We now have a full year of data for the Cybertruck, and a strange preponderance of headlines about Cybertrucks exploding into flames, including several fatalities. Thats more than enough data to compare to the Ford Pinto, a car so notoriously combustible that it has become a watchword for corporate greed.Lets start with the data summary, then well do a deep dive.TL;DR: The CyberTruck is 17 times more likely to have a fire fatality than a Ford PintoWith that maddening statistic out of the way, lets dive into the numbers. Heres the table, with all sources linked below.CyberTruck and Ford Pinto Fire FatalitiesVehicle ModelTotal Units (Through Jan 1 2025)Reported Fire FatalitiesFatality Rate (Per 100,000 units)Tesla Cybertruck34,438514.52Ford Pinto (19711980)3,173,491270.85The Data: Fire Fatality Risk in the CyberTruck and Ford Pinto, ComparedIn 2 crashes and 1 incident in their first full year on American roads, the Cybertrucks burned 5 occupants who died. That would be a crash in Piedmont CA with 3 fatalities, a crash in Baytown TX with 1 fatality, and Im including the incident in Las Vegas NV that I am sure you are all familiar with. I understand that last inclusion is controversial, as the drivers burns were reportedly postmortem, so feel free to rerun these statistics without the Las Vegas incident included.With its decade-long production run, the NHTSA reported that the Ford Pinto and its famously flawed gas tank behind the rear bumper caused 27 fiery deaths with its knowingly negligent design. There are other estimates, including some much higher, but Im running with confirmable numbers here, either governmental sources for the Ford Pinto or news sources that I can verify for the Tesla CyberTruck.The Ford Pinto was a meme from the time before memes a symbol of corporate greed at the cost of consumer safety.The Infamous Ford Pinto, Known For Exploding Into A Fireball When Wrecked In The Rear (27 Confirmed Deaths Tied To This Issue) byu/Sorry_Youth_4802 inFordThe Data: CyberTruck and Ford Pinto Production Numbers, Compared.Confirming Ford Pinto production numbers is easy. Between 1970 and 1980, 3,173,491 Ford Pintos were produced. Thank you, unpaid Wikipedia editors, for your oddly intense attention to detail!Tesla does not release official delivery figures for all of its vehicles, which makes it tricky to say how many CyberTrucks are on the road. My best estimate is that 34,438 CyberTrucks have been delivered to customers as of Jan 1, 2025. I arrived at that number through a variety of means, including piecing together public reporting.Interestingly, a notable Tesla enthusiast operates a Patreon account where he also does open-source reporting on Tesla production numbers, including an exact number for CyberTrucks produced and delivered to customers. Thats Troy Teslike, and he is famously accurate. Troy asks his subscribers to not share his data, which is absolutely his prerogative as an independent researcher, so I should not say his estimate of CyberTrucks that are on the road.I can say his estimate and my estimate are directionally similar, I assume that is because we are both analyzing the same types of public data. If you saw the numbers side by side, I think you would agree. If it sounds like I am mincing my words, that is because I am!Subscribe to his Patreon if you would like to know his exact estimate. I dug into his methodology pretty deeply, and I can state with some confidence that it all definitely scans. It could be accurate.If you doubt my number of Cybertrucks on the road, use Troy Teslikes instead.Waiting on That NHTSA Crash Testing for the CybertruckSo, in conclusion, the Cybertruck is far more dangerous (by volume) that the historic poster child for corporate greed and grossly antagonistic design. I look forward to the Cybertruck being governmentally crash-tested by the NHTSA, which it has not been thus far. Until then, I cant recommend sitting in one.A note from the Chief Towing Officer: This is a story that nobody wants to write. The subject matter is grim, and weve done our best to honor the dead. We tried to deliver this as straight-faced news without the jokes, unlike our typical fare. Im CERTAIN that my inbox will be filled with entirely reasonable replies after I hit publish. OK, maybe thats wishful thinking. But, reporting news is important work, and we do work. Near as I can tell, you heard it here first. Kay