Developing new cars costs billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of man-hours, testing, adapting, and retesting to make cars as safe as possible, despite this sometimes things can and do still go wrong.

Global brands have been caught time and again, bending the rules to improve sales or hide a potentially lethal fault that may or may not happen. In these high profile cases resulting in the loss of life, how can the world's carmakers justify saving a few dollars in exchange for a single life?

Bad publicity does make for safer cars, multiple airbags, electronic braking, and stability control have all improved safety with more incidents survivable, often the weak link being the human element.

10 Volkswagen Emissions Scandal - Software Rigged Results

Bloomberg

Modern cars need to meet tighter emissions levels helping to reduce pollution and global warming, utilizing advanced computer software to optimize fuel flow. Since 2008 automotive giant Volkswagen has been embroiled in allegations of deliberately falsifying emissions test results emitting 40 times the claimed nitrogen oxide output.

Car Magazine

Initially thought to affect just VW modes, it has since been revealed other makes under the VAG brand have been investigated with similar irregularities in their diesel engines. Current financial implications are estimated to have cost VW $30 billion.

9 Takata Airbag Recall - Explosive Defects

Steel Guru

Without a doubt, airbags are a lifesaver in the unfortunate event of a collision, designed to prevent vehicle occupants from suffering potential lethal head injuries. Relying on impact or deceleration sensors to trigger a small explosive charge thereby inflating the airbag. Global supplier Takata has been forced to issue a recall, with airbags produced between 2002-2015 containing potentially hazardous cartridges capable of rupturing on impact.

Stuff Magazine

In the US alone an estimated 41 million vehicles have been identified with the Takata sourced airbags fitted, with GM expecting recalls and replacement costs to exceed $1.2 billion.

RELATED: Bad Airbags Leads Honda To Recall Another 1.2 Million Vehicles

8 DeLorean Motor Company - Fraud & Embezzlement

CNN

What could have been a very attractive sports car turned out to be a money pit, with the companies sole product the DMC12 selling just half of all the cars built. Modern design ideas and construction couldn't mask the DM12's real problem, lack of power - with just 132hp top speed was a paltry 110mph.

Bang Shift

Ultimately DeLorean closed down unable to sell enough cars to recover the costs of its initial investment including the factory construction costs funded by the UK government. Subsequently, founder John DeLorean would be investigated on grounds of fraud and embezzlement with the missing founds never recovered.

7 Chevrolet Corvair - Underspecced Suspension Set-up

Corvair Centre

Chevrolet in 1959 recognized a need for smaller more efficient cars, with more households owning a second car. A truly unique design, the Corvair remains the only rear-engined car produced in the US, utilizing a rear transaxle to drive the rear wheels. While this layout was cheaper to build, it did adversely affect the weight distribution that would lead to cars' unpredictable handing responsible for several fatal accidents.

Hagerty

Investigations into the design revealed GM had removed the car's front anti-roll bar as a cost-saving measure when combined with the swingarm rear suspensions lead to the Corvair's unpredictable and dangerous handling.

6 Mercedes A-Class - Moose Test Rollover

Drive Tribe

Entering the sub-compact class for the first time in 1997 Mercedes launched their A-class, a relatively short-wheelbase, and high sided design. Undergoing third-party testing late in 1997 revealed the car stability problems with its high center of gravity causing the car to roll over when performing the "moose" test. Initially denying the A-class had any design problems, Mercedes later changed its opinion resulting in a recall.

You Tube

Failing the Moose Test turned out a blessing disguise, Mercedes recalled 17,000 A-Class cars opting to retro-fit ESP to counter the stability problem. All future A-class cars subsequently shipped with ESP as standard.

RELATED: 5 Cars That Have Passed Sweden’s “Moose Test” (& 5 That Failed)

5 Ferrari 458 - Poor Build And Quality Causes Fire Risk

Ferrari 458
via: NetCarShow

One of the best small Ferraris ever produced also had its share of early production issues resulting in a recall of 400 examples. Built entirely from composite materials to save weight, Ferrari also used adhesives on key areas of the body. Under high-temperature conditions adhesive failures allowed critical heat shielding to move and cause catastrophic fires.

The Times of Israel

Several high profile fires resulted in factory modifications to the rear wheel arch heat shielding, while the company retro-fitted existing cars and even replaced cars lost to fires.

4 Ford Pinto - Faulty Fuel Tanks

Mecum

Cost-saving with Ford Pinto's fuel tank design would be one of the most controversial design choices of the 1970s. Ford's own internal tests proved the risk of fire in the event of a rear impact. Poor tank design and placement lead to the casualties with Ford ordered to pay a reduced $3.5 million fine. Other cases were settled out of court on a per case basis.

Medium

Preventative solutions had been investigated, the addition of a steel plate behind the rear bumper with its estimated cost of $11, or an aviation-style rubber bladder tank able to greater withstand impact costing $5.08.

3 GM Ignition Switch Faults

Atlanta Magazine

Owners take for granted the importance of ignition systems, after all, they are just for starting the engine right? Well not entirely, they control the car's power system having a direct effect on many of the safety features. GM in 2014 issued a recall covering several models with known ignition faults, potentially causing loss of power to brakes, steering, and later airbag modules.

diller law

At the time of the recall, owners were advised not to use heavy keychains, instead use just the ignition key to reduce the load on the barrel. A small spring-loaded plunger was found to be the cause of the problems, with reports GM had been aware of the issues previously.

2 Ford Explorer/Firestone Tires

Rollover Lawyer

A potentially deadly combination, Ford Explorers had a high center of gravity making the car more prone to rolling in the event of tire failure. At the request of Ford, Firestone produced a lower weight version of their Wilderness ATX tires, removing around 10% of the material used. Branded ATX II, these tires were more prone to shed their treads causing instant deflation.

fiirechoices

Both Ford and Firestone played the blame game for the tire failures, with Ford claiming the tires thinner construction was to blame while Firestone argued that the recommended inflation pressure was too low. Tires are the most important safety feature of any car.

RELATED: Here’s What You Don’t Know About Ford Motor Company

1 Toyota "Sticky" Throttle Deception

Boulder Daily Camera

Any recall is bad press for carmakers, how they deal with the problem can go some way to repair the company's image. Toyota decided to ignore the right course of action initially blaming rubber mats for mysterious unintended acceleration problems. Later in 2005 and again in 2010 Toyota had to come clean, amending the recall notice to include replacement of the accelerator pedal, found to be faulty, and the real cause of the incidents.

The Car Connection

Eventually forced to admit they had hidden the truth from owners and congress, Toyota received a record penalty of $1.2 billion.

NEXT: 10 Of The Most Dangerous Cars Ever Made