Utilitarian Paper-The Ford Pinto Case

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Samantha Hicks Utilitarian Paper 9/1/2011 The Ford Pinto Case The ford pinto case is a controversial one. The late 1960’s found the American automobile industry losing ground to the Japanese imports. Lee Iacocca, CEO of Ford Motor Company, set out to even the competition by requesting a car that weighed less than 2,000pounds and would sell for under $2,000. The result was the Ford Pinto that hit production in an astounding 25 months. Iacocca had the car that he wanted to compete against the foreign industry, but the Pinto had problems. The car’s design was flawed, possibly due to quick production, where a rear-end impact over 20 miles per hour could cause the fuel tank to burst. This may have been prevented if a baffle was installed between the bumper and the fuel tank. By using a utilitarian analysis was there moral issues involving the safety of the car that could have been avoided? Did the American public see the Pinto as unsafe? This analysis will illustrate and evaluate the utilitarian process considering the case of the Ford Pinto. As the facts of this case are evaluated, Lee Iacocca was put into a position where the American automobile industry was losing out to the foreign market. It was essential to get a product out in a timely manner to keep the market afloat that would also appeal to the American consumers. Once a flaw was discovered with the placement of the fuel tank and a bumper bolt resulting in a possible fire, a company cost-benefit analysis was conducted. The results from the analysis indicated that it was more cost effective to not fix the flaw compared to the accidental deaths that may result. Weighing the good against the bad, it seemed initially like a better business decision from Ford’s stance to not spend the extra money correcting the flaw versus possible accidental deaths. Not to mention the Pinto was value priced and

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