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The Year's Poorest-Performing Cars

Bengt Halvorson

November 26,2007

6. Ford Crown Victoria Why it's a turkey: The Crown Vic is a mainstay for police and taxi fleets across the U.S. But its trusty "Panther" mechanical platform dates back nearly three decades, and its old-fashioned sheet metal runs on as if it were still 1992--the last time the Vic saw significant appearance changes. Even fitted with modern-side airbags, it can only muster "Moderate" side-impact results in IIHS crash tests, and because it's been sold primarily to fleets, its resale value is unimpressive. For 2008, the Crown Victoria is no longer available to the public; it's available for fleet purchase only.

SOURCE: Forbes.com

Union, state strike deal on preventing cruiser fires

November 27, 2007

COLUMBUS (AP) – Fire-dousing equipment would be installed in more State Highway Patrol cruisers, sooner and at a lower cost, under a deal struck between the troopers’ union and the state. Arizona-based F.I.R.E. Panel LLC has agreed to wrap the fuel tanks of the patrol’s Crown Victoria cruisers in a protective cocoon that releases fire suppressants when ruptured.

The union pushed for the protection after two troopers – Trooper Joshua P. Risner and Patrol Sgt. Dale R. Holcomb – were killed in a fiery crash near Gallipolis in 2006.

Hershel M. Sigall, general counsel for the Ohio State Troopers Association, said the switch from more expensive fire-suppression devices will mean protecting all patrol cars – not just new ones – by early 2008. “The other way, people might be driving a vehicle two years or 16 months before they are able to avail themselves of this level of protection,” he said.

SOURCE: www.timesreporter.com

Boardman police to have trunk shields

November 17, 2007

BOARDMAN — Township trustees approved spending nearly $5,000 for equipment designed to protect police officers.

The board met in special session Friday and voted to buy 18 protective Kevlar shields designed for the trunks of Ford Crown Victoria police vehicles. The shields cost about $271 each and will be purchased from Donnell Ford, Boardman.

"We instituted an inspection of all of our Crown Victorias and found that 18 of them don't have the shields in the trunk," said Chief Patrick Berarducci.

SOURCE: www.Vindy.com

Crash sends Austintown officer to hospital

By MARLY KOSINSKI Tribune Chronicle
November 12, 2007

YOUNGSTOWN—An Austintown police officer was critically burned and a Girard woman was arrested after a fiery crash early Sunday on Meridian Road.

Ross Linert, 48, was in critical condition Sunday night at the burn unit of Akron Children’s Hospital, according to family members. Reports said the officer has first-, second- and third-degree burns and is on a ventilator.

SOURCE: Tribune Chronicle

Ford limits Crown Victoria sales

Ford Motor Co. dealers will no longer sell the Crown Victoria to customers at retail. Fewer than eighty 2007 Crown Victorias remain on dealer lots nationwide now, and there are no plans to deliver 2008 versions of the vehicle to dealers, Ford's top sales analyst, George Pipas, told the Free Press. In place of the Crown Victoria, Ford will continue to direct car customers to the large Ford Taurus, midsize Fusion and compact Focus, Pipas said.

SOURCE: DetroitFreePress.com

Ford To Halt Crown Vic Sales to Public

According to a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on October 27, 2007, Ford has made a decision to stop selling its deadly Crown Victoria model to the public. The article says Ford will continue to sell these fire traps to police departments and cab companies, however. 

The company blamed slow sales and increasing decisions by police to buy ‘faster” alternatives to the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, although police say it’s because alternatives are safer.http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/10/

Ford's Panther line of cars, which consists of the Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Grand Marquis, is the oldest auto platform in North America. They are the only cars still designed with the fuel tank located outside the protection of the rear axel and within the car's "crush zone." No other passenger cars manufactured on this continent have retained this fuel tank position because it has been considered too dangerous. At least five million of these unprotected vehicles are estimated to be in use on roads today. More >

More than 30law enforcement officers have burned to death after their Crown Victoria Police Interceptors (patrol cars, or CVPIs) were rear-ended from behind. Hundreds more civilians have died in Ford civilian Crown Victorias, Lincoln Town Cars and Grand Marquis. (For a complete list by state, see www.autosafety.org.

Two Law Enforcement Officers die in October 2007

Patrolman Scott Eric Bell

Jacksonville, Florida  Patrolman Scott Eric Bell, 50, was killed late Friday, Oct. 12, when a van collided with his patrol car. The patrol car caught fire and Bell died at the scene, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Bell was driving west at New Berlin Road at 11:30 p.m. when a Ford Aerostar driven in the opposite lane by Joseph May, 57, of Jacksonville turned into Bell's path, according to Lt. Bill Leeper, a Highway Patrol spokesman. The van struck the driver's side of the police car, which spun out of control, hit a power pole and burst into flames, Leeper said. Leeper said investigators found evidence that would indicate May was drinking before the collision, but had not filed any charges. He said investigators were waiting for results from toxicology tests. Bell had worked for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for seven years. He is survived by a wife and four children. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/101307/met_208083191.shtml

Officer George Brentar

Euclid, Ohio Police Officer George Brentar, 49, lost his life Wednesday, Oct. 10, when his Crown Victoria police cruiser erupted into flames after hitting a pole. The officer had started tracking down a speeder when his cruiser hydroplaned and spun into a pole, said Euclid police Sgt. Andy Veres. Several off-duty duty Erie, Pa. police officers drove by and pulled over to help. They were trying to get Brentar out of the cruiser when it erupted into flames. They said he was a 22-year veteran of the force.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/10/cleveland_officer_killed_in_cr.html
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf

Ford Still Mum on Deadly Design Flaw

Ford's Panther line of cars, which consists of the Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Grand Marquis, is designed with the fuel tank located outside the protection of the rear axel and within the car's "crush zone." No other passenger cars manufactured in North America have retained this fuel tank position because it has been considered too dangerous. At least five million of these unprotected vehicles are estimated to be in use on roads today. More >

At least 21 law enforcement officers have burned to death after their Crown Victoria Police Interceptors (patrol cars, or CVPIs) were rear-ended from behind. Hundreds more  civilians have died in Ford civilian Crown Victorias, Lincoln Town Cars and Grand Marquis. (List by state, www.autosafety.org.)

GALLIPOLIS, Ohio — ... It's unclear whether the cruiser was parked at the time, about 5:50 a.m. It's possible, a patrol spokesman said, that Holcomb, a 21-year veteran, was on a supervisory ride-along with the younger trooper. In fact, the patrol could say little yesterday about what occurred in the seconds before the pickup truck Smith was driving plowed into the back of the cruiser and the vehicles exploded, leaving a charred tangle of metal.

SOURCE: The Columbus Dispatch, www.dispatch.com

In-depth examination begins of vehicles involved in Gallia County triple-fatality crash

COLUMBUS - Nationally renowned crash reconstruction and engineering experts from around the United States began today an in-depth examination of the vehicles involved in last weeks triple-fatality crash in Gallia County.

SOURCE: WWW.STATEPATROL.OHIO.GOV

TRENTON, N.J. (AP)—... She was en route to the airport in a car-service limo Saturday morning when the vehicle broke down in the center lane of the turnpike, and was rear-ended by a sport utility vehicle. State Police last week said the Crown Victoria, in which Bratton was a passenger, was struck by a Toyota RAV4 at southbound Exit 14. ...The RAV4 and the sedan both caught on fire. Bratton was trapped inside and pronounced dead at the scene.

SOURCE: www.tampabays10.com

MOCKSVILLE, North Carolina (CNN) -- The parents of three sisters burned to death in a rear-end crash are asking Ford Motor Co. to install the same gas tank protective devices in regular models as it did for its police cars. SOURCE: cnn.com

September, 2005: Ford letter to Executive Coach, "no defect..." (click here)

By James Romoser, JOURNAL REPORTER

MOCKSVILLE—The parents of three sisters who died in 2003 in a limousine fire said yesterday that their two-year legal battle with Ford Motor Co. illuminated a serious fuel-tank safety problem and made other limos safer. SOURCE: www.journalnow.com

The family of three sisters who burned to death in a limousine wreck on Interstate 40 reached an out-of-court settlement with Ford Motor Co. yesterday, ending a wrongful-death lawsuit over the design of the vehicle's fuel tank. SOURCE: www.JournalNow.com

SEE ALSO: NC family reaches settlement with Ford over limo deaths
SEE ALSO: Howell V. Ford Case Settles

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