Ford Pinto
In the 1970s, domestic car manufacturers answered the changing market climate and the rising popularity of compact cars with several homegrown models. One of those cars was the Ford Pinto. Introduced in the early ’70s, the Pinto was very popular due to its low price, reasonable design, and long list of options. It had economical four and six-cylinder engines, and the car’s overall quality was decent. So what was the problem (via Time Magazine)?
While engineering the car, Ford somehow left out protection for its rear-mounted fuel tank. The fuel tank was below the trunk and behind the rear bumper. On most cars, there is a potent cross member that protects the fuel tank in case of a crash. However, the Pinto lacked this feature. It became apparent when people started dying in fiery crashes caused by leaking fuel tanks. Families of people killed or hurt in such incidents sued Ford. Eventually, the company spent millions settling the court cases. Pinto went into history books as the “car of death.”