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Business Day

Regulators Investigating Ford Police Vehicles for Possible Exhaust Hazard

By NEAL E. BOUDETTEAUG. 4, 2017

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Ford police vehicles in Austin, Tex., where the department stopped use of its 446 Ford S.U.V.s. Credit Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman, via Associated Press

In February, police officers in Austin, Tex., began complaining of dizziness and headaches while driving Ford sport utility vehicles that are specially made for law
enforcement use. City officials suspected the cause was carbon monoxide leaking from the exhaust system.
A month later, as Austin officials were meeting with Ford and federal safety regulators to investigate the problem, an officer blacked out briefly at the wheel of one of the
vehicles, said David Green, a spokesman for the city.

Ford and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are now scrambling to determine if the Ford police vehicles are safe. Police departments in Auburn, Mass.;
Modesto, Calif.; Houston; and Galveston, Tex., and dozens of other cities around the country have found carbon monoxide is accumulating in the cabins of their Ford
Police Interceptors, brawny versions of the Ford Explorer. Some police agencies said they are also having problems with regular Explorers.

The federal safety agency is investigating Explorers and Police Interceptors made from 2011 to 2017, and Police Interceptors from 2016 and 2017 to see if exhaust fumes
can make their way to drivers and other occupants. The agency said it has received 2,700 complaints from people who contend they have been exposed to exhaust fumes
or carbon monoxide while in the vehicles.

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The agency first opened an investigation into odors and exhaust issues in Ford Explorers in July 2016.

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Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas produced by combustion in engines and furnaces. It can cause headaches, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach and
confusion. Prolonged exposure can result in death.

Ford acknowledged that leaks of carbon monoxide have been a problem in Police Interceptors that it said have been modified after leaving the factory by outfitters who
add police lights and other special equipment. These modifications typically require that holes be drilled in parts of a vehicles underbody to accommodate wiring.

Ford does not believe there is a carbon monoxide problem with the regular Explorer, said Elizabeth Weigandt, a spokeswoman for Ford.

Companies that install the extra equipment dont always properly seal the holes they drill, Ms. Weigandt said. They dont always put foam around the wiring and cover
it with sealant. A lot of this is due to upfitters, an auto industry term for outfitters.

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She said that police departments can bring their Police Interceptors to dealers to have them examined for exhaust leaks, and have any seals reinforced to prevent carbon
monoxide from entering the passenger cabin. Ford will cover the costs even if the vehicles are out of warranty, she added.

We have a group of people working with police departments to get to the bottom of this, she said.

Austin is not taking any chances. It recently pulled from service all 446 of the Ford S.U.V.s in its fleet, Explorers and Interceptors, until the problem is solved, Mr. Green
said. It just got to the point where we had to pull them off the road.

After the episode in March in which the police officer in Austin blacked out, the city equipped all of its Explorers and Police Interceptors with carbon monoxide detectors,
Mr. Green said. The city recorded 73 cases in which the detectors found elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the vehicles. Three officers missed work because of
exposure to carbon monoxide; two of them remain unable to work.

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This week, the police department in Auburn, Mass., reported that one of its 2017 Police Interceptors had been involved in a minor crash and said the officer at the wheel
had been affected by exposure to carbon monoxide. It has pulled all 10 of its Ford S.U.V.s out of service.

We would urge other departments to have their cruisers tested and/or purchase detectors to ensure everyones safety, Andrew Sluckis Jr., the Auburn police chief, said in
a post on the departments Facebook page.

The federal safety agency is examining vehicles from Austin and Auburn as part of its investigation.

A version of this article appears in print on August 5, 2017, on Page B3 of the New York edition with the headline: U.S. Regulators Study Ford Police Vehicles for
Possible Exhaust Hazard. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

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