| 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.
Ford began offering safety shields to Crown Victoria
police cars in 2003 after police agencies demanded greater protection
following a dozen police deaths. Ford offered this same protection
to owners and dealers of Town Car limousines in September 2005,
following several the high-profile burning deaths. Ford has not
told the general public about the defect, or about the availability
of shields, despite calls by advocacy groups and government officials
to do so. The most recent call came from U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer,
D-New York, in December 2005, following the fiery
death of a New York City cab driver in a Crown Victoria taxi.
(Ford claims a letter to dealers in 2003 saying
dealers could sell the shields to the public constitutes an offer.
However, Ford has never publicly disclosed either the problem
or the availability of shields to anyone other than dealers).
The problem is this: high speed rear collisions
cause the back of the car to absorb the impact by collapsing.
In these cars, the impact can rupture
the tank or can drive surrounding
parts or even items in the trunk into the tank, puncturing it.
The fuel leaks and sparks created by the collision can ignite
the fuel. Unfortunately, the force of impact often jams the cars'
doors shut, trapping occupants. The safety
shields cover mechanical parts that could serve as puncture
sources. Ford also has offered
trunk protectors to police departments to help keep trunk items,
such as jacks, from becoming fuel tank puncturing projectiles in
a collision.
Below are comparisions of fuel tank locations in
the Ford Taurus and Ford Crown Victoria:
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