(Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcNeorjXMrE&feature=player_embedded)
Ford Motor Company Background
Ford Motor Company Background
Ford Motor Company was founded June 16, 1903 by Henry Ford (1863 – 1947). Ford’s most notable accomplishment was the invention of the moving automobile assembly line in 1913 which was in response to the climbing demand for the Model T. Ford believed that efficiency in producing automobiles would happen if all employees were assigned one place to work where they could focus on a specific job. During the beginning stages of the assembly line, the Model T could be assembled in 12 hours and eight minutes. A year later, the efficient assembly line was able to roll out a completed Model T in 93 minutes. In 1914, Ford Motor Company was able to produce over 308,000 Model T’s. In today’s fast paced society, 308,000 cars doesn’t seem like much; however, this number was more than all 299 other car manufacturers combined during the same year. The success of the line coupled with the vehicle's popularity allowed Ford to drop the price from $850 to $350 dollars, fueling even more demand.
In 1941, Ford Motor Company shut down its civilian automobile production due to WWII to produce B-24 bombers. After the war, the government terminated Ford’s contracts and the company started to suffer losses of $10 million per month. In 1945 Henry Ford II took over as president and for the next three decades returned Ford Motor Company to profitability. In 1955 Ford introduced the two seat Thunderbird roadster which outsold the comparable Chevrolet Corvette 24 to 1. In 1963 Ford introduced another highly successful sports car called the Mustang. Then in the late 1960s, amid growing foreign competition, Ford decided to add a smaller subcompact to their fleet of large gas-guzzling offerings. They designed and built the Pinto which was released in 1970 to compete with the success that the Japanese imports were having. It wasn’t until the 1970s during the OPEC oil embargo that Ford felt the impact of their gas-guzzling cars as consumers turned in droves to the smaller, more fuel-efficient Japanese vehicles (Ford Motor Company).
In 1941, Ford Motor Company shut down its civilian automobile production due to WWII to produce B-24 bombers. After the war, the government terminated Ford’s contracts and the company started to suffer losses of $10 million per month. In 1945 Henry Ford II took over as president and for the next three decades returned Ford Motor Company to profitability. In 1955 Ford introduced the two seat Thunderbird roadster which outsold the comparable Chevrolet Corvette 24 to 1. In 1963 Ford introduced another highly successful sports car called the Mustang. Then in the late 1960s, amid growing foreign competition, Ford decided to add a smaller subcompact to their fleet of large gas-guzzling offerings. They designed and built the Pinto which was released in 1970 to compete with the success that the Japanese imports were having. It wasn’t until the 1970s during the OPEC oil embargo that Ford felt the impact of their gas-guzzling cars as consumers turned in droves to the smaller, more fuel-efficient Japanese vehicles (Ford Motor Company).
Reputation
In the minds of the U.S. consumer, Ford had a very good reputation leading up to the Pinto. They were the number 2 U.S. automaker behind only General Motors. It is believed that the main reason for General Motors dominance was due to their overall larger selection of models to choose from. One of the factors that helped contribute to Ford’s reputation during this period was their commitment to vehicle servicing. Another reason for Ford’s popularity came from their F-Series pickup truck, Bronco and Ranchero offerings. Overall, Ford was considered a solid and trustworthy company in the minds of the general population.
Mechanical Issues of the Pinto
The Ford Pinto’s gasoline tank was located behind the rear axle. In a rear-end collision of about twenty-eight miles per hour or more, the rear of the car would be crushed. This caused the fuel tank to be driven into the bolts of the differential housing causing the tank to split and allowed fuel to leak out. In addition, the filler pipe could be torn loose from the tank and additional gasoline might leak in this area. When fuel leaks from the gas tank, the evaporating fumes may enter and surround the car. Any spark caused by the friction of metal hitting metal in the crash or from the electrical system can ignite the vapor and create an explosion (Birsch). Another issue of a rear-end collision was the passenger doors becoming jammed which locked the passengers inside to burn with the car (Engineering.com).
(Image: Birsch 1994, p. 8)
(Image: Engineering.com)
During the design phase of the Pinto, Ford had two options to choose from in placing the fuel tank. The tank could be placed over-the-axle which had been used on the Ford Capri or it could be placed behind-the-axle. Placing the tank behind the axle was standard for the industry in regular sized cars and was also the standard for the Japanese subcompacts. The testing for a tank placed over-the-axle faired well in the Capri model. There were drawbacks to this design choice due to the engineering that was needed for the filler tube and the tank being placed above could cause a center of gravity issue which could impact the car's stability. Also, placing the tank above the axle severely reduced the trunk space and could not be used if a hatchback or station wagon model were to be introduced. Since the behind-the-axle model provided more trunk space and could be utilized in a hatchback or wagon models, Ford decided to build the Pinto with this design even though it was not considered as safe (Birsch).
Crash Testing of the Pinto
There is evidence that Ford knew in 1970 that the Pinto posed a serious fire hazard due to crash tests performed on the Pinto itself and other, similar models. In nearly all of the tests the filler pipe was pulled out of the tank and fuel leaked. By 1972 at least six additional crash tests ranging from about 15 mph to about 30 mph were performed on the Pinto. Some of the tests were performed on Pintos that had been modified to limit fuel leakage and some were performed on unmodified Pintos. The modified Pintos performed significantly better (leaked much less fuel) than the unmodified versions. Thus, "the tests showed that the car was potentially unsafe following relatively low-speed, rear-end collisions." (Birsch, p.11)
Ford's Economical Considerations
After problems surfaced and during the production of the Pinto through 1976, it was projected that a $6.65 part would help make the fuel tank safer during a rear-end collision. However, a Ford memo recommended that rather than making any voluntary safety changes, Ford should wait until 1976 when the government was expected to introduce new fuel tank standards. By delaying any production changes until the new standard was placed into effect in 1976, Ford believed they could save $20.9 million dollars (Degeorge).
Some of the options Ford considered in fixing the problem were to place a rubber bladder inside the fuel tank. This would help prevent gasoline from leaking if the differential bolts pierced through the metal of the fuel tank. Also, it was recommended that they could place plastic shields to prevent the tank from coming into contact with the edges and bolts of the shock absorber and rear differential.
In 1978, amid pressure from a highly publicized issue, Ford elected to voluntarily recall 1.5 million 1971 – 1976 Ford Pintos. The modifications included: a longer fuel filler neck and a better clamp to keep it secured in the fuel tank, also a better gas cap, and placement of plastic shields between the front of the fuel tank and the differential to protect the tank from the nuts and bolts on the differential as well as another along the right side of the tank to protect it from the rear shock absorber (NHTSA).
