this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2025
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The Pinto got well known for a couple of reasons.
One, the classic "exploding in a rear end collision." The design flaw here was that in certain rear collisions, the fuel tank would be pushed into the rear differential. Not only could this rupture the fuel tank, it could also produce a spark. Boom. Lots of cars had this same design in the 70s, with the fuel tank low in the rear, right behind the rear differential.
Two, the infamous Pinto Memo, which did a cost benefit analysis that determined it would be cheaper for Ford to not fix the problem, and just settle whatever cases came up. This very clearly inspired the Fight Club recall formula scene. Take note that the car used in that scene is a Lincoln Town Car, produced by Ford Motor Company.
The kicker for the Pinto recall? What they did to fix it:
That's it. My dad pointed this out to me in his shop some time in the late 80s or early 90s. He had a Pinto in for an oil change or something, "Hey, let me show you this." It was such a hacky "repair."
Curious: how effective was that “repair”? Did it actually make a difference at all?
It would have prevented the "spark" part of the failure condition, but not the tank rupturing part.
Stopping the explosions seems like a good enough sort of solution to me
A more appropriate solution would be a plastic shield designed to fit around the whole front of the gas tank, and then appropriately fixed to the vehicle, as opposed to "some hardware store shit."
Leaking fuel is generally a bad thing. It may not hit the differential but let's say the exhaust or muffler is banged up and pointed downwards -- still gonna have a nasty fire
Nasty fire still sounds better than instant explosion! Haha
The bolts on the back of the diff would puncture the fuel tank, so it would help with both.
That's not how Pinto axles were. The differential assembly bolts in from the front.