American automakers introduced their subcompacts, led by the AMC Gremlin that arrived six months before the Pinto, and the Chevrolet Vega, introduced the day before the Pinto. As the popularity of smaller Japanese imports Toyota Corolla and Datsun 510 increased throughout the 1960s, Ford North America responded by introducing the Cortina from Ford of Europe as a captive import. The safety issues surrounding the Pinto and the subsequent response by Ford have been cited widely as business ethics and tort reform case studies.īackground First-generation American subcompacts, left to right: AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto, Chevrolet VegaĪmerican automakers had first countered imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle with compact cars including the Ford Falcon, Ford Maverick, Chevrolet Corvair and Plymouth Valiant, although these cars featured six-cylinder engines and comprised a larger vehicle class. A subsequent analysis of the overall safety of the Pinto suggested it was comparable to other 1970s subcompact cars. Its fuel-tank design attracted both media and government scrutiny after several deadly fires occurred when the tanks ruptured in rear-end collisions. Since the 1970s, the safety reputation of the Pinto has generated controversy. Thomas Assembly in Southwold, Ontario, and San Jose Assembly in Milpitas, California.
The Pinto and Mercury Bobcat were produced at Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey, St. Over three million Pintos were produced over its ten-year production run, outproducing the combined totals of its domestic rivals, the Chevrolet Vega and the AMC Gremlin. Mercury offered rebadged versions of the Pinto as the Mercury Bobcat from 1975 until 1980 (1974–1980 in Canada ).
The Pinto was marketed in three body styles throughout its production: a two-door fastback sedan with a trunk, a three-door hatchback, and a two-door station wagon. The Pinto was the first subcompact vehicle produced by Ford in North America. The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company in North America from 1971 until 1980. 3-speed C3/"Selectshift/Cruise-O-Matic" automatic.