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16 Ford Pinto
Not all cars fail because their designers create a baffling exterior profile, or because the interior is cramped and small, or even because executive decide to dump in an underwhelming drivetrain; some fail because their engineering is straight up dangerous. But then there are the very special cars that fail at all of the above, and probably none failed more famously than the Ford Pinto.
Originally built to compete with smaller, more affordable, and more reliable offerings streaming into the United States from Japan, the Pinto debuted in 1971 as the smallest car produced by Ford since 1907. A hatchback layout was even offered, as were station wagons and coupes.
The Pinto’s interior was cheap, the engine options limited, and the exterior was bland, but even all those factors combined didn’t kill the Pinto’s future outright. Instead, engineers at Ford had designed a fuel system that led to fires even in minor rear-end collisions. Famously, Ford appeared to realize the design flaw, but decided that a recall cost of only $11 per car was simply too much to pay to avoid potential deaths. Unsurprisingly, lawsuits followed the Pinto, and though some may still be on the road today, they’re not just a bad deal, they’re downright dangerous.
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