I assume you are referring to this video -
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I laugh when people make a point that the gas tank was in the rear of the car. That's where it is in about 98% of every car. The simple truth is if you make a car light to improve mileage and keep the cost down (so people can afford it) you HAVE to compromise somewhere. There are scores of cars that were manufactured with these same "flaws." The fact that Ford did do something, that being lengthening the filler neck and a dubious plastic shield to protect the gas tank from rearend bolts (6-3/4" rear end, not the 8") does indicate a degree of liability, but sometimes these aren't known until real world experience rears its ugly head. The supposed value place on a human life (cheaper to pay out verdicts than fix the problem) might have been a lesser matter than (to Ford) if they fixed a problem they are admitting that there was one over ignoring it.