EXHAUST CONCERNS
Fumes force Austin police to pull Ford Explorers off patrol
AUSTIN, TEXAS » The Austin Police Department on Friday pulled nearly 400 Ford Explorer SUVs from its patrol fleet over worries about exhaust fumes inside the vehicles.
The move comes as U.S. auto safety regulators investigate complaints of exhaust fume problems in more than 1.3 million Explorers from the 2011 through 2017 model years. In Austin, more than 60 officers have reported health problems since February and more than 20 were found to have measurable carbon monoxide in their systems, city officials said Friday.
“We need to remove these vehicles immediately,” interim City Manager Elaine Hart said “We need to keep (officers) safe as well as our community.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found more than 2,700 complaints of exhaust odors in the passenger compartment and fears of carbon monoxide in an investigation started a year ago. Among the complaints were three crashes and 41 injuries, mostly loss of consciousness, nausea and headaches.
Many of the complaints came from police departments, which use the Police Interceptor version of the Explorer in patrol fleets. Police complaints included two crashes with injuries and one injury allegation due to carbon monoxide exposure.
While several large police departments have been aware of the issue and installed carbon monoxide detectors in their vehicles, Austin appears to be first major city to pull large numbers of police Explorers off the road.
Ford spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt said the company is working with police, customers and NHTSA to investigate the reports and solve problems.
“Safety is our top priority,” Weigandt said.
The decision by Austin police left the city scrambling to find replacement cars for more than half of its patrol fleet.
The Police Department said it will move equipment from the Explorers to about 200 Ford Taurus and Crown Victoria models, many of which will be unmarked, and have them ready for patrol ready by Monday.