Case study on FORD PINTO
CASE STUDY: FORD PINTO
The case over here is that of Pinto a car launched by Ford motor company. The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S market with the AMC Gremlin and Chevrolet Vega, as well as imported cars from Volkswagen, Datsun , and Toyota. By January 1971, the Pinto had sold over 100,000 units. In its last model year, Ford built 68,179 units. Overall, during its 10 year production run there were over 2 million Pintos sold.
The controversy surrounding the Ford Pinto concerned the placement of the automobile's fuel tank. It was located behind the rear axle, instead of above it. This was initially done in an effort to create more trunk space. The problem with this design, which later became evident, was that it made the Pinto more vulnerable to a rear-end collision. This vulnerability was enhanced by other features of the car. The gas tank and the rear axle were separated by only nine inches. There were also bolts that were positioned in a manner that threatened the gas tank. Finally, the fuel filler pipe design resulted in a higher probability that it would to disconnect from the tank in the event of an accident than usual, causing gas spillage that could lead to dangerous fires. Because of these numerous design faults, the Pinto became the center of public debate.
The case is to understand whose fault lead to all of these problems.
The automobile’s fuel tank was located behind the rear axle, instead of above it. The gas tank and the rear axle were separated by only nine inches. There were also bolts that were positioned in a manner that threatened the gas tank. Finally, the fuel filler pipe design resulted in a higher probability that it would to disconnect from the tank in the event of an accident than
The case over here is that of Pinto a car launched by Ford motor company. The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S market with the AMC Gremlin and Chevrolet Vega, as well as imported cars from Volkswagen, Datsun , and Toyota. By January 1971, the Pinto had sold over 100,000 units. In its last model year, Ford built 68,179 units. Overall, during its 10 year production run there were over 2 million Pintos sold.
The controversy surrounding the Ford Pinto concerned the placement of the automobile's fuel tank. It was located behind the rear axle, instead of above it. This was initially done in an effort to create more trunk space. The problem with this design, which later became evident, was that it made the Pinto more vulnerable to a rear-end collision. This vulnerability was enhanced by other features of the car. The gas tank and the rear axle were separated by only nine inches. There were also bolts that were positioned in a manner that threatened the gas tank. Finally, the fuel filler pipe design resulted in a higher probability that it would to disconnect from the tank in the event of an accident than usual, causing gas spillage that could lead to dangerous fires. Because of these numerous design faults, the Pinto became the center of public debate.
The case is to understand whose fault lead to all of these problems.
The automobile’s fuel tank was located behind the rear axle, instead of above it. The gas tank and the rear axle were separated by only nine inches. There were also bolts that were positioned in a manner that threatened the gas tank. Finally, the fuel filler pipe design resulted in a higher probability that it would to disconnect from the tank in the event of an accident than