Ford is easily one of the best car manufacturers in the history of the automobile world. This is presented with the fact that they have released some of the greatest vehicles ever. With all of the success that they have had, it is quite clear that they have been able to build themselves a very positive reputation amongst buyers. However, even with this being the case, they have also made a lot of major mistakes that left significant damage to the car manufacturer. There have definitely released some of the worst vehicles ever as well, but that comes with being an old manufacturer. At the end of the day, it is essential to recognize both their successes and failures.

With all that has been stated thus far, in this article, we will be looking at ten cars from Ford that almost put them out of business and ten more that saved them. Many of the cars on this list will be very recognizable because they all have left a significant impact on the automobile world, whether it be a positive or negative one. At the end of the day, it is very important to praise the car company for all of the success that they have endured. Without these great vehicles, we would be driving far less advanced cars. However, even with that, criticism is still warranted for the lemons that they released.

Now, let’s take a look at these cars!

20 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 1974 Ford Gran Torino Elite 1

The 1974 Ford Gran Torino Elite 1 definitely had a very appealing look to it. It resembles some of the top cars of that decade, but it would definitely not be one of them. In fact, this vehicle would end up hurting the car manufacturer pretty dramatically because of the vast amount of issues it possessed.

According to themotordigest.com, this vehicle would end up being extremely disappointing because of the many problems it would have with its engine.

It also was prone to being extremely loud and simply was not built well at all. This would end up hurting them in terms of profit.

19 Saved Them: 1955 Ford Thunderbird

via Silverstone Motorcars

The 1955 Ford Thunderbird is one of the most iconic vehicles to ever be a part of the automobile world and it is quite easy to understand why. When looking at it solely by its appearance, it is quite simple to see as to why so many individuals were drawn to buy them.

According to nydailynews.com, this vehicle did a very solid job competing with the Chevy Corvette and rightfully so. These vehicles were definitely superior when it came to style and overall stability. At the end of the day, this definitely was a groundbreaking vehicle for the car manufacturer.

18 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 1993 Ford Aspire

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The 1993 Ford Aspire had a lot of expectations when it was first released to the automobile world. There is no question that the car manufacturer was banking on the fact that they believed it would be a very safe and reliable vehicle. Instead, it would never seem to take off when it came to its sales.

According to themotordigest.com, this vehicle simply failed on the open market because of the fact that buyers simply did not like the design of it. At the end of the day, this would actually be a pretty significant hit on the car manufacturer, as they expected it to be a top selling model of that year.

17 Saved Them: 1982 Ford Mustang GT

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After a bit of rough patch in the Mustang series during the 1970s, the car manufacturer found their success again with the 1982 Mustang GT model. This is largely because of the fact that this vehicle brought on an entirely different change to the series and it was clearly due.

According to caranddriver.com, this vehicle became very popular because of the abundance of power that its engine possessed. This would allow this vehicle to reach blistering speeds at a very quick rate. At the end of the day, this was a very important release for the company and it helped them immensely.

16 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 1958 Ford Edsel

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The 1958 Ford Edsel definitely has a very nice look to it, so one could assume that it was a top notch vehicle. However, this would not end up being the case whatsoever, as these vehicles would end up having a plethora of major issues. This, of course, would end up hurting the manufacturer financially.

According to themotordigest.com, this vehicle would end up failing entirely because of the fact that it was far too expensive for what buyers were getting.

Today, the release of this vehicle is widely considered to be one of the most infamous mistakes in the history of the automobile world.

15 Saved Them: 1969 Ford Capri

via Wikipedia

The 1969 Ford Capri is a vehicle that definitely is extremely nice looking and this would help its cause immensely. However, as time would pass by, buyers would begin to realize that this vehicle was far more special than they first thought. Now it is considered to be one of the best ever.

According to caranddriver.com, this vehicle also had a lot of success because of how affordable it was during its time on the primary market. When seeing how this vehicle would virtually end up having no problems, there is no question that it easily is one of the most valuable cars to ever come from them.

14 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 1997 Ford Probe

via ZombieDrive

The 1997 Ford Probe was another vehicle from the car manufacturer that they hoped would end up being a success because of its reliability. This, of course, would end up not being the case because of the fact that it simply was too weak when it came to its overall structure.

According to themotordigest.com, this vehicle would also fail miserably on the open market because its design was simply unappealing. At the end of the day, this is a vehicle that definitely has left a major blemish on the history of the car manufacturer. It is for the best that they ended the series after this release.

13 Saved Them: 2016 Ford Focus RS

2016 Focus RS
via Super Street Network

The 2016 Ford Focus RS is the prime example of a vehicle that is built to last. This is largely because of the fact that it possesses a high amount of reliability and safety. At the end of the day, it is quite clear that this vehicle has been able to be successful because of this.

According to nydailynews.com, this vehicle has been deemed as the Best Performance Car of the site, and this makes a lot of sense. Heck, former Top Gear host Matt LeBlanc owns the ride as well. 

When seeing how this vehicle has yet to contain any serious issues at this present time, it is quite clear to see that it truly is worth investing in. Thus, it has done wonders for the car manufacturer.

12 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 2013 Ford Edge

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The 2013 Ford Edge definitely appears to be a very solid family vehicle, but this ended up not being the case whatsoever. This is largely because of the fact that it is quite clear that the manufacturer rushed building it during its developmental stage. This would lead to many problems.

According to carcomplaints.com, this vehicle would end up having an immense amount of electrical problems. To make matters worse, this vehicle is also in needs of constant repairs. This was a rare mistake from the manufacturer with this series, but it has still lingered even today.

11 Saved Them: 2005 Ford GT

via CarGurus

The 2005 Ford GT was a spectacular decision by the car manufacturer because it was the perfect way to celebrate their 100-year birthday. There is no question that this vehicle would go on to perfectly display the amount of success that the car manufacturer has had over the years.

According to nydailynews.com, this vehicle was able to thrive because of not only the blistering speeds it would reach, but also because of the amazing design it had. At the end of the day, it is clear that this vehicle was a smash hit for the car manufacturer and one that truly has saved its business.

10 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 1974 Ford Mustang II

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Even with all of the success that has come from the Ford Mustang series, it is essential to note that they have also had some pretty bad releases as well. This is definitely the case when looking at the 1974 Ford Mustang II. In fact, this is now seen as one of the worst cars in the history of the automobile world.

According to themotordigest.com, aside from it being one of the most disliked cars of all-time, it also had an incredibly weak engine. This would end up making this car extremely slow, especially under a Mustang standards. The immense amount of criticism towards this vehicle would be extremely detrimental to the car manufacturer.

9 Saved Them: 1990 Ford Escort

via Car Throttle

The 1990 Ford Escort was definitely a very solid idea from the car manufacturer. There is no question that this vehicle would go on to be one of the bests to ever come from the car manufacturer because of the massive changes it gave to them. This was truly a revolutionary vehicle.

According to nydailynews.com, this vehicle thrived immensely during its time on the primary market because of the fact that it was extremely fuel efficient. It also was extremely strong when it came to its overall structure, so it would go on to do very well when it came to its sales.

8 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 2010 Ford Fusion

via Car and Driver

The 2010 Ford Fusion came into the automobile world with a lot of expectations from its buyers. This is largely because of the fact that the car manufacturer had done a fairly solid job with the series over the years. However, this vehicle would end up being extremely unreliable at the end of the day.

According to carcomplaints.com, this vehicle is prone to having an immense amount of issues with its steering, as well as its engine.

This definitely has made it a vehicle that many individuals avoid today. Sales for the car dropped off dramatically at a very quick rate and this would end up hurting the manufacturer immensely.

7 Saved Them: 1965 Ford Galaxie

via Mercum Auctions

The 1965 Ford Galaxie is definitely one of the best looking vehicles that the car manufacturer has ever released. Due to this clear fact, it would end up being a smashing success on the primary market. Yet, it is also important to note that it was structurally sound as well.

According to caranddriver.com, this vehicle would go on to be a very solid one for the car manufacturer because of the fact it possessed an immense amount of durability. At the end of the day, there is no question that the car manufacturer benefited a lot from this vehicle.

6 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 1996 Ford Explorer

via Car and Driver

There is no question that the Ford Explorer series is one that has been able to gain a lot of attention over the years. It tends to be the vehicle that many individuals choose to buy if they are looking for an SUV. However, the 1996 version of this would end up being a complete disaster.

According to motordigest.com, this version of the Explorer would have very faulty steering and, of course, this would be very dangerous to its passengers.

This would end up leading to an abundances of accidents with this vehicle. This definitely would result in some serious troubles for the car manufacturer.

5 Saved Them: 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

via Exotic Cars of Houston

The 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor was a revolutionary pickup from the car manufacturer because it brought speed to an extremely reliable truck. There is no question that the Ford F-150 series has been known for their spectacular towing capabilities, but this vehicle put them over the top.

Today, there are still a plethora of individuals who purchase these pickups and rightfully so. There is no question that they are built to last and are also extremely entertaining to drive. According to caranddriver.com, this vehicle works best because of its spectacular and powerful engine.

4 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 1984 Ford Bronco II

via Hagerty

There is no question that the Ford Bronco series definitely is one of the most popular ones in the history of this car manufacturer. However, it is essential to note that the 1984 Ford Bronco II would actually end up being a complete lemon because of the many issues that they all possessed.

According to themotordigest.com, this SUV would end up being extremely unreliable and even dangerous because of the unsteadiness it had when driving. Although the car manufacturer was able to make up for it with later models, the 1984 Bronco is definitely one that ended up hurting their reputation.

3 Saved Them: 1986 Ford Taurus

The 1986 Ford Taurus came out at the perfect time because there is no question that the car manufacturer was struggling immensely during the 1980s. However, this vehicle would go on to be a huge success because it brought with it a whole new level of reliability and safety to its passengers.

According to nydailynews.com, this vehicle would go on to be the Best-Selling Car in America and of course, this would be very good for the car manufacturer.

There is no question that the car manufacturer did everything right when it came to this vehicle and it will forever go down as one of their best.

2 Almost Put Them Out Of Business: 1971 Ford Pinto

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The 1971 Ford Pinto is easily the worst vehicle to ever come from the car manufacturer. This is largely because of the fact that it was extremely dangerous to the passengers of it. This vehicle was exceptionally weak when it came to its overall structure and this would lead to some serious problems.

According to themotordigest.com, this vehicle was prone to exploding in even the smallest of rear-end collisions. When this trend continued to occur, the car manufacturer would end up being sued and lost a plethora of money as a result. This would end up really hurting the reputation of Ford.

1 Saved Them: 1965 Ford Mustang

via AutoTrader Classics

There is absolutely no question that the Ford Mustang series has developed into one of the best ones in the history of the automobile world. However, the 1965 version of this vehicle was the absolute best by a country mile. This is because it was what put this series on the map.

According to nydailynews.com, this vehicle would end up developing into one of the best vehicles of all-time because of its amazing style and blistering speeds.

At the end of the day, the immense amount of impact that was left by this car would end up driving the car manufacturer to even higher levels of success.

Sources: themotordigest.com, caranddriver.com, carcomplaints.com & nydailynews.com