The Biggest Engineering Fails in Mainstream Automotive History

One might assume that automakers, given their sole focus on producing vehicles, would gradually perfect their craft over time to the point where we’re looking at incredibly reliable vehicles as the calendar flipped to the 2000s. While the automotive industry is marked by continuous development and the introduction of innovative ideas, some instances in the realm of automotive engineering have left mechanics and consumers baffled. The most shocking part of it all is that not all of these examples are even all that old and new examples of engineering fails pop up each and every day,.

Occasionally, when we hit the road, engineering shortcomings manifest as minor inconveniences that are nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Maybe your car’s cupholders can’t actually hold a real life cup. However, there have been cases where car buyers are confronted with significant challenges, necessitating visits to the mechanic, recalls, and, in some extreme cases, the risk of fires that could grow large enough to burn their entire car to the ground.

From flawed designs to placing fuel filters in dangerously flammable locations, or even installing gas tanks prone to causing explosions, certain engineering failures have earned notorious reputations for specific models. I mean, how many of us would have even remembered that the Ford Pinto was a thing if it wasn’t for the model’s propensity to go up in flames from time to time?

In the discussion below, we join the team at Ideal Media as they guide us through 14 of the most egregious engineering fails in automotive history. While some of these may be chalked up to oversights, others leave us questioning the decision-making of the engineers involved. It prompts us to wonder whether these engineers received any formal education in the field or if they simply threw caution to the wind.