The Story of the Ford Pinto
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Date: 2022-12-29
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Comments and reviews: 20
Carl
I had a blue 73 runabout with a factory sunroof! Anybody else have one? Ive never seen another. It had the 1. 6 engine. I learned about how to rebuild a 2. 0 as a 20 year old kid. My buddy and I swapped out the engine over thanksgiving. I put in a high lift cam, headers, 2 exhaust and an aluminum valve cover. It had a fantastic idle rumble, and could spin the tires through 3rd gear. (In the rain, uphill: . My grandmother made me blue fuzzy seat covers one year. My mother will never let me forget that! I gave a girl a ride one day, and she asked why it sat so low. I told her, because it was a sports car! Truth is, because the floor was so rusted out, that it was sinking a bit! I paid $600 for a 10 year old car that had been fixed, and when it was crashed, by someone else, I sold the engine to a guy who raised Pintos, selling the stereo and made my $600 back from their insurance company. That probably didnt happen very often! Oh, it had traction bars too, because I kept breaking leaf springs from the high output engine! I even still have dreams once in a while that Im driving around in it. First car, I get that it wasnt a good car, but I have many good memories about it. I learned a lot about cars, and was able to actually work on it, unlike todays cars. I think about it whenever I see that blue on a modern Mustang. Good times!
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I had a blue 73 runabout with a factory sunroof! Anybody else have one? Ive never seen another. It had the 1. 6 engine. I learned about how to rebuild a 2. 0 as a 20 year old kid. My buddy and I swapped out the engine over thanksgiving. I put in a high lift cam, headers, 2 exhaust and an aluminum valve cover. It had a fantastic idle rumble, and could spin the tires through 3rd gear. (In the rain, uphill: . My grandmother made me blue fuzzy seat covers one year. My mother will never let me forget that! I gave a girl a ride one day, and she asked why it sat so low. I told her, because it was a sports car! Truth is, because the floor was so rusted out, that it was sinking a bit! I paid $600 for a 10 year old car that had been fixed, and when it was crashed, by someone else, I sold the engine to a guy who raised Pintos, selling the stereo and made my $600 back from their insurance company. That probably didnt happen very often! Oh, it had traction bars too, because I kept breaking leaf springs from the high output engine! I even still have dreams once in a while that Im driving around in it. First car, I get that it wasnt a good car, but I have many good memories about it. I learned a lot about cars, and was able to actually work on it, unlike todays cars. I think about it whenever I see that blue on a modern Mustang. Good times!
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DrivenKeys
Great video summarizing all the important points. This was a constant habit for Ford, which lasted decades. I'd like to see you cover the Ford Explorer/Firestone rollover scandal. It's a diabolical tale of rushed manufacuring and the nearly arranged marriages between generations of the Ford and Firestone families. The Explorer was supposed to fix the rollover problems with the Bronco 2, but it just made them worse with sub-par tires, underinflated with the intention of controlling yaw, but instead would explode or shred apart on the highway.
I'm guessing you already know about the Mustangs with trunk mounted fuel tanks that would cover the passengers in flaming gas when rear-ended. Generations later, covering passengers in fuel was also a problem with Crown Vicotorias, with the added problem of power door locks that would lock when rear ended, which took Ford years to finally fix. Yeah, Cop cars, family cars. I bet you already know this, considering the Fight Club reference.
I'd love to see your videos covering any or all of these stories. People should be well aware of what giant corporations are willing to get away with.
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Great video summarizing all the important points. This was a constant habit for Ford, which lasted decades. I'd like to see you cover the Ford Explorer/Firestone rollover scandal. It's a diabolical tale of rushed manufacuring and the nearly arranged marriages between generations of the Ford and Firestone families. The Explorer was supposed to fix the rollover problems with the Bronco 2, but it just made them worse with sub-par tires, underinflated with the intention of controlling yaw, but instead would explode or shred apart on the highway.
I'm guessing you already know about the Mustangs with trunk mounted fuel tanks that would cover the passengers in flaming gas when rear-ended. Generations later, covering passengers in fuel was also a problem with Crown Vicotorias, with the added problem of power door locks that would lock when rear ended, which took Ford years to finally fix. Yeah, Cop cars, family cars. I bet you already know this, considering the Fight Club reference.
I'd love to see your videos covering any or all of these stories. People should be well aware of what giant corporations are willing to get away with.
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bongobreathman
I had a brand new 1971 Pinto. Glad I lived through it. The absolute worst car I've ever owned, and i have owned a lot of cars, is a 1992 Dodge Dynasty. is was absolute junk. Leased it new and only the manufacturer warranty saved me. It was in the shop more than on the road. I have a 3 page list, single spaced, 12 pt font of everything that went wrong in the first 3 years. When the 3 year lease was up, I gladly returned the car. Chrysler Corporation leasing arm asked me if I wanted to buy the car. No thank you I said and they asked me why. I pulled out my 3 page list and started reading everything that went wrong with the car (and some items that were still not working correctly. they stopped me after a few minutes and said, We understand. I told them the best thing to do with the car is drive it off a very high cliff.
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I had a brand new 1971 Pinto. Glad I lived through it. The absolute worst car I've ever owned, and i have owned a lot of cars, is a 1992 Dodge Dynasty. is was absolute junk. Leased it new and only the manufacturer warranty saved me. It was in the shop more than on the road. I have a 3 page list, single spaced, 12 pt font of everything that went wrong in the first 3 years. When the 3 year lease was up, I gladly returned the car. Chrysler Corporation leasing arm asked me if I wanted to buy the car. No thank you I said and they asked me why. I pulled out my 3 page list and started reading everything that went wrong with the car (and some items that were still not working correctly. they stopped me after a few minutes and said, We understand. I told them the best thing to do with the car is drive it off a very high cliff.
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PC
This is mostly entertaining nonsense. It took a severe collision, not the slightest impact, to cause fuel to leak. The figure of 27 deaths for more than 2 million cars was from the NHTSA, the people who ultimately ordered the Pinto recalled and the Pinto memo wasn't even about the Pinto, it was hypothetical. The NHTSA had standards for fuel tank integrity in rear collisions and the Pinto met them in every year in which it was made. There was no indication that the Pinto was any less safe than its RWD competitors, which had the same fuel tank arrangement. Even when the cars were fixed, the difference in safety was almost imperceptible since the overwhelming majority of deaths in car accidents do not involve fire.
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This is mostly entertaining nonsense. It took a severe collision, not the slightest impact, to cause fuel to leak. The figure of 27 deaths for more than 2 million cars was from the NHTSA, the people who ultimately ordered the Pinto recalled and the Pinto memo wasn't even about the Pinto, it was hypothetical. The NHTSA had standards for fuel tank integrity in rear collisions and the Pinto met them in every year in which it was made. There was no indication that the Pinto was any less safe than its RWD competitors, which had the same fuel tank arrangement. Even when the cars were fixed, the difference in safety was almost imperceptible since the overwhelming majority of deaths in car accidents do not involve fire.
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Muffs
Iaccoca got too power hungry and tried to take over but was fired by Henry Ford II in 1978 at the height of the Pinto scandal. The heat was too hot and Ford resigned as chairman the next year (among other things he was in poor health and died just eight years later) I remember reading about the incidents during that time but I think the bubble finally burst in 1978 when three teenage girls in Indiana burned to death in a Pinto fire. I didn't know any of them (I lived 1800 miles away) but felt affected personally as they were just a few years younger than me. I never bought as Pinto ever!
My first car? A 1961 Cadillac Fleetwood in 1973 for $75. I always preferred the big cars and today it's trucks.
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Iaccoca got too power hungry and tried to take over but was fired by Henry Ford II in 1978 at the height of the Pinto scandal. The heat was too hot and Ford resigned as chairman the next year (among other things he was in poor health and died just eight years later) I remember reading about the incidents during that time but I think the bubble finally burst in 1978 when three teenage girls in Indiana burned to death in a Pinto fire. I didn't know any of them (I lived 1800 miles away) but felt affected personally as they were just a few years younger than me. I never bought as Pinto ever!
My first car? A 1961 Cadillac Fleetwood in 1973 for $75. I always preferred the big cars and today it's trucks.
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Dale
I bought one in 1970. Had the bigger engine (2. 0 ltr four) four speed. Ran the hell out of it. First thing I did was replacw the wiper knob with a newer design. It was pentagon shaped knob that was not the round headlight knob. Installed my own AM/FM cassette radio. Retuned the engine to get better performance. Advanced the timing to 10 deg. reversed the vacuum valve on the distributor. The secreat to longer engine life was to change the oil every 3K miles. Got a wagon in '73 automatic tranny, BIG MISTAKE!
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I bought one in 1970. Had the bigger engine (2. 0 ltr four) four speed. Ran the hell out of it. First thing I did was replacw the wiper knob with a newer design. It was pentagon shaped knob that was not the round headlight knob. Installed my own AM/FM cassette radio. Retuned the engine to get better performance. Advanced the timing to 10 deg. reversed the vacuum valve on the distributor. The secreat to longer engine life was to change the oil every 3K miles. Got a wagon in '73 automatic tranny, BIG MISTAKE!
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fred
I just read this from a history of the Pinto. something like it was billed as a fun, breazy, youthfull car, but it ended up in injury, suffering, and death it said after the tank would catch fire, the doors frequently got stuck, so people were stuck inside as the car burned. sounds like fun to me. hmm, youthful, breezy, fun or injury suffering and death?
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I just read this from a history of the Pinto. something like it was billed as a fun, breazy, youthfull car, but it ended up in injury, suffering, and death it said after the tank would catch fire, the doors frequently got stuck, so people were stuck inside as the car burned. sounds like fun to me. hmm, youthful, breezy, fun or injury suffering and death?
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james
Had a pinto wagon in 82. It was a great little car, but ate a camshaft every 6 months! After 1 1/2 years I was done. Complained to Ford, it fell on deaf ears. Only after the next owner crashed it b/c of cam shaft failure, did ford contact me. He sued them and won! I got all 3 repairs back plus $1000. From what I understand, he got $50, 000
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Had a pinto wagon in 82. It was a great little car, but ate a camshaft every 6 months! After 1 1/2 years I was done. Complained to Ford, it fell on deaf ears. Only after the next owner crashed it b/c of cam shaft failure, did ford contact me. He sued them and won! I got all 3 repairs back plus $1000. From what I understand, he got $50, 000
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David
The only problem I had with my Pinto was the alternator bracket. It was cast iron with a welded spacer plate. The heat affected zone around the weld cracked. Looking at it under a microscope, it was clear that they didn't use the proper shield gasses during welding. The replacement bracket broke at the same location for the same reason.
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The only problem I had with my Pinto was the alternator bracket. It was cast iron with a welded spacer plate. The heat affected zone around the weld cracked. Looking at it under a microscope, it was clear that they didn't use the proper shield gasses during welding. The replacement bracket broke at the same location for the same reason.
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David
One thing that never gets pointed out. The same test used to condemn the Pinto also condemned all other cars tested except for the Mercedies and the VW. Why? The Mercedies had a double wall fuel tank, and the VW had the fuel tank in front. I watched some scenes from the IHS where they through a flare under the cars to start a fire.
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One thing that never gets pointed out. The same test used to condemn the Pinto also condemned all other cars tested except for the Mercedies and the VW. Why? The Mercedies had a double wall fuel tank, and the VW had the fuel tank in front. I watched some scenes from the IHS where they through a flare under the cars to start a fire.
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Bibbhcc
The 2. 0 and 2. 3L engines especially the hydraulic overhead camshaft 2. 3L with the Holley/Weber carbs were some tough little motors that were the easiest to work on. Simplicity! Id drive a pinto today if it had a full roll cage and a racing fuel cell with a rollover valve and bladder in it vice the factory gas tank.
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The 2. 0 and 2. 3L engines especially the hydraulic overhead camshaft 2. 3L with the Holley/Weber carbs were some tough little motors that were the easiest to work on. Simplicity! Id drive a pinto today if it had a full roll cage and a racing fuel cell with a rollover valve and bladder in it vice the factory gas tank.
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sillyone52062
My first car was a 1976 Ford Pinto with the 2300cc engine and a sludgebox transmission. I bought it after living overseas for three years and I was unaware of the car's reputation. I drive it to Arizona from Pennsylvania, up Pikes Peak and though uninhabited Wyoming and Canada. It failed me rarely.
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My first car was a 1976 Ford Pinto with the 2300cc engine and a sludgebox transmission. I bought it after living overseas for three years and I was unaware of the car's reputation. I drive it to Arizona from Pennsylvania, up Pikes Peak and though uninhabited Wyoming and Canada. It failed me rarely.
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James
Look at the stats of all vehicles built in the 70s. Youll find that the Pinto was no worse than any other vehicle at the time and actually safer than many of the Japanese imports. Why didnt those imports get any negative press.
Many of the Pintos tested by the press were rigged to intentionally explode.
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Look at the stats of all vehicles built in the 70s. Youll find that the Pinto was no worse than any other vehicle at the time and actually safer than many of the Japanese imports. Why didnt those imports get any negative press.
Many of the Pintos tested by the press were rigged to intentionally explode.
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Bob
After all this knowledge about where to not place a fuel tank, what does Daimler-Chrysler do years later? Put the gas tank of the 1999-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the same exact spot as the Pinto. Same thing happened. People died due to flaming, ruptured fuel tanks caused by rear-ending.
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After all this knowledge about where to not place a fuel tank, what does Daimler-Chrysler do years later? Put the gas tank of the 1999-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the same exact spot as the Pinto. Same thing happened. People died due to flaming, ruptured fuel tanks caused by rear-ending.
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MLG
I was literally teaching my colleagues about this and how it actually was a real car that existed. I tell you one of the colleagues is a professional engineer and even he didn't know. I told them that in movies essentially when we see something like that it's a parody to the ford pinto.
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I was literally teaching my colleagues about this and how it actually was a real car that existed. I tell you one of the colleagues is a professional engineer and even he didn't know. I told them that in movies essentially when we see something like that it's a parody to the ford pinto.
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William
My first car was a 1962 Chevy Nova with a three speed on the tree. But the car I miss the most is my1970 sky blue Ford Pinto. It had a 4 speed transmission and a 4 cylinder engine that could out run a Corvette or Mustang through second gear. It was enough to embarrass must drivers.
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My first car was a 1962 Chevy Nova with a three speed on the tree. But the car I miss the most is my1970 sky blue Ford Pinto. It had a 4 speed transmission and a 4 cylinder engine that could out run a Corvette or Mustang through second gear. It was enough to embarrass must drivers.
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lp2317
I just finished reading a book called FLYING BLIND which was about the airplane equivalent to this (the Boeing 737 MAX. Interestingly, the author of the book didn't cite the parallels with the Pinto. But I realize now just how similar the two stories are.
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I just finished reading a book called FLYING BLIND which was about the airplane equivalent to this (the Boeing 737 MAX. Interestingly, the author of the book didn't cite the parallels with the Pinto. But I realize now just how similar the two stories are.
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Hillers62
My first car was a lime green 1971 Ford Torino in 1978. It have seven cylinders (one of the eight cylinders broke down. It got 4 1/2 miles per gallon. but I drove it until it couldn't go forward anymore. only backwards. but I still miss it.
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My first car was a lime green 1971 Ford Torino in 1978. It have seven cylinders (one of the eight cylinders broke down. It got 4 1/2 miles per gallon. but I drove it until it couldn't go forward anymore. only backwards. but I still miss it.
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Robert
My mother was killed in a Ford Pinto in November 1973, I was 5 and had 2 older siblings and 1 younger. 18 months to 7 years old. Don't remember my money didn't bring that back, so hope there is something after so we can all learn about her.
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My mother was killed in a Ford Pinto in November 1973, I was 5 and had 2 older siblings and 1 younger. 18 months to 7 years old. Don't remember my money didn't bring that back, so hope there is something after so we can all learn about her.
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David
My first car was a 73 Pinto. It was a really good and powerful car. Very reliable and could be serviced with a wrench and a screwdriver. I would love to have one today, and have considered finding one and fully restoring it.
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My first car was a 73 Pinto. It was a really good and powerful car. Very reliable and could be serviced with a wrench and a screwdriver. I would love to have one today, and have considered finding one and fully restoring it.
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