friday, October 6, 1978
daily nebraskan
page 5
Fiery Pintos fixed, too late for some
By Kim Wilt
Last week, in this column, I asked for suggestions on
what to write. I received a letter from a gentleman late
this week, addressed to "Mr. Wilt" suggesting that I do
a story on mail fraud. I appreciate the letter for two
reasons. First, the suggestion was a good one, and I will
probably look into it for next week's column. Secondly,
it gives me an opportunity to clear up a small misunder-standing-namely,
I am not a "Mr." In fact, I never have
been, and the last time I looked, my birth certificate
correctly identified me as "female."
consumer byline
With that cleared up, the subject of this week's column
is Ford Pintos. The placement of the gas tank in the Ford
Pintos produced from 1971 to 1976 has been the subject
of much controversy in the past few months.
Recall ordered
Ordered by the federal government to recall these
defective cars, Ford has sent out statements to Pinto
owners allowing them to go to their Ford dealers and get
the cars fixed.
According to two Ford dealers in Lincoln, Meginnis
Ford and Dean's Ford, the procedure involves placing
a fiberglass shield between the gas tank and the rear
axle. A longer gas tank pipe is also being installed on the
car, and a different gas cap will be used. Fixing 1975 and
1976 Pintos, which use unleaded gas and need different
repair parts, will be delayed because repair kits have not
yet arrived.
Both Dean's Ford and Meginnis Ford service managers
said that in the past two or three weeks they have
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serviced ten to fifteen Pintos a day. There is no charge for
the service.
Fire and death
Public awareness of the Pinto issue began because of
the fires and resulting deaths and injuries caused by the
placement of the gas tanks. National news programs,
local news programs, and shows like CBS' 60 Minutes
all have dramatized the problem and brought it to the
public's attention.
There has been at least one serious accident which
occurred last month in Omaha, involving a Pinto.
According to a UPI story, a 1972 Pinto was rear-ended
on Interstate 480 and "exploded in flames." According
to police reports, "the gas tank on the vehicle ruptured
and exploded during the collision." The two young
women in the car were badly burned, the story said.
Told to wait
A later UPI story revealed the grim fact that the driver
and owner of the Pinto had tried" at least twice to con
vince the Ford Motor Company to repair the fuel tank
on her Pinto."
Apparently Norma Hughes, who received first -and
second-degree burns in the accident, had called the
customer assistance office in Omaha after becoming
worried about the Pinto's gas tank design and was told
that she "would get a recall letter in two or three
months." She called again, after her car was almost rear
ended, and was again told to wait for the letter. That
second call came a few hours before the accident.
Ford parts and service department public relations
manager, George Trainor, said the Omaha office "had no
record of Mrs. Hughes' calls," according to the UPI story.
Trainor said that the fuel tank modifications could
not be made when Hughes called because the letters
were just beginning to go out.
It appears that the safety modifications came too late
for some.
University Police will
get $10,000 grant
University Police will receive a $10,000 grant
from the Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Ad
ministration to use in a crime prevention program.
Sgt. Joe Wehner said the grant, awarded through
the State Crime Commission, will be used for officer
training and community education.
"We applied for this grant because of the rising
crime rate on campus," Wehner said.
The money will be used to develop printed and
audio-visual material to educate on-campus students
on preventing theft and violent crime.
Wehner said the program, the first of its kind
at the university, will begin in December and last
for one year.
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