Here’s how Ford bet that human lives were cheaper than fixing the Pinto

Click the link below to order your CarPodGo screen and have Apple Car Play or Android Auto in your old car. Use coupon code MYOLDCAR to receive $20 off your first order. https://www.carpodgo.com/?ref=umztnbsa Also check out the newsletters in fourwheeltrends.com where you can access my latest videos. In this episode I provide the history of the Ford Pinto, which was Ford's attempt to compete with the VW Beetle and Japanese subcompacts in the 1970s. It was released around the same time as the AMC Gremlin and Chevy Vega, yet despite very similar designs for the fuel tank placement, the Pinto would become infamous for fires from rear impact collisions. It was later revealed that Ford engineers were aware of the risk but didn't want to risk the wrath of Ford President Lee Iacocca as it could risk delaying the Pinto rollout. After the fires occurred during its early years from 1971 through 1973, Ford management decided to risk human lives as opposed to making more fixes, as they believed the litigation cost would be less than a recall. But in 1977, a Mother Jones magazine article revealed Ford's coverup, and forced Ford into a costly recall, making the 1977 and later Pintos safer. But the bad publicity forced Ford to start designing a Pinto replacement by 1980, the Ford Escort. Background music by Nick Weiss - nickweissmusic.com