22: 1971 Ford Pinto
The Pinto was supposed to be a game-changer for the Ford Motor Company. Fuel prices were rising and the large cars and trucks of the past weren’t selling. The Pinto started selling fairly well until consumers started to report explosions during car accidents. It was uncovered that there was a flaw in the design of the gas tank, which made the car potentially dangerous during a rear-end collision (via Motor Biscuit).
The resulting lawsuits cost the Ford Motor Company over a billion dollars. All the negative press caused the sales of the Pinto to plummet. At a time when compact cars were the next big thing, the issue with the gas tank explosions caused the Pinto to lose any type of positive reputation. Ford introduced multiple compact cars after the Pinto. But they never managed to achieve any sales success due to the controversy that surrounded the Pinto.