content: Or they might even forego the recall if the cost of settling potential lawsuits is less than the cost of the recall. Kinda like Ford did with the Pinto. People died from their faulty gas tank design and Ford figured that it would be cheaper just to settle the lawsuits that came up rather than do a recall. They only did a recall after the government finally forced them to. " The article said that Ford was aware of the design flaw, was unwilling to pay for a redesign, and decided it would be cheaper to pay off possible lawsuits. The magazine obtained a cost-benefit analysis that it said Ford had used to compare the cost of repairs (Ford estimated the cost to be $11 per car) against the cost of settlements for deaths, injuries, and vehicle burnouts . The document became known as the Ford Pinto Memo."