4th Feb 2007, 15:23

Leery of FORD'S long-term durability?? What planet is this comment beamed in from?? There are TENS OF THOUSANDS of Ford Rangers and F-150's that are used by companies that have racked up 300,000 trouble-free miles. My family owns 2 companies that use Ford trucks and vans and some of the current fleet dates back to 1993!! The longest lasting car my family every owned was a Ford Granada. It was traded (for another Ford) at 325,000 miles and had never had an engine or transmission repair. On this planet it is hard to find more reliable vehicles than Ford.

4th Feb 2007, 23:17

What's wrong with you people. The Fusion is a Mazda 6, nothing more nothing less. So forget about this Ford reliability crap and check Mazda's reputation.

5th Feb 2007, 08:53

You can't use platform sharing as any indication of the reliability of vehicles. The Ford Focus, Volvo S40, and Mazda 3 all share the same platform, but only the Mazda is the reliable one (read the reviews here).

5th Feb 2007, 09:23

Oh, yes, Fords are soooo reliable and the best cars on the planet that Ford lost $12.7 billion last year. Guess no one realizes what quality cars they make.

5th Feb 2007, 13:24

Last time I checked Ford OWNED Mazda, so a Mazda IS A FORD. We had the misfortune to own a Mazda built BEFORE Ford took it over and it was the most poorly built car we ever owned. Since Ford's taking them over both Mazda and Jaguar have become MUCH better built and far more reliable cars. And incidentally, the Fusion is a totally different car from the Mazda 6. As for reliability, look back at comment 15:23. That pretty well sums it up.

6th Feb 2007, 23:21

What on Earth has a company's balance sheet got to do with the car's reliability??? While Nissan was going bankrupt the import crowd would have had a cow if anyone had questioned THEIR reliability. In addition, where is the evidence that Ford is so unreliable?? We are constantly bombarded with such unfounded statements, but never a SHRED of data or evidence to back up such silly claims. On the other hand, THOUSANDS of companies use Ford cars and trucks and rack up 250,000 to 300,000 miles of trouble-free service from them.

7th Feb 2007, 09:45

A company's balance sheet has EVERYTHING to do with reliability. Because when a company is doing well they INVEST in their cars, including quality. When a company is doing poorly they CUT CORNERS.

Ford is a perfect example. They were in severe financial trouble after WWII and then the accounting guys took over. This also became a trend in the entire American industry. That's why the Pinto, with its gas tank for a bumper, was made - it cost less. That's also why American cars used a cheaper (and less safe) seatbelt design, and a wide variety of other cost cutting measures.

There is ZERO reason for the American auto industry not to be the best in world, bar none. Yet the ACCOUNTANTS have always ruled, and the worse things got the more they cut corners - even to the point of bankrupting most of their suppliers who also had to cut corners to the bone.

7th Feb 2007, 19:57

When I first started reading the reviews and comments on these sites I really wasn't prejudiced one way or another about imports vs. domestics. However, after seeing how happy the thought of putting hard-working Americans out of work and depriving their children of food and medical care seems to make the average import owner, I doubt I'll ever so much as LOOK at another import again.

7th Feb 2007, 22:49

So you're NOT going to buy a Mexican-made Ford Fusion and you ARE going to buy an American-made Camry, Accord, Legacy, or Sonata.

After all, if you buy the Fusion (or LaCrosse, or PT Cruiser or Crown Victoria or..) you're putting hard-working Americans out of work and depriving their children of food and medical care.

Got it.

8th Feb 2007, 07:45

Fact of the matter is take care of your cars and they will be good to you.>>

Sorry, this is 100% untrue. A car has to have quality first.

8th Feb 2007, 08:30

Don't blame import drivers for the troubles of US automakers. The Ford Fusion is MADE IN MEXICO so in that regard you are also keeping Americans out of work. Besides what is worse; An American car Made in Mexico or a Japanese car made in America?

8th Feb 2007, 11:09

The pro-domestic people claim that it still brings money to the American companies, but that argument fails given all the thousands of AMERICAN workers put out of work by the success of the Fusion.

If you want to keep Americans working, you buy a Camry, Sonata, Accord, Civic, or any number of "imports" that are INCREASING market share and therefore employing MORE Americans than ever.

8th Feb 2007, 14:22

Sorry, but you are 100% wrong once again. Even a junk car will give more reliable service if you take care of it. Initial quality is important, but not to your weight of 100%. Maybe initial quality is 25% of how good it will be, but 75% is up to the owner's maintenance habits.

8th Feb 2007, 16:11

A quick glance at the stories on this site tends to contradict your assertion. I have taken care of all my cars the same, yet not all were reliable as you claim, especially anything domestic or made in America.

8th Feb 2007, 23:03

Comment 14:22 is RIGHT ON. I know a small minority of people have a minor problem with a domestic on rare occasions, but in 35 years of driving and roughly 35 domestic cars (my family has usually owned 2 or 3 at one time) I have NEVER had a problem with ANY domestic car or truck. I take excellent care of my vehicles. The people who start having trouble after only 100,000 miles or so with a domestic are obviously abusing it and not taking care of it. I currently own 2 domestics with 60,000 miles each and neither has ever had one single problem. I haven't even replaced brake pads on them. Unlike those who want to destroy American industry, I take pride in being an American and want Americans to continue to have jobs and feed their families. Those who despise everything American need to look for a nice house outside Tokyo.

9th Feb 2007, 09:24

A quick glance tells you the maintenance history of a car and driving habits of the owner? You would find it very difficult to refute the assertion that performing timely, routine maintenance will increase the reliability of a machine. I would tend to doubt that you had the scheduled maintenance performed on any of your cars, or followed the service interval in your owner's manual. While you may not have outright abused them, it is doubtful that you ever checked your automatic transmission fluid, and if you did, likely added the wrong style of fluid. It is doubtful that you ever gave your cars tune-ups, changed the oil every 2,000-3,000 miles, checked the differential fluid levels, checked the brakes for wear every six months, had the cooling system periodically flushed out, and lubed the grease points. A car is not like a stereo that you can just turn on and off, and then get mad when one day it doesn't work anymore. My experience with American cars has been very good. I've only needed to own two vehicles, both Dodges, in 20 years of driving because they have been so reliable and long-lasting.