Was the public adequately informed concerning the dangers of the Pinto?

No. In the court case "Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co.", the California Court of Appeals for the Fourth Appellate District upheld compensatory damages of $2.5 million and punitive damages of $3.5 million against Ford Motor Co., partly because Ford had been aware of the design defects before production but decided against changing the design. 27 deaths were attributed to the faulty design, and 3,173,491 cars were produced over a nine-year period.