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First conroversy about the Pinto inside the Ford
The Predidnet of Ford Motor Company, Semon Knudsen, opposed the idea of building a subcompact inthe US, but a Ford Vice- President, lee Iacocca, advised theat they introduce a subcompact and build it domestically. Henry Ford II decided in favor of Iacocca, Knudsen resigned, and Iacocca later became president of Ford. -
NHTSA notified Ford: an initial determinationof the existence of a safety-related defect
Denying any wrongdoing but faced with pressure on all sides, Ford subsequently issued a recall of all Pintos manufactured from 1971-1976, a total of 1.5 million cars. -
Ford Pinto's accident in Illinois, killed two children and their mom
Judy and Lyn Ulrich and their cousin visiting from Illinois, Donna Ulrich, set out to play volleyball at a church some twenty miles away. while on US Highway 33 in northern Indiana, the yellow 1973 Pinto they were driving was struck in the rear by a van. within seconds their car was engulfed in flames. two of hte teenagers, trapped inside the vehicle, died quickly; the driver, Judy died ar a hospital eight hours later with 3rd-degree burns on more than 95% of her body. -
Attack against Ford and its Pinto emerged: "symbolic crusade"
a movement aimed at showing that Ford, like other powerful corporations, felt comfortable in operating outside accepted moral boundariees in its irresponsible pursuit of profit. -
Ford was found innocent on all charges.
The Indiana trial was a criminal trial, concerned with a violation of the law, instead of a civil trial. if Ford Motor Company were to have been found guiltyk the corporation would have been fined uop to $10,000 for each case of reckless homicide.
Since Secton 35-41-1-2 of the penal code included "corporation" under its definition of "person". Section 35-42-1-5 of the Indiana Code thus read:"A person who recklessly kills another human being commits reckless homicide."
