What was the flaw in the Ford Pinto gas tank design?

The flaw in the Ford Pinto gas tank design was that it was easily ruptured in low-speed rear-end collisions, leading to fuel leakage and a high risk of fire. The fuel tank was positioned behind the rear axle and in front of the rear bumper, without adequate reinforcements to protect it. Upon impact, the filler neck would tear away from the tank, spilling fuel beneath the car. The tank was also easily punctured by bolts protruding from the differential and nearby brackets. These design flaws made the Pinto highly susceptible to fuel tank fires.
The placement of the fuel tank at the back of the car, between the rear bumper and rear axle, was a common design choice at the time and was considered conservative compared to the untested above-axle design. However, this flaw was discovered during testing, but due to the short development time frame of the Pinto, final tooling had already begun, and Ford did not undertake any retooling efforts to address the fuel leakage issue.
It’s important to note that Ford knew about the weakness in the fuel tank design before the vehicle was placed on the market, but a cost/benefit study suggested that it would be cheaper for Ford to pay litigation costs rather than delay production and redesign the gas tank. This decision to prioritize production timelines and cost considerations over consumer safety has been widely criticized.
In response to the safety concerns, Ford eventually issued a voluntary recall of all Pinto models between 1971-1976. The retrofitted models had a longer fuel tank filler neck and a plastic shield separating the tank from the differential to mitigate the risk of fuel leakage and fire.
Overall, the flawed gas tank design of the Ford Pinto, combined with the decision to prioritize production and cost over safety, led to its infamy and the numerous lawsuits filed due to design flaws that resulted in fuel tank fires.

How much was Ford sued for the Pinto?

Specifically, Ford’s accountants (or “bean counters”) determined the costs of fixing the design defect was greater than the costs of paying out expected wrongful death lawsuits. The jury awarded initially awarded $125 million in punitive damages and $2.5 million in compensatory damages.

What was wrong with the Ford Pinto gas tank?

In 1970 Ford crash-tested the Pinto itself, and the result was the same: ruptured gas tanks and dangerous leaks. The only Pintos to pass the test had been modified in some way–for example, with a rubber bladder in the gas tank or a piece of steel between the tank and the rear bumper.

How much would it have cost to fix the fuel tank issue in the Ford Pinto?

Ford’s conclusion, following the crash tests, was that the rear end structure of the car was not satisfactory because of several types of damage deformation of the gas tank, leakage and damage to the filler pipe. Suggested changes to repair the defects were not expensive, something in the range of $11 per car.

How many people died from the Ford Pinto gas tank?

An official total of 27 deaths was tied to the vehicle, though some estimates are far higher. Of course, even at the conservative end of the spectrum, 27 preventable fatalities caused by a car with a propensity to explode and burn is still 27 too many.

Did Ford recall 1.5 million Ford Pintos due to a design flaw in the gas tank?

In 1978, following a damning investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford recalled all 1.5 million of its 1971–76 Pintos, as well as 30,000 Mercury Bobcats, for fuel system modification.

Why Ford decided not to recall the Pinto when it found the fuel tank design flaw?

During the case of the Ford Pinto, the decision not to recall the vehicle with the fuel tank design flaw was based on a cost-benefit analysis. Ford calculated that paying out lawsuits for the anticipated number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities would be less expensive than conducting a recall to fix the problem.

What is the lawsuit against Ford in the Pinto?

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.

Was Ford to blame in the Pinto case?

The jury deliberated 25 hours before finding Ford not guilty of three counts of reckless homicide in March 1980. The threshold for showing willful misbehavior was too high at that time. But the damage to Ford’s reputation was considerable. U.S. sales of the Pinto had peaked in 1973 at 479,668.

Why didn t Ford fix the Pinto?

Ford waited eight years because its internal “cost-benefit analysis,” which places a dollar value on human life, said it wasn’t profitable to make the changes sooner.

How many Ford Pintos actually exploded?

Schwartz methodically determined the actual number of Pinto rear-end explosion deaths was not in the thousands, as commonly thought, but 27. In 1975-76, the Pinto averaged 310 fatalities a year. But the similar-size Toyota Corolla averaged 313, the VW Beetle 374 and the Datsun 1200/210 came in at 405.