Ethics

In deciding whether or not Ford should be held liable for the Pinto case, the facts must be briefly discussed.  Studies show that at the time Ford made the decision to continue with the production of the car their research showed that the estimated cost of modification each and every car is estimated at 11.  On top of this, the company needed to immediately address the issue of the invasion of German and Japanese Cars in the market.  This means that there was a pressing need to address the issue.

The basic facts that Ford has to contend with in deciding were the following.  The first is that at that time a human life was valued at 200,725, as per industry estimates and court awards for damages.  The cost of all estimated deaths and injuries is 49.5 million while the cost for modifications of all cars is valued at 137.5 million.  In making the modifications, there were these alternatives Lobbying against safety standards and applying for a patent for safer gas tanks.  From the foregoing, it seems that safety was never an objective.  This led to the three (3) main decisions that Ford could choose from 1.) Postpone production and initiate modifications to the Pinto at the cost of 137.5 million, 2.) Continue production and pay 49.5 million in estimated damages, or 3.) Stop production of the Pinto.

In this case, the Ford Pinto should not have been produced even if it initially sold well.  The facts show that there was a danger that was posed to the customer.  This is something that cannot be quantified in dollars and cents but if one were to place a figure, like Ford did, this would be in the millions of dollars of profit.  As it is, the Ford Pinto clearly is a hazard to faithful Ford customers and the general public.  With the number of sales that Ford made that year, it would not be unreasonable to think that they would probably not have gained so much even if that budget model sold well.  As such, it is clear that Ford should not have produced the pinto.

Even considering the differences in todays society and the one previous, there is no justification for pushing through with production.  The situation before was even more economically viable because it only meant a US 20-30 upgrade.  As compared to the recall situation facing Toyota these days, there was an even greater danger with the Pinto which could be solved by a cost effective solution.  As such, there is no justification, economic or otherwise, to continue with the production of the Pinto, then and now.