To address police customers who drive modified vehicles in unique ways, we are covering the costs of specific repairs in every Police Interceptor Utility that may have carbon monoxide concerns.
Police officers face a huge number of dangers every time they clock in. We recognize our men in blue face death each time they stand between us, as law abiding citizens, and criminals out to do us in. Not knowing if the person they just pulled over is a retired accountant or wanted fugitive is only one hazard of the job. Driving quickly through traffic, either in hot pursuit or on the way to a crisis, puts officers at such a high degree of risk that inattentive drivers are one of their biggest fears. Split second decisions and hair trigger reaction times make the difference in all sorts of life or death situations on a daily basis.
One thing police officers should never have to fear is the vehicle they drive. Especially when the problem it creates takes away the ability to make those split second decisions. With carbon monoxide poisoning from an exhaust leak, headaches and light headedness progress to nausea and could lead to loss of consciousness.
Ford Motor company did the right thing last week by standing behind their product even though they continue to deny any responsibility. In a statement released Friday, the automaker promises to cover all the costs to repair “every Police Interceptor Explorer SUV that may be tied to after-market installation of police equipment.”
It appears that hooking up all of today’s high tech cop equipment requires the drilling of holes through the floor of the SUV which were never plugged. “If the holes are not properly sealed, it creates an opening where exhaust could enter the cabin,” Ford said. Another component of the problem is cracks in the manifold affecting the police edition of the Ford Explorer.
The Explorer-based Interceptor Utility replaced the Crown Victoria as the most popular vehicle for American law enforcement thanks to its ruggedness and generous interior space.
The problem seems to affect only police cruisers, rather than the versions sold to the public due to the required modifications. “Safety is our top priority. We have not found elevated levels of carbon monoxide in regular Ford Explorers. To address police customers who drive modified vehicles in unique ways, we are covering the costs of specific repairs in every Police Interceptor Utility that may have carbon monoxide concerns.”
The “unique ways” Ford is talking about refers to the fact the problem has been associated with “exhaust fumes during full-throttle applications like highway merges or climbing steep grades, and using the air-conditioning system in its re-circulation mode.” It is very common for patrol officers to idle their cars for extended times and with the AC on recirculate, invisible fumes can easily build up.
Ford’s offer comes on the heels of an announcement from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it was “upgrading and expanding a probe into 1.33 million Ford Explorer SUVs over reports of exhaust odors in vehicle compartments.” The bump by NHTSA calling for an “engineering analysis” takes the “investigation” one step closer to a recall by touching the procedural bases. After taking more then 2,700 complaints of exhaust odor and carbon monoxide exposure linked to 41 injuries, Ford has admitted there is some kind of problem and created a team “to investigate reported issues and solve them.”
Replacements will be unmarked. If you get pulled over by someone you are unsure is an officer, turn on your flashers and drive to a well lit area.
Another thing prompting the admission from Ford is pressure the company faces from individual departments. Brian McDowell, a Newport, California officer, passed out behind the wheel and crashed from an exhaust leak. Austin Texas pulled 400 of their explorers off the road completely after 18 local officers “have been found with elevated levels of carbon monoxide and three have not returned to work.”
Chief Brian Manley says officers will double up due to a shortage of replacements, many of which will be unmarked. The chief warns citizens if they get pulled over by someone they are unsure is an officer, to turn on their flashers and “drive to a well lit area.” Even though there will be fewer cruisers, Austin Police will continue crime fighting efforts. Chief Silva of Westwood, Massachusetts says taking precautions is a good idea because “it’s better safe, than sorry.”
.@WestwoodPD chief shows us new carbon monoxide detectors in cruisers to keep officers safe amid Ford announcement- ONLY on @boston25 at 10! pic.twitter.com/cz5L75Zhdb
— Litsa Pappas (@LitsaPappas) July 30, 2017
Without going to the extreme of Austin, Silva chose to install carbon monoxide detectors. “An officer unknowingly could be out on patrol and as soon as he or she started to feel ill, it would literally be almost too late,” said Chief Silva. “You can’t put a price tag on the safety of the officers.” He points out “Carbon monoxide is odorless so it would be tough for officers to know if their cruiser is dangerous.”
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