How many people were killed by the Ford Pinto?

Ford Pinto Deaths
The Ford Pinto was involved in several accidents that resulted in fatalities. One notable incident occurred on August 10, 1978, when three teenage girls from the Ulrich family were killed in a rear-end collision involving a 1973 Ford Pinto. This incident led to a grand jury indicting Ford on three counts of reckless homicide, marking a landmark in product liability law as the first time a corporation faced criminal charges for a defective product.
Additionally, between June 9, 1978, and the date when parts were available to repair the estimated 2.2 million vehicles, six people died in Pinto fires after rear impacts. In one instance, an Elkhart, Indiana grand jury returned indictments against Ford Motor Company for three cases of negligence resulting in the deaths of three young women.
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) listed the total number of deaths attributed to fire at 27 over the six years the Ford Pintos were manufactured up to that point.
The Ford Pinto’s involvement in fatal accidents and subsequent legal actions brought attention to the safety issues associated with the vehicle, leading to significant public scrutiny and legal battles.
These incidents and legal actions highlight the tragic consequences of the Ford Pinto’s safety issues, which had a significant impact on both the affected individuals and the broader automotive industry.

Who won the Ford Pinto case?

The jury awarded plaintiffs $127.8 million in damages, the largest ever in US product liability and personal injury cases. Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Company was one of the most widely publicized of the more than a hundred lawsuits brought against Ford in connection with rear-end accidents in the Pinto.

What car blows up when rear ended?

Remember the popular Ford Pinto that turned out to be a deadly ride if rear-ended? In 1970, Ford decided to move ahead with production of their new Pinto, even though their engineering crash tests showed it had a flawed design that would cause the gas tank to explode if the car was hit from behind.

How many deaths did the Ford Pinto cause?

The NHTSA investigation found that 27 deaths were found to have occurred between 1970 and mid-1977 in rear-impact crashes that resulted in a fire.

Was Ford to blame in the Pinto case?

Grimshaw and Gray’s family filed a tort action against Ford, and the jury awarded not only $2.516 million to the Grimshaws and $559,680 to the Grays in damages for their injuries, but also $125 million to punish Ford for its conduct.

Why didn t Ford recall the Pinto?

TIL that the Ford Pinto was notorious for a defective fuel system, which led to fires and increased the chances of death. Instead of recalling the Pinto to put in an $11 part, Ford decided it’d be cheaper to settle any wrongful death suits.

Why was the Ford Pinto so bad?

The Pinto, a subcompact car made by Ford Motor Company, became infamous in the 1970s for bursting into flames if its gas tank was ruptured in a collision. The lawsuits brought by injured people and their survivors uncovered how the company rushed the Pinto through production and onto the market.

How many people died driving a Pinto?

For more than eight years afterwards, Ford successfully lobbied, with extraordinary vigor and some blatant lies, against a key government safety standard that would have forced the company to change the Pinto’s fire-prone gas tank.By conservative estimates Pinto crashes have caused 500 burn deaths to people who would …

Was the Ford Pinto a death trap?

As a result, the Pinto was highly vulnerable to lethal fires in rear-end collisions and was in fact a “fire trap” and a “death trap.” Ford decided to ignore the defect anyway, because re-design would have delayed the entry of the car into the market and caused a potential loss of market share to competitors.

Was anyone criminally charged on the Ford Pinto case?

The car manufacturer was charged with reckless homicide in the deaths of three Indiana teenagers who were killed when their Ford Pinto was hit from behind. Ford was accused of having prior knowledge of a design defect in the gas tank that would rupture in rear-end collisions.

Did Ford know the Pinto was unsafe?

Thus, Ford knew that the Pinto represented a serious fire hazard when struck from the rear, even in low-speed collisions. Ford officials faced a decision. Should they go ahead with the existing design, thereby meeting the production timetable but possibly jeopardizing consumer safety?