Ford Pinto Wagon - First Subcompact Car

The Ford Pinto is a subcompact vehicle that was produced by the famous automotive brand FORD.

The Ford Pinto Wagon was marketed in North America from 1971 to 1980. Pinto was the smallest and the first subcompact car ever produced by Ford in the North American subcontinent.

Wagon belonging to the subcompact car class came in different body styles. If anyone was interested in the pinto they could choose from a two-door sedan, two-door sedan delivery, two-door station wagon, and a three-door hatchback.

Table of Contents Overview

History of Ford Pinto Wagon

Ford Pinto was one of the first wagon cars by Ford that was produced and sold in the USA.

The vehicle was produced to compete with the foreign competition, mainly Germans & Japanese manufacturers.

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The subcompact auto market was being stuffed up by the makers from overseas. Thus, to face this international threat head-on, Ford introduced its first-ever subcompact car- PINTO.

The aim was to produce a lightweight car that is also cheap which can withstand the Japanese products that were hailed for being cheap and reliable.

Ford Pinto – Key Specifications

Thus, Pinto was produced, a 2,000-pound lightweight car that costs merely $2,000, fitting in everyone’s budget.

Ford Pinto Body Style

2- Door Sedan
2- Door Sedan Delivery
2- Door Station Wagon
3- Door Hatchback

Ford Pinto Engine

1.6 L Kent I4
2.0 L EAO I4
2.3 L LL23 I4
2.8 L Cologne V6

Ford Pinto Transmission

4- Speed Manual
3- Speed Automatic

Ford Pinto Predecessor- Ford Cortina

Ford Pinto Successor- Forced Escort/Mercury Lynx

Issues With Ford Pinto

However, the car was like a dream come true, especially for small families. But people started seeing the flaws in the model sooner than expected.

The car was said to have unbridled horsepower, poor handling (See Here Best Handling Cars in USA), inadequate brakes, and more. But the crucial reason that made Pinto a nightmare for the Ford was its fuel tank.

The rear-mounted fuel tank and a solid rear axle was the crucial reason which made this car the most hated vehicle among the people.

In the event of an accident, the rear axle housing could come in contact with the fuel tank, which further would lead to fuel spillage and fire.

The vehicle saw many such incidents during its production time and this became the reason for the vehicle’s dysfunction.

End Of Ford Pinto

The major blow that made Ford discontinue its highly famous Pinto off the American roads was when the popular Mother Jones magazine claimed about the Pinto’s dangerous shortcoming of blowing up.

The magazine even reported that the company had known about the fact and still took no action to handle the situation.

The article further revealed how mere a small part, worth $1, could have fixed the problem in each produced model, enraged the consumers.

With so many things going against the vehicle, Ford finally decided to act to resolve the issue, but it was too late. The car had already earned the deadly reputation that is still going on.

Further, the market got flooded with many advanced and reliable competitors, and consumers have drifted away.

Later on, it was seen that the pinto wagon was not on the same level as the competitors as well as the other productions of the Ford.

Thus, finally, Ford stopped the production of the pinto wagon.

Bottom Line

Pinto is credited as among the worst cars to be ever made in America. But it is still a shock that the company sold millions of models.

For some, it is still a nightmare, whereas some still love the luxury and thrill the vehicle provided. Everyone tends to have different opinions, and we respect each one of them.

Ford Pinto Wagon was made with a dream to provide natives a cheap car with good features, which somehow was delivered by the company.

One flaw took it all away. Otherwise, in my opinion, the car would have been still running on the American streets.

Ford Pinto Wagon – The First Subcompact Car By Ford