Henderson, LA – Carbon monoxide is believed to have caused a police officer’s crash and could mean bigger problems for one of America’s largest carmakers.
A Henderson police officer is recovering after a crash investigators say is the result of carbon monoxide poisoning in her unit.
That crash happened on April 26 on the Henderson Highway. Investigators claim the officer blacked out and flipped her vehicle, landing upside down in a coulee.
It’s the latest claim made against one of the most prominent automakers in the U.S. – Ford Motor Company.
Marleen Courville of Henderson said, “I’ve been having carbon monoxide coming into the vehicle from an exhaust leak. I’m scared to drive it.”
Courville drives a 2015 Ford Explorer and said as soon as she got the SUV, she began suffering symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. She added, “I’ve been getting panic attacks, dizziness, sweating, falling asleep.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating 2011 to 2015 Ford Explorer after getting more than 150 complaints about the vehicles. However, a recall was never issued for exhaust or carbon monoxide issues.
KATC Investigates discovered at least eight lawsuits filed between 2011 and 2015, claiming exhaust fumes leaked into passenger cabins of Explorers.
Now, 2016 models are facing review after a Henderson police officer crashed her unit last month.
Capt. James Thibodeaux said, “At the time, for reasons unknown, she lost consciousness behind the wheel. The vehicle overturned, end over end.”
Thibodeaux said he requested a carbon monoxide test at the hospital, which revealed the officer had a level of 82 percent – a potentially fatal concentration.
He explained, “The problem with carbon monoxide is it’s odorless and colorless. You never know if you’ve been physically contaminated until it’s too late.”
Most of the complaints filed with NHTSA say the driver is exposed to exhaust in the cabin by acceleration and running the air conditioner set on re-circulation.
Capt. Thibodeaux said, “From the NHTSA, that was an issue that Ford was supposed to have fixed with the body style change from 2015 to 2016. They’ve confirmed that it appears it doesn’t look like that has taken place.”
KATC found at least 85 complaints filed with the NHTSA with the exact same issue in 2016 and 2017 Ford Explorer, but those cases are not under investigation.
For now, Henderson Police Department is installing carbon monoxide detectors in each of its units.
Thibodeaux said, “It will constantly monitor the air inside the cabin of the vehicle. It gives off a loud alarm shrill if it detects levels that are unsafe but prior to levels that would be considered injury or fatal to humans.”
According to KVUE in Austin, Texas, the police department there is planning to install carbon monoxide detectors in its Ford Explorer units after an officer fell ill in March.
Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit against Ford over the exhaust problems in Explorers is nearing a settlement.
Ford tells us that it is cooperating with the NHTSA in its investigation and that Explorer owners who have concerns should bring their vehicle to their local dealership.