Austin Police Report 5 New Carbon Monoxide Incidents With Ford Interceptors
Are these incidents becoming more and more frequent?
Carbon monoxide leaks on Ford Interceptor Utilities continue to be an issue as the Austin Police Department allegedly experienced five separate just incidents this past weekend, according to Austin's KVUE.
One incident Saturday, two incidents Sunday, and one incident Monday has led to great concern in the department. General reports indicate that the alleged leaks occur during acceleration and when the air conditioning is on. On Saturday, an officer reported his carbon monoxide alarm went off seven times throughout his tour and by the end of the tour he was complaining of a headache and other possible CO poisoning symptoms. He was checked out by Austin Fire Rescue and reportedly said to be okay.
On Sunday, two more incidents occurred, both of which resulted in confirmed elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the blood stream, one officer also reported feeling symptoms of CO poisoning. Then two more incidents happened Monday striking the question of whether or not this is going to become a more frequent occurrence as fleets age.
It's unclear if this issue might become more prominent as patrol units get older and their compartment sealants crack and become compromised. Ford has failed to find a solution for this issue even though more than 450 reports have been made.
Ford and NHTSA are currently investigating these incidents but have yet to come to a conclusion.