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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  Reliable and Comfortable - 1993 Ford Taurus
  By missnpoppy - March 30 - 1:04 pm

  This has been my favorite car. I bought it in 05 with 80k miles on it. I have more than doubled those miles. I have taken it on numerous long trips including a driving vacation last summer from Washington state to lower California and back last summer. I get roughly 26 mpg highway. It is more comfortable than my parents newer Toyota Camry. I drive it hard on highway and rural unpaved country roads. This is one car that Im going to miss when it finally gives up. I agree with the alignment issues which if you dont take care of regularly will wear out tires. I also have to replace brakes quite often. Other than that just routine maintenance. I definitely will stick with Taurus.

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  Sonic Blue GT - 2003 Ford Mustang
  By tj38 - March 28 - 9:44 am

  Bought this car in June 05 with 12k miles. Now has 115K miles. Mildly modded with CAI, exhaust, short shifter, MACH1 shocks, Ford C-Springs, white face gauges. Only repairs are front brake calipers (self-inflicted SCCA racing casualty) and alternator and battery...and four sets of tires. Consistently gets 25-26 mpg on highway. I want to get a new car but cant find anything that I like better than this one.

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  1 year update - 2010 Ford F-150
  By screwboy - March 27 - 7:31 pm

  Its been almost a year. Clocked 33K and heres where I stand so far. I have the ticking engine thing. Doesnt seem to affect anything but I dont like it. The 6 speed has the hunting problem I think everyone else has. Its only bad in town. Mine feels like it drops into gear when I leave stop sign/light. I had the flash done at service but it still bumps. The seat back thing has gone away. Obviously, I got used to it. Still liked my Safari seats better. I rode in a friends 2010 Ram and it rides smoother, even with the 20s. I still like the F150 interior better and my mpg are far better than his. If you can deal with the little defects, F150 is still top competitior

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  Good so far. - 2009 Ford Escape
  By texaschemist - March 24 - 6:36 pm

  I bought my Escape used in June 2010.The Escape handles and accelerates well and has an overall powerful feeling. It was after 2 months of routine driving that I noticed the first problems. The transmission would hesitate when accelerating from a stop and jerk into gear. There was no noise and afterward the transmission was smooth. When it started doing this while making left turns through 4-way stops I decided to take it in and have it looked at. Turns out the transmission was failing to downshift from 2nd to 1st quick enough. A technical bulletin fixed this. Ive also noticed that my MPG in winter are much worse than summer (2-4 mpg). Otherwise its a great SUV for the value.

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  Extremely Reliable if you know what to look for - 1994 Ford Taurus
  By papasmith - March 24 - 12:05 am

  I had three 94 taurus wagons altogether. Everyone of them were comfortable and reliable. They do have some consistent weaknesses. The first seems to be the ignition module. I had to replace everyone on each car at least once. The second is the body control computer. When this goes, you will think that the fuel pump has gone bad. Find out where it is and tap it for a temporary fix. The ignition module problem will manefest as unsteady speeds. Other than that, nothing but expected maintenance. I or my wife drove these cars well over 150k each. A couple of these cars now have over 250k. I wasnt that big on maintenance. I wish I could find another with low mileage.

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  Dont buy a used 2006 Fusion - 2006 Ford Fusion
  By danoct24 - March 22 - 9:08 pm

  I personally loved the car until I became victim of the 50k + transmission defect. There is a big problem with these transmissions. The car becomes outright dangerous to drive. Symptoms include, violent jerking when trying to accelerate to pass, followed by loss of speed. At times the tranny with simply drop out of gear, as if it went into neutral while cruising along on the express way. Thats always fun when there is a semi on your tail. There are ALLOT of complaints to Ford and government agencies, but they refuse to do anything about a known defect in certain transmission that is extremely unsafe.

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  a good working truck... - 2000 Ford Ranger
  By riva40 - March 20 - 9:57 pm

  I have had this truck since 2004 and never had any problems. its good on gas and the ride is quite comfortable, highly recommended!

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  Very good car - 1999 Ford Escort
  By eskimopride - March 20 - 1:09 pm

  i bought the car for 1200 and i only had to replace the altinator at round 95k its been replaced once before that. Its a sporty little coupe. The seats are comfortable for a 2.4 hour drive. I was surpirsed how much room there was in the back seat im 511 and i can have the seat where i would drive and still have a little room not much but better then the cavalier

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  Head rest a failure - 2011 Ford Flex
  By bootsboy - March 17 - 8:59 pm

  The head rest pushes against the back of your head. Guess the ladies are really going to appreciate their hair-do being redone. They claim its a "safety" feature. Bull. Its a bad design. Mercedes & Lexus dont re-do your hair for you nor poke you in the back of your head, and they are no slouches in the safety department. This is just a lousy design.

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  I might buy another Ford.... - 2010 Ford Focus
  By tait1977 - March 17 - 12:47 pm

  Have had my 2010 Ford Focus for 5 months. the car set for a week and wouldnt start. charged batt and started. 4 days later sitting died again. took it to Ford and they found nothing. dont trust car to sit now for an extended period of time.