Dangerous Car Features of the Past

[Dibbons]

Click "Watch on youtube" to view.

Re last item: Ford Pinto fuel tanks: many vehicles have the tank behind the rear bumper.

 

[Dibbons]

I found this explanation online:

After the Ford Pinto was recalled in 1978, the fuel tank was modified with the following changes:

• Plastic shield: A polyethylene shield was installed across the front of the fuel tank.
  
  
  
• Fuel filler pipe: The fuel filler pipe and seal were replaced with a longer pipe and improved seal.
  
  
  
• Gaskets and seals: New gaskets and seals were installed.
  
  
  
• Fuel filler cap: A stronger fuel filler cap was installed.
  
  
  
• Bracketry and hardware: Bracketry and hardware were installed.
  
  

The Pinto's gas tank was vulnerable to puncturing or rupturing in rear-end collisions because it was positioned behind the rear axle and close to the rear bumper. The lack of reinforcements or shields between the tank and rear bumper allowed direct contact with the tank.

 

[Kern Dog]

Click "Watch on youtube" to view.

Re last item: Ford Pinto fuel tanks: many vehicles have the tank behind the rear bumper.

Come on, Ody....No cars had their gas tank behind the rear bumper!

 

[#41]

It was really built similarly to almost all RWD cars of the time (and decades previous). The primary weakness was simply that the Pinto was so compact behind the rear axles that there was no crush zone around the tank.

 

[68BabyBlue]

It was really built similarly to almost all RWD cars of the time (and decades previous). The primary weakness was simply that the Pinto was so compact behind the rear axles that there was no crush zone around the tank.

The Pinto case was leading edge products liability law when I studied it during my second year of law school in 1982. What really got Ford in trouble was not the design so much as an internal memo that surfaced during discovery. The bean counters had done a detailed cost benefit analysis assessing costs of a safer crush zone against legal costs of the fires that would result with the original design. Ford MoCo decided the fires were cheaper, and put it in writing. The move made financial sense at the time, but became a public relations disaster for the ages.

 

[Dennis H]

Remember when we used to “bury” the speedometer? There will be none of that today.

 

[RJ Squirrel]

What about dangerous features in the present, like makeup mirrors on the driver side visor.

 

[Coelacanth]

Was letting us kids play around in the backs of station wagons on road trips with nary a thought to seat belts an unsafety feature?

 

[Kern Dog]

What about dangerous features in the present, like makeup mirrors on the driver side visor.

Uhhh, that is not a make up mirror.
It may have become that but that wasn’t the original intention.
No pictures, please.

 

[RJ Squirrel]

Uhhh, that is not a make up mirror.
It may have become that but that wasn’t the original intention.
No pictures, please.

OK I will take the bait, what is it called then.

 

[Kern Dog]

OK I will take the bait, what is it called then.

What do you call a guy that wears make up ???
Uhhh, I’ll leave that for you to determine.

 

[Billccm]

All compact cars of the Pinto era would have a gas tank rupture when hit from behind at high speed. Corolla, Civic, Vega, Hornet shared the same configuration. The Pinto was a victim of success. It sold 3 times the numbers of the competition and due to so many on the road it was highly likely to be in the press over fatalities.

Now having said that it is a unforgivable sin that Ford Motor Company played a numbers game on death payouts versus the cost of a recall. Those guys, including Lee Iacocca should be ashamed of what they did for their Pinto customers.

 

[Kern Dog]

Admitting it in writing sure didn’t help their case.

 

[68BabyBlue]

When I was a corporate general counsel, I had a hard time explaining why I didn’t like cya memos, and later, emails. I used to cite the Pinto case.

Admitting it in writing sure didn’t help their case.

 

[RemCharger]

Uhhh, that is not a make up mirror.
It may have become that but that wasn’t the original intention.
No pictures, please.

Women weren't allowed to drive in California in'78 ? That should be in the weird facts thread.

Maybe I'm not following along properly

 

[Kern Dog]

Maybe your humor feature is disabled.

What about dangerous features in the present, like makeup mirrors on the driver side visor.

Uhhh, that is not a make up mirror.
It may have become that but that wasn’t the original intention.
No pictures, please.

OK I will take the bait, what is it called then.

You missed not only the joke but the serious part.
I wrote that the "vanity mirror" wasn't originally called a make up mirror but for some people, it has become that.
Look at the response in pure literal form.
I joked about men applying make up because you never mentioned women. I don't want to see pictures of an man wearing make up so I requested No pictures, please.
To be clear, I only referred to that feature as a vanity mirror in all of my years. I assumed that was the industry term as well.

 

[Cranky]

I found this explanation online:

After the Ford Pinto was recalled in 1978, the fuel tank was modified with the following changes:

• Plastic shield: A polyethylene shield was installed across the front of the fuel tank.
  
  
  
• Fuel filler pipe: The fuel filler pipe and seal were replaced with a longer pipe and improved seal.
  
  
  
• Gaskets and seals: New gaskets and seals were installed.
  
  
  
• Fuel filler cap: A stronger fuel filler cap was installed.
  
  
  
• Bracketry and hardware: Bracketry and hardware were installed.
  

View attachment 1763364
The Pinto's gas tank was vulnerable to puncturing or rupturing in rear-end collisions because it was positioned behind the rear axle and close to the rear bumper. The lack of reinforcements or shields between the tank and rear bumper allowed direct contact with the tank.

Don't know how the Pinto gas tank was situated but I am very familiar with the 1st gen Mudstain's gas tanks and imo, they suck! The floor of the Mustains were the top of the gas tank!

Come on, Ody....No cars had their gas tank behind the rear bumper!

Being 'behind' the rear bumper means the bumper was first to be hit then the gas tank.

Uhhh, that is not a make up mirror.
It may have become that but that wasn’t the original intention.
No pictures, please.

Too many women wanted a 'visor mirror' on the driver's side. So, presto! They really like to do their makeup while they drive just like way too many think it's ok to 'view' their cell phones while driving. It's all BS until it ends up in court....

 

[Dave6T4]

How about those dash mounted rear view mirrors in late '50's Mopars? A neighbour of ours was killed in a car accident years ago when the mirror broke off and the stalk went through his forehead.

 

[3sloppydogs]

Another Ford issue albeit a whole lot smaller was this. I had a 69 mach1 back in the mid seventies. It had a 4sp with the Mach 1 console. The console had the lighter in the rear area just after the little slots for the seat belts. Well you would push it in and it would pop out and fall in the seat belt troughs. Naturally while you were driving then you try to get it out and burn the **** out of your fingers. I have never forgotten that.

 

[j-c-c-62]

OK I will take the bait, what is it called then.

Now it is called. The Do I have any hair left mirror ?