Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto, the king of bad cars, looked great. They drove well, looked pretty decent, and the fuel economy kept your wallet happy. The only problem was these cars had a tendency to explode in flames the moment you were rear-ended. A federal review found them “unsafe at any speed,” and the scandal surrounding the abandoned recall makes this story horrifying. Instead of a more expensive recall, Ford decided to leave these on the streets and pay the cheaper compensation to Pinto victims.