25 Failed Cars & Trucks That Almost Spelled The End Of Ford

Cameron Eittreim March 31, 2022

5: Mercury Mariner

The Mariner was a compact SUV sold by the Mercury brand in the 2000s. It was based on the Ford Escape model and it had a lot going for it. Unfortunately, Ford spent a lot of money on advertising and development of the SUV and it never really caught on with consumers (via Hot Cars).

The Mariner was targeted toward a female demographic but never managed to sell well. It was also one of the first mass-produced hybrid SUV models but even that wasn’t enough to bolster the sales. The Mariner was the final model in the Mercury brand portfolio when the nameplate was discontinued.

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4: Ford Taurus X

Originally released as the Ford 500 in 2005, the Taurus X was an attempt by the automaker to reinvigorate a dead nameplate. Sales of the wagon weren’t doing what the executives had hoped for. Ford thought that by bringing back a trusted brand name like the Taurus it would somehow reinvigorate sales numbers (via Hot Cars).

Unfortunately, the Ford Taurus X never achieved any serious sales numbers either. The car was just another novelty item that Ford tried to have consumers latch onto. There were better offerings on the market, and they came with much better features and performance for the price.

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3: Ford Taurus SHO

The Taurus SHO was a car that Ford managed to bring back a few different times. The most recent incarnation of the car was a big gamble for Ford, and one that didn’t end up paying off. The company spent millions designing the new car, but consumers didn’t gravitate toward the large sedan (via Hot Cars).

Crossover vehicles have become more popular with every passing year and the appetite for new family sedans is waning more and more. The modern Taurus SHO was a great attempt to create a unique sport sedan, but it just didn’t connect with the consumers.

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2: Ford Excursion

The 2000s were a trying time at the Ford Motor Company, and as the SUV market was expanding the company decided to launch a large SUV to compete with the Suburban. The Excursion was a V10-powered beast of an SUV that offered a great deal of performance but was terrible on gas mileage (via Hot Cars).

The Excursion could have been a big hit for the Ford Motor Company but the SUV didn’t manage to sell well. The reliability was questionable, and the design on the thing wasn’t the most pleasant to look at. The Excursion’s off-road capability has made it popular on the used car market although the sales were not very impressive when the Excursion was being sold as a new vehicle.

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1: Jaguar X-Type

When Ford purchased Jaguar in the 1990s, there was a lot of speculation as to what the company would do with the historic luxury brand. One of the first vehicles released under the new Ford leadership was the X-Type. Although this compact sedan was a great car when it was new, its reliability was one of the worst ever reported (via Hot Cars).

Jaguar X-Type R — Photo Credit: Motor Trend

Ford spent millions on the design and advertising of the sedan but it never gained the type of sales numbers that the company had hoped for. The X-Type is one of the notoriously worst used luxury cars that you can buy because of the lackluster reliability. The X-Type is one of the most notable blunders that came out of Ford during this era.

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25 Failed Cars & Trucks That Almost Spelled The End Of Ford

5: Mercury Mariner

4: Ford Taurus X

3: Ford Taurus SHO

2: Ford Excursion

1: Jaguar X-Type

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