Q: Can you tell me why some people think fords are really bad?

According to JD Power’s latest "2016 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study", which was based on responses from 33,560 original owners of 2013 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership, Ford vehicles have a below average "overall dependability" rating. JD Power’s survey looked at 177 specific problem symptoms grouped into eight major vehicle categories. Consumer Reports also publishes very detailed reliability ratings for all individual Ford models covering at least the last 5 years of production. You can peruse those highly detailed ratings in the Library and compare, side by side, with all other vehicles on the market. There’s a lot of data available, so with a little bit of research you should be able to draw your own conclusions about the safety and reliability of purchasing a Ford.