Case 2

Case 2.2: The Ford Pinto

Bianca Guerrero

Kyle Hanlin

Ernesto Luna

Nathalie Morachimo

John St. Onge

Foundations of Business Ethics

BUS 343

Prof. Frank Fabela

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Introduction & Case AnalysisKyle Hanlin

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Introduction & Case Analysis Part 1: Introduction to the Market

Introduced in the early 1970s to compete with international companies such as Toyota and Volkswagen.

Ford compressed the Pinto’s construction timeline to only two years – instead of the traditional three-and-a-half.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standard promoted car companies to check for potential fire hazards within their vehicles and internal components.

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Introduction & Case Analysis Part 2: Problems Arise in Ford Pinto

Early crash tests done by Ford indicated that the Pinto design was horribly flawed; the gas tank was subject to easily rupture.

Only Pintos that had a “redesigned” fuel tank managed to pass the crash testing phase.

Ford decided that the cost of redesigning the Pinto was far too high – as the following video explains.

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“Runaway Cars” Segment 10 – Sudden Acceleration (Edited Running Time: 2 minutes & 15 seconds)

Video provided by YouTube

Video

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Click next slide to play video automatically.

Video: “Runaway Cars” Segment 10 – Sudden Acceleration (Edited Running Time: 2 minutes & 15 seconds)

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Discussion Questions SegmentBianca Guerrero

John St. OngeNathalie Morachimo

Ernesto Luna

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Discussion Questions – Part One

Number 3

Utilitarians would say that jeopardizing motorists does not by itself make Ford’s action morally objectionable.

The only morally relevant matter is whether Ford gave equal consideration to the interests of each affected party.

Do you think Ford did this?

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Discussion Questions – Part Two

Number 5

Speculate about Kant’s response to the idea of placing a monetary value on a human life.

Is doing so ever morally legitimate?

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The Definition of Kantianism

The Formulation Rule of Kantianism:

Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law.

Act so that you always treat others as an end, and never as a means to an end only.

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Discussion Questions – Part Three

Number 7

Would it have made a moral difference if the savings resulting from not improving the Pinto gas tank had been

passed on to Ford’s customers?

Could a rational customer have chosen to save a few dollars and risk having the more dangerous gas tank?

What if Ford had told potential customers about its decision?

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Discussion Questions – Part Four

Number 11

Assess Ford’s and GM’s actions with respect to SUV rollovers.

Have the automakers met their moral obligation to consumers, or have they acted wrongly by not doing more to increase SUV safety?

Should they be held either morally or legally responsible for deaths from rollovers that would not have occurred in other vehicles?

What should automakers do to increase SUV safety?

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Concluding Comments & Questions Segment

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Thank You! We hope that you enjoyed our presentation!

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