These 5 Vehicles Are The Most Unsafe Cars Of All Time
We’re going back in time.
We’re traveling back to the days when automakers prioritized sales, competing with Asia for market share, and gimmicks over safety. Standards weren’t nearly as high as today, and legislation was lacking.
Forget backup cameras or sensors–some of the models on this list barely possessed the ability to stay upright!
These 5 vehicles are arguably the most unsafe cars of all time:
- DeLorean DM-12
Please note, we didn’t list this just to stay in theme with the “time travel” intro: it really was unsafe! Its two most appealing features, the bat-wing doors, were also its most dangerous, as they’d be impossible to open in case of a roll over.
- Ford Explorer
The top-heavy Explorer of the 90s was built like a Bronco–only bigger and heavier, with the same-sized chassis and suspension. That design flaw, coupled with faulty tires, made drivers 16 times more susceptible to death by rollover than any other SUV at the time.
- Ford Pinto
A mainstay on “dangerous vehicle” lists, this 80s classic was Ford’s entrance into the small-car market, which was then dominated by Asian imports. The problem was the car’s design, which placed the gas tank near the bumper and made it prone to explode upon hard contact.
- Pontiac Fiero
Another small car entrant on this list, the Fiero’s tendency to burst into flames because of faulty wiring, chronic oil leakage, and poorly-placed coolant lines near the engine made it combust 260 times in its 5 years of existence.
- Yugo GV
The 2-door Yugo GV checked all the right boxes to be an overall terrible car: its carburetor was below air pollution standards, it had no front-crash protection, had an engine that rattled, and had one of the highest death rates for any car on the road at the time.
Chances are, you’re not driving a deathtrap from the 80s–but if your car was made before 2018, it’s definitely a little unsafer than newer models on the road. Remedy that here.
