Ford Broadens Carbon Monoxide Probe of Police Explorer SUVs
Ford Motor Co. has stepped up its investigation into reports about carbon monoxide gas leaking into Explorer SUVs used by police departments, The Detroit News reports.
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Ford Motor Co. has stepped up its investigation into reports about carbon monoxide gas leaking into Explorer SUVs used by police departments, The Detroit News reports.
The escalation came after an officer in Auburn, Mass., lost consciousness and crashed. The Auburn police department has since idled 14 Explorers in its fleet because higher-than-normal levels of CO were detected in the passenger compartment.
Last week Austin, Tex., sidelined all 400 Explorers in its city fleet after more than 60 officers apparently were found to have elevated levels of CO in their blood. The News notes that other cities have reported cases of crashes and unexplained losses of consciousness blamed on the toxic gas.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into the problem that covers some 1.3 million Explorers made during the 2011-2017 model years. Ford has pledged to repair all affected police Explorers. The company also advises consumers who detect exhaust odor in their Explorers to take their vehicles to a dealer for testing.
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