this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2025
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The Cybertruck Appears to Be More Deadly Than the Infamous Ford Pinto, According to a New Analysis (futurism.com)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) by floofloof@lemmy.ca to c/technology@lemmy.world
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At the current rate of horrible fiery deaths, FuelArc projects the Cybertruck will have 14.52 fatalities per 100,000 units — far eclipsing the Pinto's 0.85. (In absolute terms, FuelArc found, 27 Pinto drivers died in fires, while five Cybertruck drivers have suffered the same fate, at least so far.)

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[–] Nougat@fedia.io 76 points 1 day ago (12 children)

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:

  • Two sheets of 1/8" plastic, each about 18" square
  • Some long zip ties
  • Layer the two sheets over the rear diff, zip tie them to the axle

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."

[–] __nobodynowhere@sh.itjust.works 2 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

Lots of cars had this same design in the 70s, with the fuel tank low in the rear, right behind the rear differential.

Jeep Grand Cherokees were this way between 1993 and 2004 and Jeep Libertys were this way between 2002 and 2007.

I do believe they were plastic though.

But they are jeeps. Quality was never an expectation

[–] Freefall@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

I love my Jeep. Why make it unbreakable, when you can make it easy to fix!

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