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:

• 

  Issues! - 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Corey - June 26 - 12:33 pm

  I wasnt even looking at Ford. Thought I would look at the Explorer and ended up driving it off the lot. I was initially very impressed with car, still am sort of. It has just had too many problems. Transmission is horrible. It keeps shifting as I decellerate to a stop. Very jerky tranny. Ford said they were aware of the problem, but didnt have a fix. They eventually "reprogrammed" the transmission, which worked for a while, but its acting very jerky again. Have had issues, gear shifter, and exterior lights too. I may have just gotten a bad one, nonetheless Im not buying another Ford.

• 

  Fun Until Parts Start Breaking - 2012 Ford Mustang
  By Chad - June 25 - 4:30 am

  This is a fun car. Great acceleration and top speed. Hugs the road nicely. Car looks and sounds great! Ive had this Mustang for 5 years now. Struts started going out after 3 years, I still havent fixed that. The A/C and clutch broke very soon after the bumper to bumper warranty ended. Cost about $1,500 to fix. I went online and this was a common issue in the 30,000+ mile range. Now, right after the 5 year engine warranty ended, the water pump is going out. Replacing that and the hoses is going to cost me another $1,000 if I do it at a dealer. WARNING: Worst of all with this car. If I had know this I wouldnt have purchased the car. The heat in Arizona is hard on batteries, once you get acid on the battery cable, it will get inside the wiring and slowly eat its way through everything until all your electronics are burned out too. Luckily I caught it before it damaged anything. Its a special cable that you can only get from the dealer and they have to drop the transmission to replace it. $1,000 to replace that. I asked the dealer and a local about other options and how to avoid it in the future. They said this faulty cable is the only option on the Mustang, and you can only slow the problem down, but that Ill probably be back in in 5 years with the same problem. ITS A BATTERY CABLE! I love driving this car but Im tempted to sell it and never look back. A battery cable should cost $20 and be a do-it-yourself project, not some $1,000 ordeal.

• 

  2005 Focus ZX4 - 2005 Ford Focus
  By j black - June 23 - 4:43 am

  We are very pleased with our 05 Focus ZX4. We also have an 02 Focus Se wagon which we are also very pleased with. The 05 does get 5 to 7 mpg better. The torque curve has been noticeably improved, especially at passing speeds. The stall ratio of the transmission has also been changed. The engine feels very strong when starting from a dead stop.

• 

  good - 2004 Ford Expedition
  By joseb - June 23 - 2:00 am

  the most roomy and comfortable vehicle of any type ive ever driver/rode in; even luxury cars

• 

  Best of its kind - 2003 Ford Escape
  By Richi - June 21 - 10:00 am

  Gets you anywhere.Im not talking about offroad competition driving. Who wants all those overrated lower gear ratio downhill automatic power drive, and God knows what other names are around. The Escape is more than satisfactory for any kind of road situation.

• 

  Better but not great - 2007 Ford Econoline Wagon
  By kim - June 21 - 6:23 am

  The brakes seem better in this model than in the older ones. The engine revs high from day one. They did away with the console in betwen the driver and passenger seat now anything on the floor ends up under the gas pedal. Really needs a little bump on the floor to prevent this.

• 

  Recall for Air bag that can kill you if it deploys - 2014 Ford Mustang
  By mike Ringwald - June 19 - 6:22 pm

  If the 2014 Mustang has a recall for air bags, run away. I have been waiting all most two years for Ford to fix the problem on my car. I was at a dealer today Ford, they offered me 11 grand for my car, the reason so low, we can not resell your car until the airbags are replaced its unsafe to drive, but they expect me to keep driving the car or park it until the promised in the future fix. If you have some you want to get rid of this is the car to buy.

• 

  Fun car with a great price - 2000 Ford Focus
  By nes1984 - June 19 - 5:20 am

  Great car for the money, needs some more options like softer seats, more horsepower, bigger gas tank.

• 

  Works fine - 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Jesse - June 18 - 7:53 am

  I have had my sport trac since 2002 and now it has 158,000.00 miles on it. I have had to do some routine maintainace but it still runs really well and I am having a hard time replacing because it is in such good shape. I will get at least 200,000 miles out of this truck but I also take care of it and not try to dog it out. I would say to anyone if you want your car to last, you need to look at your manuel that came with your truck and do the maintainance. You will end up saving thousands on repairs. I know because this is not the first Ford that I have got this many miles out of.

• 

  Ford Explorer 96 - 1996 Ford Explorer
  By Larry Scott - June 16 - 10:00 am

  Car has been flawless. No problems at all. One of the best cars I have ever owned mechanically.