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Established 2004

Most Unsafe Cars in History: Ford Pinto to Chevrolet Corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair earned the dubious honor in part when the book “Unsafe At Any Speed” paid homage to its horrible reputation for crashing disasters. The Ford Pinto is on the list because its gas tank was in the optimal place for exploding after even a minor accident.

What these cars and eight other infamous vehicles have in common is that they’ve been selected as the Most Dangerous Cars In History.

The websites, The Consumerist. and Auto have combined to present a list of common vehicles and some not so common that earn honors they’d prefer not have.

Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto

The subjective list, according to The, was compiled when “Auto Shippers combed through the auto industry’s storied history of catastrophic engineering and manufacturing failures, recalls and scandals to select history’s most dangerous jalopies.”

The Ford Pinto tops the list. In brief, it’s described as “the one vehicle that didn’t discriminate when it came to exploding in accidents, often requiring only a low speed and moderate impact.”

Here’s the list of the most dangerous cars in history:

1. Ford Pinto (1971-1980)
2. Briggs & Stratton Flyer (1915-1925)
3. Peel Trident (1966)
4. Chevrolet Corvair (1960-1963)
5. Bricklin SV-1 (1974-1976)
6. Yugo (1985)
7. Smart ForTwo (2009)
8. Ford Mustang (1984-1988)
9. Chevrolet Corvette (1984-1988)
10. Kia Rio (2009)

