- The Ford Excursion was one of the worst because it was just too much
- Ford gave us a head-shaker in the 1996 Ford Taurus
- One of the worst Ford cars ever was the 1993 Ford Aspire
- The end of an era happened because of the 1989 Ford Thunderbird
- Dangerous was putting it mildly for the 1971 Ford Pinto
Ford has had some of the most enjoyable vehicles in the history of the automotive industry. We love the F-150, Mustang, Explorer, and Bronco. That said, some cars shouldn’t have ever worn the blue oval logo. Here are five of the worst Ford cars ever built.
The Ford Excursion was one of the worst because it was just too much
Ford Excursion | Wiki Commons
Massive SUVs are admired, but when they get too big, we think of them as gas-guzzling monsters. The original Hummer was a vehicle we hated for the amount of gas used, but so was the Ford Excursion. The massive size of this vehicle was a response to the success of the Hummer H2, but it was unnecessarily large.
The Excursion tipped the scales at 7,000 pounds, making it a larger SUV than anyone required. Instead of resonating with the target audience of farmers and ranchers needing a heavy-duty SUV, this big Ford became a hit for suburban families. The Ford Excursion was just too much, proving the Expedition was the right size in the Ford full-size SUV lineup.
Ford gave us a head-shaker in the 1996 Ford Taurus
1996 Ford Taurus | Wiki Commons
The Ford Taurus was one of the best-selling and most popular large sedans in the market for several years. When it was time to move to a new generation, Ford got it wrong with this sedan. The 1996 version of the Taurus came with a design that took away everything consumers admired about this car.
The fuel mileage and performance remained for this new Ford sedan, but the 1996 Taurus is considered one of the worst Ford cars ever built. Instead of keeping some sharp angles, this car had rounded surfaces everywhere you looked. This new look was enough to make people turn away from the Taurus for good.
One of the worst Ford cars ever was the 1993 Ford Aspire
1993 Ford Aspire | Wiki Commons
Jalopnik tells us the Ford Aspire didn’t live up to its name unless you consider that it aspired to be much better than it was. This car brought three automakers together, Ford, Kia, and Mazda, but it didn’t offer the best parts from any of them. The engine offered very little power, even for 1993 standards, with only 63 horsepower.
If you ever want to drive a car that came with nothing, find an old Ford Aspire and see how little this car offered. Even the cassette player was optional, which made this car hard to live with. This car could have been a lot better, but all it did was aspire toward greatness while being nothing more than a pile of garbage.
The end of an era happened because of the 1989 Ford Thunderbird
1989 Ford Thunderbird | Wiki Commons
Sometimes, when automakers resurrect old names, the new car misses the mark. The 1989 Ford Thunderbird wasn’t even close to what the classic models brought to the road. This car was one of the worst ford cars ever made and signaled the end of this name. The 1989 Thunderbird was expensive, bulky, and way too heavy.
The massive bulk of this Thunderbird was pushed slowly down the road by a lackluster V6 engine, adding insult to injury. The power only reached 140 mph, but this car could boast decent fuel mileage at 19 city/27 hwy mpg. Do you think anyone wanted to buy the Ford Thunderbird for its fuel efficiency?
Dangerous was putting it mildly for the 1971 Ford Pinto
1971 Ford Pinto | Wiki Commons
The 1971 Ford Pinto was easily one of the worst Ford cars ever made. If you want a car that can truly be called a dumpster fire, this was the car. The Pinto was a response to the foreign takeover in the market, meant to compete with small, efficient cars from Toyota, Datsun, and Honda. Unfortunately, the Pinto was prone to bursting into flames because of the gas tank design.
How dangerous were the Ford Pinto fires? Some reports suggest there were as many as 180 deaths resulting from these fuel tank fires. That’s completely unacceptable. Even though the Pinto had problems, Ford didn’t issue recalls for this car. Thankfully, the car didn’t last very long in the market.
Next, check out some of the worst luxury SUVs in the market, or watch some of the worst Ford cars ever made in this video below:
Keyword: Did Ford Actually Make These Cars? 5 of the Worst Fords Ever Built