Ford Pinto bursts into flames - car test (long version)

The Ford Pinto demonstrates the ethical problems faced by businesses. The design of the Pinto created a 'feature' where a percentage of these cars burst into flames on impact. It is often presented as the callous face of business choosing profit over lives. However, the underlying principle to be questioned must address the issue of whether we place any value on human life, not just whether Ford placed too cheap a value on it in this case. For those who don't have to make these decisions it is easy to take a simplistic position. For managers faced with these decisions it is rather more complex.