Are Fords Reliable?
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They’re about as American as baseball and apple pie. They may receive some ridicule or scorn from Chevy or Dodge owners, particularly among fans of pickup trucks, but it’s hard to deny the huge impact the Ford Motor Company has had on the automotive industry and American culture in general. From its humble beginnings with the Model A, Ford introduced the moving assembly line to make the Model T the first mass-produced car in 1908. This allowed millions of Americans to buy their very own automobile, which (for better or worse) ended up largely phasing out horses, streetcars, and trains.
Owning your own car became part of the American dream, being able to take control of your own literal mobility and hopefully social and economic mobility. This helped shape the highway system that forms a vast connective system between all corners of the country, as well as the countless cities and towns that popped up along these routes.
In the century since the Model T brought cars into the mainstream, Ford has had its ups and downs understandably, with highlights such as the Mustang sports car and the F-Series of pickup trucks, the best-selling car model in U.S. history. This history will probably leave you with one important question: are Fords reliable these days? By modern car standards, yes, Fords are fairly reliable.
How Reliable is the Ford Brand?
While not particularly noteworthy, Ford cars have decent expected reliability these days. There are some brands that need fewer repairs in an average year, and there are brands that cost less to maintain, but you can certainly do worse than the blue oval. According to Repair Pal, the average Ford vehicle has to be taken to the shop about 0.3 times per year for unexpected repairs. This amounts to less than one surprise problem every three years. This is 25% below the industry average of 0.4 repairs in a given year. And out of these problems, Repair Pal only classifies 15% of them as severe issues. This results in an average cost of $775 per year to maintain the average Ford vehicle. This number is not all that high, but it is $223 more than the average cost to upkeep.
While Ford’s numbers are respectable on their own, they are beaten by both Chevy and Dodge, who compete directly with Ford as the flagship brands of General Motors and Stellantis (Formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) in the battle between America’s big three auto manufacturers. The average Chevrolet has marginally fewer repairs needed (0.28 vs 0.3 annually) and costs less to maintain ($649 vs $775). Dodge meanwhile fares even better, needing an average of 0.28 repairs each year and costing only $634 a year. However, while these numbers lean towards Chevy and Dodge overall as brands, you should research the differences between comparable models from these brands when shopping for a new car.
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What Are Common Ford Problems?
While some models have had more issues than others, transmissions seemed to give a lot of owners nightmares, especially since 2000.
Transmission Failure
In the early- to mid-2000s, Ford seemed to have some serious problems with their transmission construction. Multiple models, including their wildly popular Explorer SUV and Taurus sedan, had hundreds of complaints each year of the transmission failing on them. As the part of the car that translates engine power into acceleration, this is one of the most complex parts and also one of the most essential. That made it expensive to repair and an unavoidable cost if you wanted to continue using your car. This problem seems to have been improved greatly over the years.
Power Steering Failure
In the early- to mid-2010s, Ford encountered many problems with their power-steering systems. This was a prominent issue with their sedans, including the Fusion and Focus. This made it much harder to handle the car, which is an especially important issue for drivers with disabilities who rely on power steering. You might still be able to drive your car without power steering, but it is certainly more dangerous without hydraulic assistance.
Jerking Acceleration from Stop
While not as bad as full transmission failure seen on earlier models, some Ford sedans still had issues with the transmission, especially the Ford Focus. Several owners reported their cars failing to accelerate smoothly when getting started. Luckily, this problem was covered under warranty or recall for many owners, but transmission repairs can take a long time and be a big nuisance even if you don’t have to pay for them.
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What Are the Most Reliable Ford Models?
There are several reliable models produced by Ford, but these are some of the best.
Ford Ranger
Not everyone who wants or needs a pickup truck needs one as big as an F-150. The Ranger is a great option with plenty of payload and towing capacity for almost any of your day-to-day needs. It is also a very reliable vehicle, needing only 0.16 repairs a year on average. At that rate, you can expect to only need regularly scheduled maintenance on your car outside of once every six years. This should only cost you about $615 a year.
Ford Taurus
Ford has somewhat sadly axed all of their hatchbacks and sedans, with the Mustang and Mustang Mach-E being their only offerings that aren’t SUVs or pickup trucks. But the Taurus stuck around until the 2019 model year, so you can still find plenty of nearly new Tauruses in excellent condition. Unscheduled repairs are rare, with an average of about 0.18 per year. The annual cost of upkeep is not that high either, at $697 a year.
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What Are the Least Reliable Ford Models?
Are Fords reliable? For the most part, they are, but these two could be considered exceptions.
Ford Transit-150
One of Ford’s best-selling vehicles, the Transit-150 van, is also one of its least reliable. This model is typically used for corporate fleets, though it is also rising in popularity among individual buyers thanks to the rise of van life driven by social media. But the Transit-150 needs 0.83 repairs in an average year, and you can expect to pay about $972 to keep it in working order.
Ford Flex
The Flex was a station wagon in a world of crossovers, leaving it in a polarizing place by the time it was discontinued in 2019. Some loved it for sticking to a more classic design philosophy, and its straight lines and square angles made it great for cargo storage. Others, meanwhile, preferred the sleek and aerodynamic designs of its competitors. But, however you felt about its design, the reliability of the Flex was only so-so. While not that bad, it needed more repairs than any of Ford’s other consumer vehicles, with an average of 0.41 repairs a year, about average across the industry. It wasn’t the most expensive to maintain, but it came very close to the prices of the Explorer and F-150, which both had fewer unexpected interruptions.
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