Over the past several years, multiple lawsuits have been filed by police officers that allege they suffered carbon monoxide poisoning while driving their Ford Police Interceptor Utility models on duty that were reportedly caused by exhaust leaks – some even claiming that they suffered from neurological damage as a result of this defect. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) eventually investigated the matter and determined that the leaks could be attributed to the upfitting of police vehicles, including the installation of things like lights, cages, sirens, and auxiliary power. However, Ford continues to face at least one lawsuit pertaining to the matter.
That lawsuit – Jeremy Bellamy v. Ford Motor Company – was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (San Antonio Division), according to Car Complaints, and it will continue to work its way through the court system after Ford’s request to have it tossed out was denied by Judge Jason Pulliam. The lawsuit was filed by Universal City Police Department officer Jeremy Bellamy, who was found unconscious and unresponsive by a citizen while sitting inside of his parked Ford Police Interceptor Utility one day.
At the hospital, Bellamy was diagnosed with pneumonia and carbon monoxide poisoning, which the lawsuit claims was caused by defects in his Ford Police Interceptor Utility, which enabled carbon monoxide to enter the cabin, “causing him permanent injury.” “Bellamy alleges Ford’s mislabeling, improper instructions for use, and failure to warn regarding the known defects constituted negligence and defective marketing,” the lawsuit reads.
This is just the latest of many carbon monoxide related lawsuits filed by those who drove Ford Police Interceptor Utility models in recent years. Back in 2020, one of those lawsuits was dismissed by a judge in Washington after the officers failed to convince the judge that their medical conditions were all caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, and a year later, the automaker reached a settlement with some other plaintiffs. Back in October 2023, a judge in California ruled in favor of the Blue Oval, too, putting an end to that lawsuit.
Comment
First you have endless recalls due to poor quality control and now you have lawsuits that won’t go away.