DALLAS ñ A Dallas city official today announced the city would conduct its own crash test of fire-safety equipped Ford Police

City of Dallas Press Release

DALLAS ANNOUNCES INDEPENDENT CRASH TEST

PERSONAL PLEA TO WILLIAM CLAY FORD, JR.
DALLAS INVITES COOPERATION TO END POLICE CAR FIRES;

DALLAS -- A Dallas city official today announced the city would conduct its own crash test of fire-safety equipped Ford Police Cars to determine if they offer enough protection to police officers against deadly fuel tank explosions.

Dallas City Attorney Madeleine Johnson said the city has invited Ford Motor Co. to participate in this testing, stressing that the city's goal is to promote cooperation among cities, law enforcement and the automaker in finding a solution to Crown Victoria police car fuel-fed fires as soon as possible.

In a letter to Ford's Chief Executive Officer William Clay Ford., Jr., Johnson said, "The City of Dallas appeals to you personally, as CEO of Ford Motor Company, to join with us to take immediate and effective action to end the continuing tragedy of police officer deaths in Crown Victoria fires following rear impact collisions." We urge Ford to make it a top priority to develop an effective remedy for these vehicles and recall the vehicles to implement that remedy." (Dallas letter to NHTSA)

"A new crash test of the Ford Crown Victoria will evaluate whether a combination of new fuel tank shields and a trunk pack storage system offer police enough protection in realistic field conditions," Johnson explained.

"The city of Dallas will not purchase any Ford Crown Victoria police cars until the test has been completed," she said.

Johnson said, "Ford wants to sell the City of Dallas a safety device for the trunks of Crown Victoria Police Interceptors." They have stated that these trunk packs for CVPIs will increase officer safety." Ford has not crash tested these trunk packs and before the city puts them in place, we will test them." Dallas believes that if the trunk packs are needed to protect our officers, we will get them, but unless they work, we don't want them." We will stop these deaths and we will do whatever it takes."

On May 22, a Missouri Highway Patrol officer became the latest and the 14th law enforcement officer in the U.S. to die in a Crown Victoria fuel-fed fire. On May 17, a Dallas police car equipped with protective shields also exploded following a rear-end impact, although the officer was outside the vehicle and was not injured. A similar fire in a safety-equipped Crown Victoria occurred May 2 in Washington, D.C." Last Oct. 23, a Dallas police officer burned to death when his Crown Victoria was rear-ended by a drunk driver.

"Continuation of police officer deaths by fire is not acceptable," Johnson said.

At issue is the placement of the Ford Crown Victoria's fuel tank outside the rear axle." High speed rear end crashes may puncture the fuel tank and ignite an explosion.

Following Metzler's death, the city of Dallas sued Ford to obtain details about a crash test which the automaker claimed showed a new system of fuel tank shields offered greater protection against fuel-tank punctures in rear-end crashes." City officials and attorneys later challenged the validity of the crash test, noting the tested vehicle leaked fuel in excess of allowable federal standards, and that Ford had placed sand bags in the trunk prior to the test.

"A new crash must include testing of not only the shield system, but a new trunk pack that Ford is offering, but which has never been tested," Johnson said. The trunk pack is designed to store sharp equipment, such as jacks, to prevent them from becoming missiles that may puncture the fuel tank in a rear-end crash.

"Most important, adequate testing, including crash testing, must be done to assure that the trunk packs are both effective for their intended purpose of preventing puncture of the rear of the tank and that they do not create any additional hazard," Johnson said.

Ford has indicated that it would make trunk packs available as an "optional purchase." Johnson stated that Ford, not law enforcement, agencies, should absorb the cost of any safety device added to fix problems with the Ford vehicle.

According to Johnson's letter to Ford, a new crash test must 1) include a striking vehicle as heavy as a light truck or SUV; 2)" pass federal leakage standards; and 3)" include more than one successful impact in a variety of impact modes, such as Ford normally conducts when testing models for safety.

According to the letter, Ford officials have acknowledged in depositions related to ongoing legal actions that the new shield system was designed only to prevent punctures to the front of the tank, and do not protect against side and rear punctures.

The new independent crash test will determine what extra measures need to be taken to protect the fuel tank regardless of angle of impact, Johnson noted.

The goal of this effort should be immediate development and implementation of measures which, to a high degree of engineering probability, will prevent future officer deaths by fire.

Johnson also released a copy of a letter from the City Attorney to the National Highway Traffic safety Administration calling on NHTSA to re-open an investigation of the safety of the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. NHTSA is the federal agency which oversees vehicle safety standards and evaluates vehicles for a possible mandatory recall.