Police departments nationwide are taking action over defective Ford Explorer patrol vehicles.
Carbon Monoxide fumes from the vehicles are seeping inside, potentially sickening the officers and sometimes causing them to lose consciousness.
According to a CBS report, Vermont State Police and other departments in the Northeast have installed carbon monoxide monitors in their vehicles, and two departments in Texas have pulled all of their Explorers off the road.
Austin, Texas Police Association President Ken Casady said on CBS This Morning that the issue is of upmost concern.
“If this is not done by the end of the week, we’re going to have big problems,” said Casaday. “Officers are worried about it.”
Over 2700 complaints and 41 injuries have been reported thus far on Explorers made from 2011 to 2017, the bulk of which have came from regular citizens, not just police.
Ford Motor Company released a statement saying “Safety is our top priority. We continue to investigate. We have not found elevated levels of carbon monoxide in non-Police 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, regardless of modifications made after leaving Ford’s factory.”
Chapel Hill Police Spokesperson Ran Northam said that the issue has been brought to their attention and they are looking into it, but have not had any experiences yet.
The Chapel Hill Police Department has 11 Ford Explorers that fall in the year-model range which is experiencing problems.
Carrboro Police Captain Chris Atack said that they have two Explorers in their fleet and have not experienced any issues yet.
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