Ford is quite possibly the biggest manufacturer on the planet, creating car after car to suit absolutely anyone's needs whether they may want an SUV, hot hatch, muscle car, or a pickup, Ford covers all bases with great renditions of vehicles in every category.
However, even Ford makes mistakes, and not everything they've made has been a hit. Some vehicles on this list may surprise you given their overall stellar reputation, and some cars on this list were immediately recalled or discontinued altogether. Below are 10 cars Ford definitely regrets making.
10 2010 Ford Flex
Ford is one of the champions when it comes to creating some excellent SUVs, pickups and crossovers, yet the Ford Flex is certainly one to be forgotten.
Not only is the vehicle one of the more uninspired models from Ford's lineup, it has been subject to multiple recalls over some fairly serious issues. Over the car's 10-year run, it has been recalled ten times by Ford. In 2019, the Flex was recalled because of safety concerns relating to the connection of the power supply cables and in 2013, the vehicle was recalled due to a manufacturing defect with some fuel tanks. Both of these problems could lead to fires, and it should come as no surprise that the Flex is no longer in production.
9 Ford Gran Torino Elite
The Ford Gran Torino is one of the more fondly remembered in Ford's lineup, but the Elite is a whole different story, unfortunately.
Initially, problems begin once you realize that the Torino Elite 'borrowed' very heavily, for lack of a better word, from the Mercury Cougar of the same era. Its unflattering looks make it one of the worst-styled cars from such a prestigious manufacturer. As if stealing Mercury's luxury car concept wasn't bad enough, the Torino Elite didn't do it very well and chief among its problems was the absurd noise the car made, meaning many just simply didn't want to own one.
8 Ford Festiva
Visually, the Festiva is a car that looks like a hatchback from some angles and a mini-SUV from others, and this mismatch in personality may be explained in its production.
The Festiva was interestingly designed by Mazda and built in South-Korea. Overall, the Festiva was adequate at best, but other cars, such as the Dodge Neon, performed better and arguably looked nicer. It became immediately apparent that the Festiva was a mistake right from the beginning, as the Festiva's design wasn't well received by anyone and Ford's gamble at entering the world of the supermini was ultimately futile.
7 Ford Probe
On name alone, the Probe from Ford seemed like a disaster from the beginning, and that's before you even get to the design.
Believe it or not, the Probe was intended to be the replacement for the legendary Mustang. However, history tells us that this didn't quite pay off, as the Probe was just generally poorly designed. It looked rather boring, especially for a car that was made to compete with the likes of the popular Mitsubishi Eclipse. This, rather unsurprisingly, led to its eventual death in 1997.
6 Ford Mustang II
Quite possibly one of the most successful cars in history, the Ford Mustang is still in production to this day with special edition models and tribute editions.
Ford understandably figured a sequel was a no-brainer, but from the outlook, the Mustang II looks almost nothing like any Mustang from history, minus that famous front grille, of course. It shared parts with the loathed Pinto and was far from fast. Its confused Pinto-Mustang hybrid looks and lack of real power made it a Mustang in name only, and it serves as the best example of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it,' leading Ford to go down a more traditional road for future Mustangs.
5 Ford Bronco II
Another dreaded sequel comes in the form of the Bronco II, based on the Ford Ranger. The idea was to create a modern, compact Bronco-styled version of the Ranger, which makes sense.
Unfortunately, the execution was all wrong and the small frame made the Bronco II susceptible to rollovers because of its narrow width, tall height, and short wheelbase. It even has an unfortunate and morbid reputation for being one of the more deadly cars, when an official investigation in 1990 found that around 70 people had been killed in a single year as a result of the Bronco II tipping over, the highest rate of any car tested at the time.
4 Ford Pinto
The infamous Pinto is renowned as being one of the worst vehicles of all time, a sad mark in an otherwise glittering history of Ford cars.
Its design is so remarkably poor that there were cases of the car bursting into flames when it was rear-ended by other vehicles. Ford decided to agree to the $50 million victim settlement fees rather than spending the $121 million on recalling and fixing the Pinto's issues, as one of the more fiscally and morally negligent decisions from the automotive giant.
3 1990s Ford Explorer
As one of the rare cases on this list, the Explorer managed to see a way into the modern era with models still being produced now.
But back in the '90s, the Explorer was a disaster. It used a truck chassis design, which gave it a high center of gravity. This, combined with tire issues, meant the car would lose control and roll over. This problem was so serious, it even led to a dispute between tire manufacturer Firestone and Ford themselves.
2 Ford Edsel
It could certainly be argued that the Edsel was somewhat doomed from the beginning. Edsel, the automotive company, only lasted three years and closed its doors in 1961 after losses totaling $250 million, the equivalent of slightly over $2.19 billion in today's money.
The Ford Edsel vehicle itself was a rather poor vehicle with lackluster build quality. The combination of muscle and luxury may have worked for others at the time, but unfortunately for Edsel and Ford, it didn't here. The overall price was insanely high, too, meaning many didn't want to even cough up the cash.
1 1990 Ford Escort
As one of the most successful Fords of all time, you may be shocked to hear that in the very early '90s, the Escort was far from good.
The Escort from the late '80s and early '90s was received poorly given the sub-par build quality, overall boring design, and lack of expected equipment seen on other cars at the time. Fortunately, Ford managed to rectify the Escort making it as popular as it ever was, unlike many other cars on this list.
Sources: Motor and Wheels, Wheel Media, Consumer Design Automotive, The Motor Digest, How Stuff Works