DETROIT, March 5 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Co. of Detroit Friday declined to pay for the fire suppression system the City of Dallas wants to install on its 775 Crown Victoria police cars.
Dallas is one of several cities and counties suing the automaker over the safety of its Crown Victoria police cars, the Detroit Free Press reported.
In Dallas, city officials said the city will modify the vehicles.
A recent investigation by the Free Press found 30 people, including 18 police officers, died between 1992 and 2001 in fiery rear-impact crashes in the Crown Victoria.
Since 1999, at least four of the Dallas Police Crown Victorias were involved in high-speed rear crashes, including one that killed a police officer.
In the proposed $271,000 Dallas plan, a plastic panel filled with fire suppression powder would be installed over the rear of the fuel tank. In a rear crash, the axle or other components would shatter the panel, releasing the powder that would prevent a fire.
But Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said the company has no confidence in the system. She said Ford is developing its own liquid-based fire suppression system.
