Ford sells hundreds of thousands of vehicles a month. I wouldn't put them in quite the same boat as MySpace.

Cars also get replaced regularly and have practically no network effect (for the typical user).

Every time your Tacoma frame rusts out you're presented with an opportunity to switch to a differen't company's product.

They may not have much network effect, but I am quite confident that a lot of people buy the same manufacturer's car (or, hell, even the latest model of the same vehicle) every time they are in the market for a new car. Like, there are people who just buy a new Camry every four or five years.

If a $MAKE hasn't given you any problems, then you may well go back to it. If I were to buy a small car I'd buy a nissan micra -- I've owned two and both were really good.

However if $MAKE has given you problems, then you're likely to avoid it.

Of course there is a limit, but I feel like many shoppers do not seriously compare very many cars and sometimes brand loyalty trumps even the most negative experiences.

Either way, it means that Ford's position is pretty secure for a while.

Yes... but there are reasons to think these cases are different.