You have probably heard about Ford. No, not the fashion designer, but the car manufacturer. It is one of the most influential manufacturers that has helped shape the modern world as we know it. Ford’s first car was the Model T which came out on October 1st, 1908 and boy, has the world changed since then.
However, it is not all rainbows and sunshine for the car manufacturing giant, far from it. Aside from enjoying the fruits of being one of the first in the industry to bring the motorized automobile to the general public, Ford has seen some dark times quite often as of late.
Even so, some people still fanatically support Ford in all their endeavors even with many gleaming problems in their cars.
Of course, we are not here to judge those people but it just seems weird that a company that has made so many mistakes in the past (and even in the future) still is going this strong.
25 Ford Focus Crossed Oxygen Sensor Wires
This might not be one of the more expensive problems on this list but it sure is one of the more pesky ones especially that this issue is completely unavoidable. It is not just the Ford Focus that has been known to encounter this headache but a whole bunch of other Ford models as well.
Changing out the exhaust system is a norm in the car community especially if you are into modifying rides and when you do this on a Ford, there is a really big chance that the oxygen sensor is going to go crazy on you.
24 Ford Tempo Ambient Engine and Chassis Noises
A number of models in the Ford lineup had this issue before but none surpassed the severity and volume of the Ford Tempo. This is due to many factors such as the build quality of the chassis and the sound deadening in the cabin to name a couple; no matter what the cause might have been, it still is an issue that an old and experienced car company such as Ford should not have to deal with anymore.
Imagine cruising down the road with never-ending noise, not a pleasant experience to say the least.
23 Ford Fiesta Valve Cover Gasket Leaks
Repairing the damage that stems out from a valve cover gasket leak can get pricey especially if the root of the problem has been constantly clawing at the delicate parts in your engine bay for a long time. Once you smell the distinct stink of burning oil, you better start praying to a superior being in the heavens that the smell isn’t coming from your Ford.
Well, if your prayers were left unanswered and you find yourself looking at a leaking gasket then you better start dialing your insurance company.
22 Ford Escort Transmission Issues
Ah, the Ford Escort. Before Focus RS and Fiesta ST were tearing up rally stages around the world, the Ford Escort was the go-to vehicle for our Ford loving colleagues. However, these Escorts were never really driven stock. The first to be replaced was always the transmission as they were, well, “not good” so as not to disrespect Escort lovers.
You can’t miss the whining of a failing transmission, choosing to ignore it will lead to much more work and you are better off buying a new one altogether.
21 Ford Crown Victoria Worn Inner Tie Rod Ends
Anyone would be sweating bullets when they see the distinct face of a Crown Vic in the rearview mirror, that is you’ve committed a traffic violation (which you probably did a few blocks ago, hence, a police cruiser tailing you).
The Crown Vic is by no means a small and nimble vehicle. Its turning radius is large and trying to execute a tight turn will prove to be a straining task, this puts extra stress on the seemingly frail tie rods it has and will cause that part to be worn easily.
20 Ford C-Max Incessant Check Engine Light
The Ford C-Max is not really one of Ford’s best jobs. There, someone already said it, moving on. That little light on the dashboard or on the speedometer that looks like an engine is called the check engine light. It indicates whether the car is running smoothly or if there is something terribly wrong with your vehicle.
The check engine light on the Ford C-Max lights up for no apparent reason which tricks the owners into thinking that it’s probably not that big of a deal but more often than not, it is.
19 Ford Five Hundred Check Engine Light Failure
So we have talked about a check engine light that perpetually lights up, now we have a check engine light that never lights up which is a few notches worse than the former. A non-functioning check engine light won’t have the chance to warn you about the impending doom that’s headed your way (or your car).
Some people shrug off this ever useful light as something minor but once in a while, the stars are aligned and it means something more menacing than your common loose gas cap issue.
18 Ford Probe Faulty Automatic Gear Shifter
Driving automatic, you will soon figure out that most cars of the same transmission will not start up if the gear is not in the “park” position. No, it is not your fault; it’s just how the transmissions were built.
What’s worse is you can’t figure out what is wrong with the car so you take it to your trusted mechanic or rather have it towed to your mechanic (which costs money depending on the distance) only to find out that the car won’t start because of a thing as simple as that.
17 Ford Escape Abnormal Drivetrain Noise
For those who are not up to speed with all the car related terminology and the automotive jargon, the drivetrain is what connects the engine to the axles so you can say that it is a rather integral part in your vehicle’s plethora of components.
A damaged drivetrain will result in a number of things like inefficient fuel economy, poor power delivery, and annoying ambient noise to name a few. If not treated, it will probably escalate into more problems and there would be no escape (pun intended).
16 Ford Freestar Engine Misfire
Many owners of the relatively popular Ford Freestar minivan have reported constant engine misfires while driving. Though misfires are somewhat common and are often times no cause for concern because of external factors that are not in the hands of the carmaker, Ford definitely begs to differ with the Freestar.
Its engine seemingly encounters this problem more frequently than others with no apparent reason or explanation. We doubt that it is something as simple as an oil change and a set of new spark plugs will fix.
15 Ford Mustang Camshaft Sensor Magnet Issues
The ins and outs of an engine may not be familiar to some but to those who are knowledgeable enough to know how delicate the inner workings of the motor is, they will know how important it is to keep anything from going loose and potentially damage other parts.
A small thing like a camshaft sensor magnet flying around will definitely cause some headaches and wallets getting lighter. We know how hard Mustangs can be to live with especially the ones with the big block engines.
14 Ford Explorer Transmissions
According to Car Gurus, one out of ten Ford Explorers has a high risk of transmission failure when the odometer hits a certain high number. Every Ford vehicle is affected by this issue but the Explorer certainly takes the proverbial cake with this one as this model line.
Aside from the inconvenience of being careless for a few weeks at least, you would also have to shed a minimum of $2,000 to have the tranny replaced. With that kind of risk, we would rather sell the thing and move on to greener pastures, but that’s just us.
13 Ford Aerostar Incessant Oil Leaks
We are not quite sure why owners of the Ford Aerostar are still deliberately going through all the pain of perpetually repairing the ceaseless oil leaks that plague this widely popular minivan. Everyone knows how frustrating and disheartening it is to drive around a vehicle that might break down on the next corner.
Though when you really love a car like you love your own child, we can’t blame them; it is much like caring for a sick relative but without the gloomy dread.
12 Ford F150 Brake Failure
As we all may very well know, the braking system is an essential part of our safety when driving down the road especially along the freeway when cruising speeds can get a little scary.
The Ford F-150 made during 2013 to 2014 were deemed as dangerous by the government which resulted in Ford being forced to recall around 270,000 units of F-150 rides. Yep, you read that right, 270,000 units. That’s like 27 units, multiplied by 10,000. Shout out to Michael Dapaah for the quick math lesson.
11 Spark Plug Ejection of V8 Engines
How many times in the past have we heard about engines spitting out spark plugs? The V8 variants of the Ford Explorer are experiencing this not so little issue. Symptoms like hearing a bit of knocking in the engine followed by the check engine light turning on will be a huge cause for concern for any car owner.
Thankfully, there are new spark plugs for the engines affected that can be bought and won’t recreate the problem. However, there should have never been an issue like this in the first place.
10 Fuel Pump Problems
About three years ago, Ford had to recall close to 90,000 units located in the US and Canada due to faulty fuel pumps. Wouldn’t it be extremely frightening if your car was spewing out highly flammable fuel?
The severity of the issue isn’t at all what we initially thought; the cars affected simply will not start. No crashes due to the aforementioned issue were reported which is a huge sigh of relief for Ford; it is the last thing the car manufacturer needs after a slew of numerous recalls.
9 Tire Pressure Sensor Problems
Modern vehicles are equipped with sensors that monitor the pressure in each of the tires. Gone are the days when you had to manually hook up each tire to an air compressor to get an accurate reading of the tire pressures. Although running with tires slightly deflated won’t do much harm but running flat will.
Even so, you’ll definitely be able to tell when you’re running flat even have you don’t have tire pressure sensors. Still, those pesky lights on the dash will be distracting so might as well have it repaired.
8 Corrosion Problems
Snow is the bane of the existence of unprotected steel. People in the States that experience snow obviously still need their cars but they can’t use them if they're rusted to the bone, or in this case, shall we say chassis.
400,000 cars were recalled in the interest of the public to prevent any unforeseen and unfortunate accidents. A little while ago, Ford was even forced to recall around 1.2 million pickup trucks in snowy areas; this gives you an idea of the scale of the problem.
7 Faulty Lighting Control Modules
Imagine going down the freeway without lights, now that’s a scary thing to do. 300,000 units were recalled to have their lighting control modules replaced. So many things could have potentially happened if this issue was not resolved quickly.
It certainly is surprising that a car maker as big as Ford still commit mistakes in something as mundane as headlights, we wonder how the company is still afloat after all these years. A couple of the affected models were the ever popular Crown Victoria and Ford Mercury.
6 A/C Heater and Ventilation Issues
Driving in winter without a heater could spell a mess for the people in the vehicle. A less grave situation would also be driving with the lack of ventilation to keep the passengers breathing in fresh air. This is an issue that would never plague any better built Japan-made vehicle.
The Ford Edge SE is one of the cars from Ford that experience this seemingly simple problem. Still, regions that temperatures have been known to reach sub-zero levels might be better off staying away from Ford rides just to be safe.