They could use this improvement as a means of differentiating themselves from the competition. Although safety may not have been a primary concern in the 1970s, the proper marketing campaign could have made Ford a leader in safety, like Volvo, which could still be serving the company now, nearly 40 years later. Conclusion:

On paper, the decision to leave the faulty gas tanks on the Pintos as is seemed to be a good business decision. However, it turned out to be a poor ethical decision. Ford failed to realize that they could not put a dollar value on human life. In addition, they failed to take into account a variety of secondary costs that could...

In an effort to be more competitive in the small car segment, against German and Japanese manufacturers, Ford Motor Co. ended up with a vehicle that would cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in court cases and recall costs, plus would damage the brand for generations to come.
References

Becker, P., Jipson, a., & Bruce, a. (Feb 2000). The Pinto legacy. Justice Professional, 12(3). Retrieved November 4, 2009, from Business Source Complete.

Gioia, D. (No date). Pinto fires.

Halpern, P. (1982). The Corvair, the Pinto and corporate behavior. Policy…