The topic of this paper will be on Ford Motor Company. It will be surrounding the Pinto car fires, which occurred within 1970 to 1976. It will consist of all the relevant facts of the incidents, ethical issues. We will be using the systematic approach of the eight step model to complete this paper. The focus of the paper is the writers are taking the place of the recall coordinators.
The pertinent facts in this case are Ford Motors was in a hurry to deliver the car to market, so they could compete with their foreign competitors. This resulted in less time spent on the design process than normal. The company discovered during crash testing that eight out of eleven cars failed, and exploded during rear end testing. This was caused by faulty fuel line leaks, which ignited upon impact. They then implemented different safety measures into the tank, this time 3 vehicles passed the test.
Portrait of Henry Ford (ca. 1919)
English: Ford Motor Company Headquarters, Dearborn...
1961 Ford H-Series trucksThe company felt that it was too late into the design frame to implement any changes. They found that with the gas tank located directly behind the bumper of the vehicle, it could only withstand a crash at five miles per hour. They also discovered that during the crash testing the doors would jam and the passengers would be trapped inside the flaming vehicle, this would happen if the vehicle was struck at approximately forty miles per hour. At this time Ford Motors performed a cost benefit analysis of the situation. In this situation the company had placed a dollar value on human life. In order to be a cost conscious company, Ford felt that changing the fuel tank at the time was too expensive and they did not warrant the expense. Iacocca mentioned in statements that "safety doesn't sell", Ford Motors mentioned...