Does Ford's Crown Victoria Police Cruiser Have a Faulty Frame?
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| The Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser has been through its share of controversy lately, from exploding gas tanks to the latest problem, rusting frames. |
Police departments in Connecticut and other US states are removing some of their Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor police cars from the streets due to rusting frames, according to a report in the Associated Press (AP).
Also noted, the 'Crown Vic' was recently investigated by the government for fuel tank fires linked to 12 officer fatalities.
AP reported that the Ford cruiser accounts for up to 80% of vehicles used by US police departments, amounting to approximately 350,000 cars.
While East Hartford police in Connecticut only pulled eight cruisers off the road in November, the South Bend, Indiana police department removed 70 of its 111 Crown Victorias from its fleet because of the rust problem. Also, Elyria and Lorain, Ohio, have pulled some of their cars from active duty.
Ford spokesman Todd Nissen told AP that the rusted frames do not necessarily mean the cars are unsafe. "We haven't received any reports of injuries related to this," Nissen commented. "We looked into it, and we did not feel it was a widespread problem."
Also noteworthy, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in October closed its investigation of the fires, saying that the car exceeds federal standards for fuel system safety and that the rate of fires was no greater than that of Chevrolet Caprice police cars. Ford has agreed to pay for the installation of shields around Crown Vic fuel tanks to minimize the chance of a fire hazard after an accident.
