Case Study: The Ford Pinto

In the late 1960s, Ford Motor Company developed the Pinto, a compact car designed to compete with Japanese imports. However, during development, Ford engineers discovered that the Pinto had a design flaw that could cause the fuel tank to rupture and ignite in the event of a rear-end collision. Despite this knowledge, Ford management decided to continue with production of the Pinto without making any changes to the design, citing cost concerns.

In 1977, the Pinto was involved in a high-profile accident in which a young woman was killed when her Pinto was struck from behind and burst into flames. It was later discovered that Ford had known about the design flaw and had conducted a cost-benefit analysis that showed it would have been cheaper to pay out for settlements in the event of accidents rather than to make the necessary changes to the design.

Questions:

1. Enumerate the ethical implications of Ford's decision to continue with production of the Pinto and What could Ford have done differently in this situation? (30 Marks)