CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--Ford
Motor Co. said Thursday it will offer new fire suppression technology
as an option on the 2005 model Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, widely
used in the U.S. by police and state troopers.
The technology
will be available only on new factory-built police cars, according to
Ford spokeswoman Francine Romine. Older vehicles can't be retrofitted
because the technology is tied to a new computer system in the 2005
model. "This is an enhancement to help police with dangerous work,"
Romine said. Civilian drivers shouldn't be concerned about the safety
of the Crown Victoria, Romine said. "There is no defect in the
vehicle."
The electronics
for the fire suppression system were developed for use in interiors
of military armored personnel vehicles. The system uses sensors to measure
the optimum time after a crash to release fire suppression material.
Safety questions
surrounding the Crown Victoria came up after police officers were killed
when their gas tanks exploded. The police cars had been hit from the
rear at high speeds of at least 70 miles per hour, the Ford spokeswoman
said.
About 85% of police
and state troopers nationwide drive Crown Victorias. Last year, Ford
installed plastic fuel tank shields on 350,000 police cars to prevent
a bolt from piercing the gas tank, resulting in a fiery crash.
The city of Dallas
sued Ford after a police officer there died from a gas tank fire in
October. Dallas officials on July 29 said their tests showed that the
fuel tank shields may have caused fuel tanks to leak following a high
speed crash.
The automaker said
Thursday it is working with law enforcement groups and the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration to address bigger-picture issues
for police safety.
Even as it plans
additional safety features for the Crown Victoria, Ford has said that
the police vehicles now on the road are safe.
In the fatal Dallas
accident, Ford pointed out, equipment carried in the trunk pierced the
gas tank, which subsequently caught fire.
All the safety tests
conducted in Dallas included filling the trunk with equipment or with
sand bags. In each case, in simulated rear end crashes at 75 miles per
hour, the gas tank was punctured.
A spokesman for
the Chicago Police Department, which owns 2,658 Crown Victorias, said
the city isn't worried about gas tank safety issues. He said he wasn't
aware of Ford's plans to add an optional fire supression system on the
2005 model.
"In Chicago,
we have had no incidents related to gas tank safety," said department
spokesman Patrick Camden. But, he said, the police department takes
safety precautions. "We do not carry anything in the trunk, aside
from a spare tire and tire changing tools. Obviously, we are concerned
about the safety of our officers."
The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration said its own testing has uncovered no
safety defects in the Crown Victoria, and that it would be difficult--and
extremely expensive--to make a vehicle that would never explode in a
high-impact, high-speed crash.
