List times when accountants / business managers overrode engineering and caused problems.
- Thread starter JimPghPA
- Start date
the whole Ford Powershift transmission fiasco.
+1
Here is one you will not find in the history books..
The birth control pill…
When first introduced in the 60’s, the effectiveness was around 93%
Testing revealed no major problems.
Then the bean counters got ahold of it…
In order to increase the effectiveness to 97%, the hormone levels were increased , by a factor of three, I believe.
No testing was done on the new stronger formulation…
The side effects were catastrophic, blood clots, cramping, thrombosis, death, etc…
Eventually, a reformulated version with less side effects was made.
You can get the low dose 93% effective formula with fewer side effects if you ask…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestranol/noretynodrel
The birth control pill…
When first introduced in the 60’s, the effectiveness was around 93%
Testing revealed no major problems.
Then the bean counters got ahold of it…
In order to increase the effectiveness to 97%, the hormone levels were increased , by a factor of three, I believe.
No testing was done on the new stronger formulation…
The side effects were catastrophic, blood clots, cramping, thrombosis, death, etc…
Eventually, a reformulated version with less side effects was made.
You can get the low dose 93% effective formula with fewer side effects if you ask…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestranol/noretynodrel
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The Ford Pinto
Accountants figured it was cheaper to pay for people killed and injured, with the alternative a $12.50 part fixing the problem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto
Accountants figured it was cheaper to pay for people killed and injured, with the alternative a $12.50 part fixing the problem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto
This is the one I thought of, and the most egregious. They literally had a memo that came out in court saying it was cheaper to pay for the wrongful deaths rather than fix the problem - and the engineers already had a fix that really wasn't that big a deal - a few dollars per car.
I had an uncle who was an engineer for Xerox in upstate NewYork. He was rearended while driving his Pinto. He barely got out of it before it went up in flames. Swore he would never buy another Ford for the rest of his life, and he never did.
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GM ignition switch disaster.
124 known deaths.
Ignition switches on the cheapest models (incidentally - the ones usually purchased for first time drivers & teens) could switch back to ACC or OFF while driving, from simple vibrations or heavy keychains.
Switch to any of these modes - engine turns off > Steering wheel becomes heavy as a rock > brake pedal hardens after second or third press > steering wheel can lock. Cherry on top - airbag gets disabled. And it often happened in turns.
I have hundreds of thousands of miles and decades of driving under my belt and I can vouch that an engine going off on a modern vehicle while driving is a disturbing experience which can be startling. I can't think of what a beginner driver kid's reaction would be.
Also, great idea to disable the airbags when you cut the engine. Because no one can crash into you while you're stopped somewhere or anything like that.
124 known deaths.
Ignition switches on the cheapest models (incidentally - the ones usually purchased for first time drivers & teens) could switch back to ACC or OFF while driving, from simple vibrations or heavy keychains.
Switch to any of these modes - engine turns off > Steering wheel becomes heavy as a rock > brake pedal hardens after second or third press > steering wheel can lock. Cherry on top - airbag gets disabled. And it often happened in turns.
I have hundreds of thousands of miles and decades of driving under my belt and I can vouch that an engine going off on a modern vehicle while driving is a disturbing experience which can be startling. I can't think of what a beginner driver kid's reaction would be.
Also, great idea to disable the airbags when you cut the engine. Because no one can crash into you while you're stopped somewhere or anything like that.
I have seen a lot of parts in taxis or hot shot that should have been in a warehouse onsite. Lots of downtime waiting for a belt or a coupling while hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost.
Remember the O-rings.
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“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.”
Richard Feynman
I just saw a yt video that belongs on this thread, but don't know how to get my phone to attach it in a click to watch way.
Someone, please attach the yt video:
"How One Engineer Outsmarted Detroit With a Cooling Trick Nobody Tested"
As you get into watching this, it gets into examples of the bean counters putting profit ahead of the customers.
This is obvious an ai voice documented video ( and I find this offensive ), and there are a few blaring errors in a few things it says ( even more offensive ) . But still enough good content to make it worth watching.
Someone, please attach the yt video:
"How One Engineer Outsmarted Detroit With a Cooling Trick Nobody Tested"
As you get into watching this, it gets into examples of the bean counters putting profit ahead of the customers.
This is obvious an ai voice documented video ( and I find this offensive ), and there are a few blaring errors in a few things it says ( even more offensive ) . But still enough good content to make it worth watching.
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Theranos. I regularly drive by their buildings on Page Mill Road.
Their former facilities are currently Stanford University School of Medicine, Lucid Motors and others I believe.
Their former facilities are currently Stanford University School of Medicine, Lucid Motors and others I believe.
One time I was sitting in a local fast food restaurant that specialized in different varieties of sliced roast beef sandwiches on round buns. There was a group of business managers there talking about how they were going to increase that restaurant profit by changing to some fancy dark bread and charging more for their sliced roast beef sandwiches. They totaly overlooked the fact that many of their customers were elderly and many used coupons because to those customers the price was already too high.
They made the changes, rose the prices, lost their customers, and went out of business.
They made the changes, rose the prices, lost their customers, and went out of business.
One might point at the Tesla rear door latch situation but I don't think accountants are involved. It's just a stupid design for the same price of a smart one. "Some" cars have electronic latches with hidden mechanical ones while others have mechanical ones so easy to find people are opening doors "wrong".
And I agree, the airbag should remain "on" for a minute after someone turns off the car. Someone could be in a pile-up, secure the car, then have another car hit after a few more seconds. Blink the warning light while it's active so mechanics don't start working on things until the minute is up.
