tried to sell me a steering box, even I knew this wasnt the problem. After much research I found this is a common problem that ford has not really addressed. I have taken it to other places that say it could be a sensor or any number of things. I really enjoy the car, and have decided to keep it for awhile longer to see if this happens again. With only 52,000 I dont think it should be giving problems. Overall its been a good car.

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  Good design but crappy parts - 2014 Ford Escape
  By Jon - October 16 - 5:04 pm

  I got the 2014 Ford Escape Titanium AWD (2.0 Liter engine). I really like the design of the vehicle and the interior. The fuel economy isnt as bad as some have stated. I average about 24mpg combined (27-28 highway). The AWD does a really good job in slippery conditions, and I was pretty impressed with it. However! I bought it in Nov 2013 and Ive already had a few issues that really surprised me. The first issue was within 10k miles. I had a bearing go bad in my front right wheel. The warranty covered it no problem, but it was still really strange. A couple of months later I had back left strut go bad, and I had to get that replaced. Still it was under warranty so it wasnt a huge issue, but I was starting to worry about the quality of the Ford parts. Now this week I took it in for a knocking noise when I back-up and it turns out my front left strut is bad as well. This time however it was only covered under the extended warranty for some reason, so I had to pay a 100$ co-pay. At this point Im basically considering my options to escape this Escape. Im barely at 35k miles on this thing and not quite 2 years of ownership. I understand parts go bad, but for 3 parts to fail in the first 2 years and 35k miles worries me.

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  BMW performance on a budget - 2015 Ford Edge
  By JJ - October 15 - 10:54 pm

  I was originally going to buy a Taurus SHO but decided the Edge Sport would be more practical for my specific needs. I have owned many cars over the years and put a lot of miles on some pretty bad roads in all types of weather, unfortunately I cant comment on the Edges winter performance yet. What I can tell you is that this crossover is absolutely great on the highway and very pleasant to drive in an urban environment. Its quite, and soaks up bumps and irregularities in uneven road surfaces like a big luxury car. What it doesnt do is have a ton of body roll or wobbly feeling like a lot of vehicles in this segment. I suspect this is due to the stiffer springs and bigger anti sway bars on the sport model. Cargo storage and access is very good, the stereo is better than average, the navigation system is pretty straight forward and loads fast, visibility is also good, however I personally find the inability to turn the lane departure system completely off rather annoying as I dont always use turn signals so that little shudder it sends through the steering column when Im passing is a bit distracting. Yes, it has bunch of bells and whistles but the real reason to buy this thing is the engine. The 2.7 v6 twin turbo is absolutely incredible. The power is very linear and triple digits happen in the blink of an eye. The thing is you never realize how fast your accelerating until you look at the speedometer or the line of cars in the rear view mirror and it does it so smoothly and quite. Its not a Corvette or Porsche 911 but I can assure you an X5 or Lexus is going to be embarrassed if they challenge you on the 4 lane. My point is to find the level of technology and performance you find under the hood of this thing you would have to spend a lot more and it will be from Europe.

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  Great family vehicle! - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By Kendra - October 15 - 4:39 pm

  Bought my 2012 Ford Explorer as a Certified Pre Owned with 36k miles. Have had the vehicle 8 months now and still love it! Now that we are one of few families in our circle with a 7 passenger vehicle, we end up being "the bus" ... recently had 7 adults on board and even the two in the third row were comfortable and commented on how roomy it was for a third row seat. My 8 year old loves the third row and thinks it is great fun climbing in and out. Things I love: Power liftgate Power folding third row Heated and cooled front seats Great sound system Drives very smooth and quiet (except for windshield hissing/whistling - problem is solved by turning up the music!) Handles great Great rear view camera and backup sensors Looks great Great warranty since I bought Certified Pre-Owned Surprisingly good gas mileage for the size Things that bug me: -Had to have the shifting assembly replaced after getting "shift to park" messages when it was clearly in park. Covered under CPO warranty and I only paid $100, but irritating to have to pay anything for what is clearly a Ford defect, as many people have reported the same problem. -The blind spot takes some getting used to. I have gotten much more adept at using my mirrors because the blind spots on the sides are significant. I couldnt find a used model with BLIS which I gladly would have paid for, so this was a big downfall in the beginning -I hate MyFord Touch. It never works properly. Luckily, I already knew this was an issue from my research prior to purchasing the vehicle so I expected it. Works great for voice climate control and using the phone everything else is pretty much crap. I never use the navigation much easier to plug my iPhone in to the USB and use Google maps. -The dark blue color is very hard to keep clean almost as bad as black. Would have preferred white or silver but when youre buying used you have to take what you can find. Overall I love the vehicle and would buy another. This is the first SUV I have ever owned after years of driving Acura sedans. I actually had my heart set on an Acura MDX until I compared the Ford Explorer and realized I could get just as many features and luxury items for a much lower price. Bonus: its much cheaper to work on since its American made! I was always shocked at the repair costs on my Acuras because the parts were so much more expensive. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a reliable SUV with a luxury feel at an affordable cost!

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  Transmission Problem Fixed! - 2013 Ford Focus
  By Brian - October 15 - 11:08 am

  We own a 2013 Focus SE & Focus Titanium - both have had the transmission problems as many have experienced. A few weeks ago my dealer informed me of the TCM recall for both - had them both done and car shifts and drives 110% better - I can squeal the tires on take off (huge improvement from the sluggish, hesitant shifting between 1st & 2nd gear).

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  )ver all GREAT TRUCK - 1997 Ford F-150
  By Scott - October 15 - 1:36 am

  Very fuel effishent and does what it should do for a truck of this size, and will even do what it shoudnt beable to do. I have polled a trailer with 4000lbs of wood with another 1000lbs of wood in the back and have towed it 50mi with alot of up hill and it did slow on the hills but for the amount of weight I was moveing it does awsome and it has never let me down yet.

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  A nice upgrade - 2015 Ford Edge
  By JHouston - October 14 - 2:44 pm

  Traded in our 2012 ford escape for the new 2015 edge. We actually own a SEL 6 cyl. (But the review wouldnt give me the option). Its a responsive engine, Doesnt feel sluggish. We still arent getting great MPG. But I suppose thatll come the more we break it in. Has a few blind spots, but thats to be expected with any vehicle... its still easy to maneuver. Easy to see out of. I test drove the hyundai santa fe sport and it doesnt even come close to the edge! The edge feels more sturdy. I feel itll last a long while! We have a 4 yr old and its easy for her to get in and out of the vehicle, she has plenty of room in the back and she loves the cup holders that come down from the back middle seat. We unfortunately havent taken it on a long drive thats over 2 hrs. But so far the front seats seem comfortable for both me and my husband. We are loving it! Love the close tailgate button.. very handy for me only being 53. My only concern is the material they used around the cupholders. It seems to scratch very easily. But other than that, we are very happy with our purchase and plan to keep it for years!!

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  Im Jappy - 2003 Ford Expedition
  By David Hylton - October 14 - 8:12 am

  I bought a 2003 with 70,000 on it in 2014. I was going to get a brand new vehicle but this was to good of a deal to pass up because it was a 1 owner vehicle and was literally in new condition. I hadnt had the vehicle for 2 weeks when a drunk driver rear ended me while I was sitting at a red light with my 3 year old and 10 year old kids in the car. Drunk was doing 45mph and the impact was tremendous. He was driving a full size Chevy truck and it was completely totaled. Expedition had 1000 dollars in damage. Not only was I amazed but the police and firefighters couldnt believe it. This thing is a tank! Mpg is awful but I knew this before I bought it so no surprise there. It rides good and no problems at all. I did change the serpentine belt just as a precaution due to its age. Im very happy with this vehicle and the 3rd row seats that fold into the floor are a huge plus.

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  Runs and Drives well and still looks great! - 2006 Ford Freestar
  By Bill Adams - October 13 - 12:03 pm

  The van was purchased in 2011 at 94K miles, and now has 165K on it. It spent its first year as a Hertz rental unit in Hawaii, then as a privately owned vehicle in the Twin Cities area before we bought it. So far there is no body rust, and all features and functions work as they should. It is still almost completely squeak and rattle free, and has a good tight and solid feel overall. Wind noise is a bit below average. Engine, transmission, and exhaust appear to be original and unopened and are working well and not leaking. This is probably the quietest and smoothest shifting AT I have ever owned. The engine burns no oil. Service and Repairs so far: Routine oil & filter changes with Mobil-1 5W-20 every 6K miles. Had right front wheel bearing replaced at 145K. Pads & rotors (normal wear & tear at 155,000 - DIY). Spark plugs, coil pack, and wires (did it myself at 96K as a preventive measure). Problem with water in PCM connector causing misfiring and error codes (fixed myself by cleaning & sealing connector - no recurrence). New rear shocks at 155K (by myself - easy for a diy-er on this vehicle). New headlight bulbs twice (DIY - no tools needed except possibly a car key). New serpentine belt at 100K as a preventive measure. I have a complete ATF flush/change every 15-20K as a preventive measure - it has paid off in the form of NO transmission problems on 2 other minivans (98 Ford Windstar and 95 Plymouth Voyager) that were notorious for transmission problems. We use it for towing a small utility trailer with no problems, and a 1900 lb. boat plus trailer, which is the max I would want to tow with it. When towing the boat we run it in 3rd. gear if there are any hills at all, and try to run with the A/C off. Pros: Good crisp handling (for a mini-van), snappy performance w/good passing performance, 6-disc CD player & cornering lights (SEL and Limited only), good heating and A/C, which will freeze you out if you want it to, rear seat folds flat into floor, nice styling, comfortable front seats, good sound system. Cons: Blind spot to drivers left rear, so-so mileage (18-20 local driving, 21-24 highway), road noise (varies with pavement surface and type of tire, and as a fleet vehicle may not have had as much sound deadening material added when built fleet delete?), only one switch to operate both rear vent windows, middle seats are heavy and hard to take out or put back in, and middle and rear seats are too low - okay for children and short people, uncomfortable for tall people. IMO, Ford started out in the mini-van business with a great basic design that attracted many customers at first, and might have grabbed a larger share of that market segment. However, by cutting corners, letting customer care slide, and making ill-advised mechanical changes, they failed to attract and maintain a loyal customer base. Considering that they havent made Windstar, Freestar, or Mercury Monterey minivans since 2007, there are still quite a few of them on the road, and I know people who like them and who will hate to part with them when they finally wear out. However, early in the program and occasionally thereafter, there was in-the-field debugging that had to be done, and by failing to quickly address the weaknesses, Ford caused the line to die prematurely. IMO. But we really like ours and hope to get about 300K miles out of it, depending on how badly it rusts and future parts availability.

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  So Far So Good - 2015 Ford Escape
  By square85 - October 8 - 12:26 pm

  Leased a 2015 Escape SE 4WD 2.0 in August and have about 1200 miles on her so far. Got some extras that I didnt necessarily want but the dealership gave me a deal so I took it. Have the vista roof and wouldnt recommend it honestly it barely tilts open and if you open it 100% instead of the standard opening, there is a terrible buffeting sound that travels throughout the inside of the car. I would recommend the 2.0 because it really performs and takes off MPG is so-so but that is to be expected when there is so much power to give. There is no interior storage but I knew that when choosing the vehicle so I cant really call that a "con." I dont understand the negativity behind MyFord Touch Ive never had an issue and thus far has worked flawlessly. Some more observations: -Headlights work fine and I like that they automatically come on when the wipers are put to the low setting -Grown to appreciate the dual zone climate control -Cant live without a power hatch after having one now -Driver seat is very comfortable -All cars should come with built in blind spot mirrors -Keypad entry is nice use it more to lock the car than anything else -Engine turns over very quickly -Power reserve stays on even when the keys are out of the ignition as long as a door isnt opened -LED interior lights are nice and bright Only "issue(s)" Ive had would be the power shade for the vista roof vibrating within the first days of ownership while parked on an incline and it hasnt happened since. Its only happened two or three times but the car will shift very hard when turning it on and shifting out of park.