1. Fiesta
   Mustang
2. Pinto

More than 1.5 million were recalled and negative publicity scorched the company.

1. competition from foreign makers
   rising fuel costs
2. demand was falling behind supply

Overseas manufacturers were slowly but surely eating into domestic car makers' profits; safety suffered as a result of cost-cutting measures.

1. Chevrolet Corvair
   Yugo GV
2. Smart FourTwo

It also gained notoriety for releasing potentially toxic fumes into the cabin.

1. about $5
   about $11
2. about $19

Instead, the company weighed potential injury and damage lawsuit figures versus the repair and opted not to make the Pinto safer.

1. $127 million
   $82 million
2. $41 million

To that date, it was the largest product liability award ever; the amount was later dropped to $6 million.

1. check for frayed wiring
   to never spill gas when you were refueling
2. monitor tire pressure

The car's funky suspension meant you needed different pressure for front and rear tires; neglecting this part could kill you.

1. terrible side impact ratings
   poor crash ratings
2. inexperienced drivers

The car's relatively cheap price tag and rear-wheel drive puts it in the hands of many people who can't control the power.

1. It had virtually no protection in rollover accidents.
   The wheels made it hard to steer.
2. Its small size was dangerous in crashes.

Simple physics mean that tiny cars fare worse, especially when they strike large vehicles.

1. removable doors
   hollow doors
2. poorly-designed doors

The removable doors might offer a sense of freedom, but they also leave riders exposed during accidents.

1. 3 million
   10 million
2. 30 million

The company has since issued payments for more than 100 deaths related to the flaw.

1. Chevrolet Cobalt
   Pontiac Sunfire
2. Pontiac Aztek

In some cases, the engine would simply turn off, leaving drivers in a panic.

1. Ralph Nader
   Esther Peterson
2. Michael Pertshuk

Big businesses tried to silence Nader when they realized that his concerns were making headway in the public consciousness.

1. the windshields exploded in sharp fragments
   too much weight in the rear
2. too much weight in the front

Oversteer was a major problem, meaning even experienced drivers could send this one off of the road or into traffic.

1. new (and equally dangerous) tires
   redesigned suspension
2. heavy weights in the front bumper

It was a safer design but the less responsive steering irked aggressive drivers.

1. Pinto
   Yugo
2. Trabant

The fabric-reinforced plastic was probably not the best material to protect people in a crash.

1. engine fires
   defective seatbelts
2. faulty tires

Faulty connecting rods caused more than 100 fires, some of which happened during operation.

1. zero
   14
2. 28

And even though it was small and light, the car actually had great crash safety ratings.

1. windows
   doors
2. steering column

In order to open the hydraulic gullwing doors, you first had to pull a pin and then force them open.

1. true
   false
2. 0

Modern safety features are statistically proven to be much safer than those found in older vehicles.

1. Chevrolet Aveo
   Hyundai Accent
2. Kia Rio

The car's small size and light weight are partially blamed for the vehicle's higher-than-average death rate.

1. roofs
   headlights
2. front brakes

The early days of the automobile were not exactly known for consumer safety.

1. fiberglass
   steel
2. aluminum

Steel body panels on the fiberglass frame made this car a death trap in crashes.

1. Ford Explorer
   Toyota 4Runner
2. Dodge Ramcharger

Bridgestone/Firestone eventually recalled more than 6 million tires for safety reasons.

1. Sidekick
   Samurai
2. Swift

Later, it was revealed the magazine actually made the problem seem much worse than it was.

1. The company stopped selling cars in America.
   There were numerous recalls.
2. The company went bankrupt.

Suzuki filed a lawsuit that was settled out of court.

1. electrical fires
   fuel link leaks
2. the small windows

The tiny windows meant you'd have serious difficult escaping a wrecked DMC-12.

1. 70
   140
2. 210

However, authorities decided that a recall probably wasn't necessary.

1. about the same
   twice as high
2. three times as high

Yet Ford was not publicly scorned in the same manner as Suzuki.

1. nearly 90 percent
   nearly 70 percent
2. nearly 50 percent

So if you managed to stop the vehicle from rolling over, you actually were fairly safe.

1. Owners never replaced the fuel filter.
   Owners didn't use enough oil.
2. Owners used the wrong fuses.

Low oil resulted in some engine meltdowns, which then led to fires.