Green Light For Ford Crown Victoria

The federal government on Thursday closed its 10-month investigation into Ford Crown Victoria police cars linked to the deaths of 12 police officers without finding a defect.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the car exceeds federal standards for fuel system safety and the rate of fires was no greater than with Chevrolet Caprice police cars.

Since 1983, 12 officers have been killed when a Crown Victoria gas tank caught fire, often after being hit in the rear in a high-speed crash.

NHTSA said the car meets current federal standards that require a vehicle to withstand a rear crash at 30 miles per hour without leaking fuel. The agency also said the vehicle withstood a test at 50 miles per hour, which the agency has proposed to be the new standard.

"Clearly, we know the vehicle meets the regulation so it's great to see this has happened, but it's not a surprise," said Ford spokeswoman Sara Tatchio.

The agency opened its investigation on Nov. 27, 2001, based on reports of 17 fires that led to nine deaths. During the investigation, NHTSA found 12 additional fires leading to nine deaths, including one crash that killed three people.

NHTSA said almost all of the Crown Victoria fuel leaks occurred after a very high-speed crash and that many high-energy rear crashes did not lead to a significant fuel leak.

Ford agreed last Friday to pay for the installation of shields around the gas tanks on Crown Victoria police cars to reduce the chances the vehicles would burst into flames after a crash.

An Arizona official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has said it will cost about $50 million to retrofit the 350,000 Crown Victoria cars used by police departments nationwide — approximately 80 percent of police cars on the road in the United States.

Ford officials insisted the Crown Victoria is a safe car, and modifications to the consumer version are not necessary because most drivers don't summit their cars to the pressures that police officers do.

NHTSA said it is aware of only four fire-related rear crashes resulting in four deaths in more than 2.6 million civilian Crown Victoria cars.

NHTSA said it expects Ford's action will reduce the likelihood of fires in Crown Victoria police cars, but the fix was not a factor in its decision to close this investigation. The agency says it will continue to monitor the performance of the cars.