Ford's 5 Greatest Triumphs & 5 Worst Failures

Intro

The Ford Motor Company has been around for 120 years. During that time, they have experienced many triumphant moments as well as suffered through some unfortunate failures. Entire books can be written on the Ford successes and failures over the years. But we only have ten slides to tell the story.  So, with the limited space we collected what we feel have been five of Ford’s greatest triumphs as well as their five greatest failures. We included business decisions, truck designs, and even some motorsport history in our list. What has Ford done right and wrong over the years? Hit the next slide to find out.

Failure #5 – Ford Sells Jaguar and Land Rover for $3.5 Billion Loss

From the late 1980s through the late 1990s, the Ford Motor Company sought to move upmarket by purchasing luxury automakers. Over the years they had acquired Volvo, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover to include in their now-defunct Premier Automotive Group. Ford eventually sold all of these brands, but the Jaguar and Land Rover deals may have been the most disappointing. Ford bought Jaguar in 1989 for $2.5 billion, and Land Rover in 2000 for $2.7 billion. In 2008 they sold both brands to Tata Motors for $1.7 billion. That is roughly one third of the price they paid and resulted in a massive $3.5 billion loss. And that doesn’t include the nearly $10 billion that Ford invested in Jaguar over the years. Jaguar was never profitable during the almost 20 years of Ford ownership.  

Triumph #5 – Aluminum Truck Body

We know that some folks are still not sold on Ford’s transition to aluminum truck bodies for various reasons. However, there is no denying several key benefits to the move. Weight was reduced by hundreds of pounds compared to steel trucks. They are more fuel efficient and have greater towing and hauling capabilities. Fears of these trucks not being as strong as steel have been largely unfounded. The F-150 has been aluminum since 2015 and the Super Duty began using aluminum in 2017. In 2023 these trucks still seem to be holding up just fine.

Failure #4 – Lincoln Blackwood

Ford sold their other premium brands, but they kept Lincoln. And some Lincoln models have been successful. However, the 2002 Lincoln Blackwood was not one of those models. Ford took a shot at building a luxury pickup truck with the Blackwood. The concept is not that bad, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The truck had limited capability due to being offered in rear-wheel drive only. But far worse was the truck bed that was actually referred to as a trunk as it was carpeted and featured a powered tonneau cover. Was anyone going to put mulch, or stone, or even a pair of muddy socks in the back of this truck? The Blackwood cost about $20,000 more than the F-150 and Ford only sold about a third of the 10,000 they projected to build in the first year. So, it was killed after just one model year.

Triumph #4 – Original Ford Explorer

The single biggest change in the automotive market in the last 30 years has been the switch from cars to SUVs. And the original Ford Explorer that came out in 1991 was a big reason for this shift. Today nearly three-quarters of all vehicle sales are SUVs, trucks or crossovers. That was not the case before the Explorer. The SUVs being sold pre-Explorer were mostly geared towards off-road pursuits. The Explorer gave us some of that off-road capability combined with the space and comfort to make it a viable everyday family vehicle. The Ford Explorer changed the world.

Failure #3 – Poor Engine Design

Over the years Ford has made many fantastic engines. But they also made several that suffered from poor design. The 5.4L 3V Triton engine is a good example. Spark plugs would blow out because there were not enough threads to keep them in place. The 6.0L Power Stroke engines suffered blown head gaskets due to the head studs not being able to provide enough clamping force. The Fuel Injector Control Module is another common failure point in these engines. The point is Ford created engines in their history that you would be better off simply avoiding.

Triumph #3 – Excellent Engine Design

On the other hand, Ford has created some engines that are the best the world has ever seen. The famous 300 ci straight-six powered everything from trucks to woodchippers and will last damn near forever. The 7.3L Power Stroke engine provides a ton of grunt and will also run until the end of time. Other Power Stroke engines have been known to produce the greatest towing capacity in the market. Ford has an impressive resume of outstanding engines, and it is one of their greatest triumphs.

Failure #2 – Bronco II Rollovers

Ford engineers knew that the Bronco II was susceptible to rollovers. Fixes were suggested but they were all shot down because they would have cost money and delayed the launch of the model. So, Ford sold what they knew was an unsafe vehicle to the public. The result was a disaster. The exact death toll numbers are disputed but hundreds of people were killed in Bronco II rollovers. It was so bad that some insurance companies would not even write a policy for the Bronco II. Lawsuits and fines piled up and went into the billions. The Bronco II was an epic failure.

Triumph #2 – Ford Wins Le Mans in 1966

After a business deal went sour between Ford and Ferrari, Ford decided to take on the Italian supercar maker on the world’s biggest racing stage, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1966 Ford took the overall victory away from Ferrari. And to further prove the point Ford won again in 1967, 1968 and 1969. This put Ford on the world stage like never before. It helped to drive sales of the new Mustang. And it brought in a lot of money for the company that they were able to allocate to other projects across the organization. Winning Le Mans was an incredible accomplishment for Ford.  

Failure #1 – Ford Explorer Rollover/Tire Separation Fiasco

Ford didn’t seem to learn any lessons from the Bronco II disaster. The original Ford Explorer may have changed the automotive landscape but it also gave Ford a huge black eye. Similar to the Bronco II, Ford was made aware that the Explorer was prone to rollovers. But instead of modifying the suspension to address the problem Ford instead recommended running a lower front tire pressure. This did make the SUV more stable but also reduced the durability of the tire. Tires were failing, and Explorers were flipping over. Ford blamed tire supplier Firestone. Firestone blamed Ford. While the two companies pointed fingers at each other, one of the most popular vehicles in America was killing people. Over 200 people were reportedly killed.

It took nearly a decade to resolve and over 14 million tires were eventually recalled. After 95 years of supplying Ford with tires Firestone ended the partnership citing that they lacked trust in Ford. This was an ugly situation, and  is the worst failure in Ford history.

Triumph #1 – F-Series Best-Selling Truck for 46 Years

Many of you reading this were not even born when something other than the Ford F-Series was the best-selling truck in America. It has held that title for an incredible 46 years. Through recessions, pandemics, gas price increases, and fierce competition, Ford has remained on top. It is an astonishing accomplishment. In 2022 Ford sold an F-series every 49 seconds. And guess what? Ford is poised to take the crown again in 2023 making it 47 years in a row. Cal Ripken Jr. played in 2,632 consecutive baseball games. It is one of the most impressive streaks in sports history and one that will likely never be topped. The Ford F-Series best-selling streak is every bit as impressive.

Images: Ford