17: 1971 Ford Pinto
If there is a Ford that deserves the title of “worst car ever,” it has to be the Pinto. Released at the height of the fuel crisis, the Pinto was an utter failure from the jump. The Pinto was developed to combat the rising cost of fuel and the onslaught of new Japanese imports. The design of the Pinto was lightweight enough that it could compete with the imports, but there was a major design flaw in the rear of the vehicle.
The Pinto was involved in a major lawsuit that focused on exploding gas tanks on the vehicle. There were $125 million in punitive damages against Ford assessed at the time and the ramifications of the lawsuit resonate to this day. The quality of Ford vehicles has been forever tainted by the Pinto fiasco and tarnished the company’s usually good reputation.