The Beginning :
Events in the 1970s related to the
Ford Pinto automobile illustrate
some of the ethical issues related to technology and safety. The Beginning
Safety Issues :
Safer Gas Tank
Tank Location
Precedence over safety was price and style Safety Issues
Engineer Constraints :
Design
Cost Limitations
Marketing Strategies Engineer Constraints
Major Design Problems :
Major Design Problems Short rear end to imitate Ford Mustang
Tank placed behind rear axle instead of over the axle
The Pinto could weigh no more than 2000 pounds or cost more than $2000
Problems from fuel tank :
Problems from fuel tank Rear end collision over 21 mph resulted in fire
Some so bad it resulted in fatalities or horrible burns
Questions :
Questions Did the engineers have a professional obligation to reject the Pinto design elements and management directives that seriously compromised safety?
Should Ford management have had the final word on the Pinto design or should the engineers have had a "veto" related to safety?
Slide 8:
Questions Management placed marketing considerations above safety, was that ethical and are members of management morally responsible for the preventable Pinto fire deaths?
Finally, was the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ineffective or unethical because the Ford Pintos always complied with all the government standards?