The US city of Dallas, Texas, is suspending future purchases of Ford Crown Victoria police cruisers because of safety concerns and called on other cities to do the same, the Detroit News reported.
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According to the paper, Dallas city attorney Madeline Johnson said the city would conduct its own crash tests to test the safety of the police cruisers. The report noted that a recent city investigation raised questions about the validity of previous Ford testing and, in a letter to Ford CEO Bill Ford, Johnson invited Ford to participate in the new crash tests.
The Detroit News said Ford maintains the car is safe and exceeds all federal fuel system safety standards. In September 2002, responding to police concerns, the company began offering repair kits that include plastic shields placed around the fuel tank to reduce the likelihood of a puncture.
Ford controls 85% of the police cruiser market, the Detroit News noted.
“No design can eliminate all risk in high speed, high-energy rear-impact collisions,” the company reportedly said on Thursday. “For every story of a post-collision fire, there are many more where the CVPI performed beyond a reasonable expectation,” the paper quoted the company as saying.
The Detroit News said Dallas has been investigating the safety of the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor since the October 23 death of a city police officer.
On Wednesday, the City Council approved the ban on Crown Vic purchases following a May 18 police car fire in which no one was injured, the paper added.
