Last year, Buffalo Grove, Il., police joined a class-action lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. alleging that the company’s Crown Victoria sedans, the car of choice for most law-enforcement agencies, were not safe. Now Buffalo Grove and with dozens of other Illinois police departments are is trying to drop out of the suit, says the Chicago Tribune. They want to buy more Crown Victoria Interceptors, and Ford won’t sell them to any agency involved in the lawsuit.
Since 2002, 75 municipalities in 20 states have sued Ford, saying that when the Crown Vic is struck from behind at high speeds, the fuel tank, which is between the rear axle and the bumper, can be punctured easily and leak gas. In the last 20 years, a dozen officers have died and 10 have been severely burned nationwide in fiery rear-end crashes. About 1,500 police agencies and municipalities originally were part of the lawsuit. After a jury ruled in favor of Ford last year, police agencies started petitioning the court to drop out.
Link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0503210153mar21,1,413623.story?coll=chi-news-hed