Crown Victoria Fires
Reported deaths don’t add up
Analysis finds more fatal, fiery wrecks
DETROIT FREE PRESS
December 8, 2003
By Jennifer Dixon and Megan Christensen
Free Press Staff Writers
When federal regulators cleared the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car of any safety defects last fall, they blamed fiery rear-impact crashes for just 16 deaths in sedans built between 1992 and 2001. But the Free Press has found that about 30 people died in fiery rear-end crashes in the vehicles during that time — and at least 69 have perished since Ford Motor Co. launched the Panther platform in 1979.
Ford insists cars safe, but cops keep dying
Fatalities from rear-crash fires are higher than government toll
DETROIT FREE PRESS
December 8, 2003
By Jennifer Dixon
Free Press Staff Writer
First of two parts
Latest Crown Victoria Fire Claims Family of NASCAR Crew Chief
Wreck claims 3 members of family
9-12-03 By AMY WOLFFORD, Staff WriterNews & Record
GREENSBORO — The limousine was a surprise.
Tara Howell Parker — wife of NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett’s crew chief — sometimes shared the perks of the flashy race world with her younger sisters. So on Wednesday, she rented the stretch limo to escort the sisters to and from the Fleetwood Mac concert the three had been anticipating at the Greensboro Coliseum, family said.
The Police Car of Choice has a Deadly Record
Jason Schechterle, a Phoenix officer who was severely burned when his Crown Victoria police car was hit, says Ford must make the car safer. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune)
By Linda Fantin
The Salt Lake Tribune
Officer Christopher Witte is not happy. It's his first traffic stop of the night, and he just got a flat tire on a busy stretch of the busiest interstate in Utah.
Retired Police Cruisers Thriving in Appalachia Despite Safety Concerns
Aug. 04, 2003
ROGER ALFORD
Associated Press
SALYERSVILLE, Ky.
Ford Device Fails Crash Tests
It could worsen police car fuel leaks, officials say
July 16, 2003
BY JOCELYN PARKER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
A device Ford Motor Co.
Limit Unsafe Police Cruisers
Poughkeepsie Journal
Tuesday, July 8, 2003
Across the country, police officers are still dying in Ford Crown Victorias. The New York State Police and local departments ought to avoid using these cars for non-emergency stops on high-speed highways. That’s the suggestion of the state troopers’ Police Benevolent Association, and it’s a reasonable one. It ought to be adopted by the state police, as well as municipal and county police.
Judge Allows Class Action Lawsuit over Fuel Tanks in Ford Police Cars
By ROBERT GOODRICH Post-Dispatch
06/25/2003
A ruling Wednesday by a St. Clair County judge clears the way for a class action trial on behalf of all Illinois law enforcement agencies that bought Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor cars back to the 1992 model.
Some police officers say the cars' gasoline tanks tend to rupture in crashes. Ford denies the accusation.
The suit was filed in August in circuit court in Belleville by lawyers for the cities of Centreville and Cairo, Ill. The lead plaintiffs now are Centreville and St. Clair County.
Crown Vic Faces Further Scrutiny
Attorneys general task force to probe Ford police interceptors over fire-related deaths
WASHINGTON — The nation’s attorneys general formed a task force Friday to investigate the safety of Ford’s Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. The bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General took the step at the group’s national meeting in Oklahoma City.
Union Acts to Protect Troopers from Car Fires
Albany — PBA president advises no highway stops except in emergencies
By JAMES M. ODATO, Times Union
June 13, 2003
The union for State Police troopers is advising its members not to stop on highways for non-emergencies — apparently including routine tickets.
In an unprecedented move, the State Troopers PBA President Daniel M. De Federicis is advising members to take steps to minimize the chances of accidents with their Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor vehicles, several of which have had fires after rear-end crashes.