Now that Toyota Motor Company (TM) is embroiled in a sea of bad publicity and severe trust problems around the world, Ford Motor Company (F) has now announced that a "software upgrade" to owners of recent Ford Fusion Hybrid vehicle owners is needed to fix "strange feelings" in the brakes of those cars.

So, what is it with all these higher-tech vehicles having so many odd braking problems? Good question -- and now that the similar issues from Toyota and Ford are now public, how many other cars will need a reboot to fix problems? Although Toyota's CEO has now publicly apologized for that automaker's numerous issues, will Ford do the same? Is this the new order of the day: transparency and apology from automakers in lieu of recalls?

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), whose cost-cutting efforts encountered a setback this weekend, is scheduled to discuss its third quarter 2009 financial results in a conference call Monday at 9:00 AM ET, hosted by CEO Alan Mulally and CFO Lewis W. K. Booth. You can catch the live webcast of the call on the company's website.

During the three months that ended in September, Ford's Fusion saw record sales, it announced a boost in production, and it opened a plant in Thailand. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect this leading auto maker to report that it further narrowed its net loss to $0.12 per share. That compares to $0.21 per share in the previous quarter and $1.31 per share a year ago. Ford has offered up smaller-than-expected losses in the past two quarters, by as much as 48 cents per share.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) continues to sell a ton of the Fusion mid-size sedans, as the passenger car set a sales record for itself for the fifth consecutive month in August. In addition, the average selling prices have been increasing. In the playing field with the Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) Camry and Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC) Accord, it's impressive to see the Fusion doing so well.

The Fusion is all-new for the 2010 model year, so it could continue selling well into the latter half of 2009 when the new model arrives on dealer floors. Anything Ford can do to continue breaking into one of the largest segments of the U.S. auto market, though, would be a huge plus for the automaker.

If you regularly laugh in the face of death, eat nails for breakfast and think that only sissies need a backup parachute, than buying Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) stock is right for you.

While Ford has huge problems and is in debt up to its eyeballs, it's also working just as hard to resolve them under Chief Executive Alan Mullaly through an $11 billion restructuring plan. But what gets lost in the discussion about declining market share, union negotiations and debt is the fact that Ford makes some good cars.

Consumer Reports put the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan on its "Most Impressive" list of cars. The non-profit organization also recommended 54 percent of the Ford cars it rates, more than General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) or DaimlerChrylser AG (NYSE:DCX). Of course, the Japanese cars dominated the rankings.

Ford is certainly not going to dig itself out of a hole anytime soon but neither are its rivals whose shares are doing much better. It's interesting that Ford's stock is down 2 percent over the past year compared with a 60 percent gain in General Motors and a 22 percent increase at Daimler. This pricing doesn't make much sense.

Ford has a lower debt-to-equity ratio than General Motors and unlike GM has a positive return on equity. DaimlerChrysler's ratios aren't available, but its shares have been surging on expectations that it was going to sell Chrysler. Plus, sales in Germany and France, key markets for Daimler, have been slipping recently.

Carl Icahn has made billions betting on companies that are out of favor with the market including our beloved corporate parent Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX). Wilbur Ross has done well with steel and private equity companies are snapping up companies that the market is turning its back on left and right.

People get rich by not following the crowd. They also don't take unnecessary risks. So, before buying a stock like Ford, think about it long and hard. Then think about it again and again. This stock isn't going to make you rich quick, but has the potential to do better than it is today.