Published on: 7/30/2015IST

14 Cars That Are Way Too Dangerous To Drive

User Image Anuj Tiwari Last updated on: 7/30/2015, Permalink

When purchasing a vehicle, many times people don’t look into which models in every car brand might be the least safe. Without thinking twice, people sometimes purchase the least safest car without knowing, and without doing the proper research, and sometimes pay dearly due to their mistake. So, whether or not you’re thinking of buying a new car, here is a list of 14 cars that are way too dangerous to drive:

Brilliance’s BS6

After a viral video spread online of the Brilliance BS6, it became disturbingly synonymous with Chinese automotive safety, or lack thereof. The car has absolutely no structural integrity, and as the video showed, any accident in this car will absolutely result in death.

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Although China has been striving to become a major automotive manufacturing powerhouse, it has a long way to get there. Unless they really alter their cars’ abilities to withstand some sort of force, they can keep dreaming.

Yugo GV

The Yugo Gv is essentially a Serbian Fiat. With a combination of paper-thin metal, outdated technology, and unbelievably flimsy and shoddy construction, this vehicle posed as a huge threat to the U.S. drivers who drove it. According to documented crash tests, collisions at just 49 mph will violently shove the front bumper, spare tire, and engine straight into the front seats, meaning instant death to the passengers. The brand eventually disappeared from the U.S. completely after not doing anything to improve the safety of the car.

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Chevrolet Corvair

Ralph Nader was actually the first to really emphasize the danger of driving the Chevrolet Corvair. He wrote a book stating that the Corvair’s rear-engine layout and rear-swing axle has a tendency to swing violently, doing a ton of damage to those in the car.

As a result of many lawsuits involving the car, in addition to Nader’s negative review of it as well, the car was discontinued in 1969. While its negative reviews might have been exaggerated, the Corvair would surely never pass a safety test today.

Suzuki Samurai

The Suzuki Samurai was released just years before the SUV boom, but was soon declared dangerous due to its tendency to barrel roll through turns. As a result of such horrible reviews, Samurai sales seemingly stopped overnight. 1987_suzuki_samurai_jx_4x4_hi___po_100_hp_engine_engine_has_1_year_9_lgw[1]

Ford Pinto

When the popularity of compact Japanese exports rose, Ford responded by making the Ford Pinto. It was economical on gas, cheap, and pretty small in size, making it attractive to many people looking to buy a vehicle. Bluepinto[1]

Jeep CJ

It’s pretty obvious that the Jeep CJ’s open top, meant very little to no protection to the occupants of the vehicle. It lacked simple safety devices, such as a roof, structurally supportive windscreen. Jeep-CJ[1]

This means that passengers can very easily be flung out of the car during an accident, or even while simply driving down the road. In time, however, the CJ became more and more safe, including a roll bar and 3-point seat belts, in addition to airbags.

BMW Isetta

The BMW Isetta is best known for its compact size, front-mounted passenger door, and bubble canopy. This car is so ridiculously microscopic, that a collision with anything would result in a horrible, but embarrassing death. isetta-106688_640[1]

Due to its extremely thin layer of sheet metal in front of the driver and passengers, it is known to be one of the most dangerous cars one could possibly ever drive. After some time, the Isetta was discontinued, and no other car resembled it thereon after.

Ford Explorer

Although it’s a much less prominent issue nowadays, there was a time where multiple SUVs seemed to begin barrel-rolling down freeways, and the Ford Explorer was no different. Apparently, one of the OEM Firestone tires were to blame, and Ford and Firestone continuously argues over whose fault it really was. 2005_and_2006_Ford_Explorer_2[1]

Regardless of whose fault it really was, the fact of the matter is that treading on the Firestone tires would separate the tire when the car drove at a high speed.

DeLorean DMC-12

To see a DeLorean DMC-12 speeding is rare, yet alone anywhere to begin with. Those that like to speed inevitably find a way to roll over these cars if they happen to be driving one. There are few cars that are considered to be more deadlier that the DeLorean DMC-12 when it comes to rolling over.

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They are small, thin, low to the ground, and their doors can’t be opened in the event of an accident, nor can anyone be pulled out of one because of the DMC-12’s small size.

Ferrari 458 Italia

This aesthetically beautiful car is far from safe. It turns out that despite its immense appeal, it actually has a nasty tendency to spontaneously combust. IMGP4013

The adhesive in the rear wheel arches, and heat shields catch fire that deforms the actual assemblies, which then ignite upon contact when it touches the the exhaust manifold. Ferrari did issue a voluntary recall to resolve the issue of spontaneous combustion, by replacing the combustible adhesive with rivets.

Toyota Yaris

Due to the rise in gas prices, as well as anything related to driving, many people have started to opt for smaller, more compact vehicles, that devour much less gas. A huge variety of small cars have flooded the market. 6927231924_7da587918c_o[1]

However, it turns out that although compact cars take up less fuel and are in general, more cost-effective, they are much more dangerous to drive than “normal” sized vehicles. One of these cars is the Toyota Yaris, which is so small, that regardless of any safety features, there is simply less room between you and what you’re hitting.

Pontiac Fiero

The Pontiac Fiero was sold between 1984 and 1988. Though it may not look like it, this car actually proved to be one of the safest cars in terms of collision testing. However, its lack of safety derived from the fact that it was prone to bursting into flames.

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The combination of misprints and very poor design led to this car’s engine, and possibly coolant failures as well, which turned this guy into a hot mess (quite literally). Pontiac claimed a total of 260 incidences of engine fires. Yikes.

Audi 5000

Today, Audis are very well-liked cars, that are built well and super stylish, but this wasn’t always the case during some of the brand’s earlier models, such as the Audi 5000. Audi sales dropped between 1983- 1987 in North America. Audi_quattro[1] Apparently, this was due to reports of the cars accelerating on their own. This particular model of car had a faulty system that controlled the car, even when it was idle. In total, there were 700 accidents, and 6 deaths related to the Audi 5000’s failure.

Ford Bronco II

Between 1983- 1990, Ford made the Ford Bronco II in attempt to contribute to the growing, but small SUV market at the time. The Bronco II was built on the body of a Ford Ranger, and had many similarities with it as well. All in all, it was a well-received vehicle, and quite versatile, with the exception of one major drawback: It had a tendency to roll over in tight turns.

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Because it was so top-heavy, in 1987 alone, 43 people were killed in their Bronco II when it rolled over. Ford refused to include any safety changes, instead deciding to put their money towards legal resolutions.


7/30/2015 | | Permalink