Check out the 1972 Ford Pinto commercial

[the other mike]

A classic between the Purple People Eaters and the Steel Curtain in November, 1972.
(for the commercial) ff to 1:33:33

 

[JoeMoma]

 

[the other mike]

1:48:55 another classic commercial...Firestone winter tires

 

[Unkotare]

I had one of those way back when. It never did explode though. Always found that a little disappointing.

 

[evenflow1969]

I had one of those way back when. It never did explode though. Always found that a little disappointing.

Those things were junk. No wonder you found it disappointring.

 

[DGS49]

The video and the complaint against the Pinto were nothing more than tort-lawyer alarmism. The Pinto was a small, inexpensive car. It weighed at least a thousand pounds less than most of the other cars on the road - the cars that it would be colliding with in the event of an "accident." OF COURSE the fatality rate for people in Pinto crashes would be higher than for larger cars. The tort bar focused on one particular type of collision, a very rare one, and a particular set of circumstances that might accompany that rare collision, then said, "WHOA! ISN'T THIS A HORRIBLE CRASH???"

Well...yes it is. And it is extremely rare. So what?

How many of those small cars would allow you to survive if you were T-boned? Approximately zero.

A Pinto was no less safe than a Vega, and worlds safer than a VW Bug - a death trap if there ever was one. But Lefties loved the Bug, so we don't see those stories about it. Indeed, they wax philosophical about their VW micro-vans - probably the most dangerous vehicle ever sold in the U.S.

As a motorcyclist, I don't pay much attention to whether a particular car is deemed "safe." They are all safer than what I'm riding, but I assume the commensurate risks.

 

[Jarlaxle]

The Pinto's actual safety record was in line with other compact cars of its era.

The actual lawsuit came from a nearly-stopped Pinto being hit by a 5000+lb full-sized van, traveling at ~50MPH. Also, critically...the Pinto's gas cap was missing. (The reason it was stopped-the driver realized she'd forgotten the cap.)