Ford Pinto Code Of Ethics

One such lawsuit in which take place in engineering was the design of the Ford Pinto. Ford professionals would have to adapt the passenger cars to meet greater federal safety standards. In testing during production, collision reports ensured design flaws. In which the fuel tank would rupture in a crash above 25mph and at the same time the front doors would usually jam shut, the vehicle would explode with occupants still inside. Internal documents show that eleven of the tests averaging thirty one miles per hour were performed before the Pinto went into production. Ford would go on to fail to issue any sort of warning to customers, and in only 3 of 11 tests would the Pinto's fuel tank not rupture. Although a guilty verdict on the three charges

Instead of thinking morally about public safety the engineers decided that the consequences of their decisions would be better for Ford. This is an example where engineers thinking autonomously that led to a worsening from public’s view of Ford and their profession. Without a major engineering institution setting the codes, the way engineers operate may not change to meet the ever-increasing challenges in the rapidly changing world. The problem with cases like this is that the view the public holds over the profession is damaged, and much of the trust that is built up due to engineers following the codes of ethics is lost. In this situation the firm may not always think about public safety and a decision they make may in fact put the public in danger, the engineer is then faced with the dilemma of which code is more important. The points mentioned here show that often even whilst following the codes of conduct an engineer may still have to think autonomously. Although codes of ethics as set out by major engineering institution aim to provide engineers with the standards of professional conduct that they should follow, I think that the codes are often too vague and simple to follow without any thought from the engineers. This means that the primary goal of a course on engineering should not just be to have students master the standards set out by codes of ethics, but instead how to interpret the codes to give guidance on any problems the engineer may