Ford Pinto
Introduced in the early 1970s, Pinto was very popular due to its low price and long list of options. It had economical four and six-cylinder engines and the overall quality of the car was decent. So what was the problem (via Tort Museum)?
While engineering the car, Ford somehow left out any protection for its rear-mounted fuel tank. The fuel tank was located below the trunk and behind the rear bumper. On most cars, there is a strong cross member that protects the fuel tank in case of a crash. However, the Pinto lacked this feature, which became apparent when people started getting killed in fiery crashes caused by leaking fuel tanks. Families of people killed or hurt in such incidents sued Ford. And eventually, the company spent millions settling the court cases. Interestingly, the Pinto sold well as many Boomers drove it in the 1970s.