The Ford Police Interceptor Utility (aka a variant of the Ford Explorer) has been in the hot seat for alleged exhaust leaks over the last couple years, although The Blue Oval has been consistently favored in lawsuits concerning the issue. A 2019 lawsuit was dismissed, while another was won by Ford in 2023. The automaker has once again prevailed in an exhaust leak lawsuit, as a federal jury in Texas recently ruled in Ford’s favor.
According to a report from Car Complaints, the lawsuit was filed by officer Jeremy Bellamy, who was on duty in March 2021 with the Universal City Police Department. Bellamy was sitting while parked in his Ford Police Interceptor Utility while it was idling when he allegedly passed out due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The lawsuit indicates that Bellamy was found slumped over the steering wheel by a passerby, who called 911. Bellamy alleges that his Ford Explorer was defective, and that the carbon monoxide left him with permanent injuries. Ford responded by saying that the vehicle was, in fact, safe when it left the assembly line, and while Bellamy did fall asleep while parked, it was because of numerous health conditions like high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Additionally, Bellamy was allegedly taking opioid painkillers.
The police report on the incident indicates that Bellamy rolled down the window and said he was fine after the passerby knocked on the window. The passerby admitted that she did not remember the details of the interaction and that it was possible the police report was correct.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigated the exhaust leak issue for six years before closing the case, determining that the Explorer and Police Interceptor Utility units were not faulty. Ford’s own investigation returned that the Police Interceptor Utility vehicles could, in fact, present with exhaust leaks, but that said leaks were caused by work performed to add sirens, lights, and other modifications.
No Comments yet