Irony has its revenge...........

D

dohcmark8

Registered
So apparently, the Metro Police Department, one of the police departments thats suing Ford for the burning Crown Victorias, got some new Dodge Intrepid Police Intercepters, and apparently the Intrepids brakes catch fire during a high speed chase or excessive braking, and burn down the car. Now, the Metro Police Department has returned the police cars to Chrysler and has brand new Crown Victoria PIs on order even though they are currently suing Ford for the CV's being dangerous because the fuel tanks leak after a 75mph+ hit from the rear.

Ford has filed a counter-claim, and I think its legit. Fords claim is that the fuel tanks only leak after a 75+ mph crash from the rear, and that the Metro Police Department is expecting un-realistic and un-attainable performance from the vehicle, as there are very few vehicles on earth that you can expect to walk away from a 75mph crash on and one of them is a Crown Victoria PI.

And heres a laughable statement as to why the brakes are catching on fire by a DCX exec.
DCX exec: "Dodge essentially came back saying that the cars hadn’t been put through the right break-in procedures and that’s the reason the brakes are catching on fire"

Metro PDs reply: "Hullett said. “No … you go out and sell the car on the street and it needs to be ready to go as is. When we mark a police car and put it on the street, we expect it to be pursuit capable.”


Hmmm.... I think I will wait for the Metro Police Department to try out the Impala PI's in pursuits, then they will realize that fwd police cars are not as durable as rwd cars and therefore will go back to CV PIs again.

And I wonder why they still ordered brand new PIs when they think they are dangerous. Lying, backstabbing morons that are just trying to get some money, would describe the Metro Police Department well?. I hope Ford sues them for lost legal fees.

This Article Brought to you by a very bored dohcmark8, at 7am on 7/24/03. :)
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

9 day's is all it took. Lying, backstabbing moron's? Exactly what have they lied about? Who have they backstabbed? And why are they moron's? How would you like it if you were in the back of the car? Oh, that's right, you are not old enough to drive. Exactly what life experience have you had to make judgement's about other's?
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

9 day's is all it took. Lying, backstabbing moron's? Exactly what have they lied about? Who have they backstabbed? And why are they moron's? How would you like it if you were in the back of the car? Oh, that's right, you are not old enough to drive. Exactly what life experience have you had to make judgement's about other's?
Click to expand...

Their trying, IMO to scam Ford, even though Ford is denying PDs suing them CV PIs, the PD still tried to order them, why would you order something if you think it was unsafe. If you had just bought a brand new BMW for your daughter and it caught on fire, would you go out and buy the same exact car? No you wouldnt.

On another note, theres nothing wrong with the CV PIs, the PDs are just trying to make a quick buck/bad press out of nothing, dont expect to be able to live after a 75mph Crash in a little Intrepid, the full body on frame CVs are much stiffer and much safer.

Im not making any judgements, I just fine it odd what the PDs are doing.

And I do have a license, I do drive. Albeit only for 4 months. Im not trying to be a know it all, its just odd whats going on.

Now that they have tried the Intrepids, the Impalas and CVs, it seems as if most PDs will stick to CVs for highway duty and Impalas for city duty.

Oddly enough, CV sales have gone up in the past month or so.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

I agree with the "no vehicle should be expected not to explode when ass-ended at 75mph" statement. Insanity.

Cars are NOT road blocks.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........


The folks who drive them think they are unsafe, then why are they sticking to themn like glue?.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

I agree with the "no vehicle should be expected not to explode when ass-ended at 75mph" statement. Insanity.

Cars are NOT road blocks.
Click to expand...

Exactly, if their is any PI currently available that should be able to handle that, its the CV, atleast you have a chance to walk away in a CV from a crash like that.

And try jumping a curb in a front driver without choking up some damage.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

According to NHTSA, of the 2.6 million civilian Crown Vics., there were only 4 fire related deaths. Of the over 400,000 police Vics, there are 18 deaths. Both vehicles pass the governament mandated 50 MPH rear impact test. Clearly it would seem that the issue is more of the interceptor cars being in a dangerous spot (ie. parked at the side of a road as speeding cars fly by) rather than a design flaw. And this is over the course of over 10 years.

Ford also handed over several tapes in which test vehicles withstood crashes at over 70 mph. The older Caprice police cars also WERE NOT able to handle a rear end crash at speeds in excess of 50mph either. Perhaps the police could ask their unions or department to install a massive push bar in the back of the car to give it better strength? I'm not sure how many cars could withstand a rear impact and ALWAYS survive with no fire?

Or maybe buy the Volvo police cars. Volvo are renowned for their safety. Don't know which other choices police have. An Impala? I'd rather be in the bigger Crown Vic myself. (my dad has one). Maybe police pickup or SUV..but I hear they are prone to roll-over, because police drive them like cars.

Nearly 400 police PER YEAR commit suicide. That's 4000 deaths during the same time period as the 18 car deaths. So it would seem that police have a better chance of killing themselves than they do dying in a car wreck. Which sucks too.

Flamark...I also looked at a few state/city paramaters for testing and deciding which police car to purchase. "Safety" wasn't a criteria in a single one of the selection processes. Since police spend many hours in these cars, could you comment on why that isn't a criteria?? Certainly the Volvo would be at the front of crash worthy vehicles. Do the departments put saving money over the lives of their cops?? You being an LEO, I'd have to assume you'd want the safest car, no? The Volvo police cars have been in use here since 1990 or so..I see they have a couple in FLA. Have you seen/driven one??

http://members.fortunecity.com/statepdcars/fla08.jpg
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

In N.Y the State troopers use to have 5.0 Stangs,
and Z-28's (1 even had nitrous in it).
Now they are using some Tahoes.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

I dont have a problem with the cv. There is another problem with the door's getting buckled and the driver not being able to exit. That is where most of the problem is. In a recent case a cop was burned alive becouse he was ubable to exit the car when it caught on fire. As far as cop cars go, the cv is the only real game in town. They still suck. The are underpowered and have marginal handling. It's a civillian car that has had a few mod's to be used for police. It really kinda frustrates me when I see the military getting the best of everything. The Hummer is built just for their purpose. Bulletproof window, armored doors, great engine and tranny and runflat tires are just a few. Cops are shot at for more on a regular basis yet we get a thin piece of metal that offers not protection. The cop's dont have any other real choice for a car. Everything else is fwd, to small, and underpowered.

My issue was with calling people names and drawing conclusions about them based on some reporting in the local paper. You know very little about the issue, yet you have no trouble trashing the police.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

well, he's a teenager, they do stuff all the way or not at all (mostly not at all)

but the kid has got a point, suing somebody because their product is defective, then ordering more of them, is hyprocritical at best. Might even be "backstabbing", I guess. I don't think "the police" were "trashed", he stated his opinion of those officials who decided to sue Ford then order more Fords. They happened to be police officials.

Stating an opinion about people invovled in a news story is pretty much PAR FOR THE COURSE around here...





94 Mark VIII, Black / Black
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

Flamark,

In the tests that I looked at, the Volvo was faster than all police cars save for the 5.7L Camaros. And it was available in AWD and station wagon format to boot. Seems like a station wagon would be a good compromise between a truck/suv and a regualr police car. And here in Canada, the warranty on the Volvos is 120,000 miles for their police cars, as opposed to 40,000 miles for the CV. I think they look sweet..as far as police cars go.. :)

http://www.geocities.com/policecaruk/HANTS-volvo1.jpg
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

I saw a taurus SHO state trooper in colorado, i'm like what is that car going to out run... but right next to it was a state trooper camaro...
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

I own a 93 CV-PI. I would much rather be hit from behind in this car, then the 87 honda prelude Si that it replaced. There are only two things wrong with the police interceptor. One, is that it is underpowered for the job that it has to do. (my 93 has the 210 HP 4.6 SOHC, and 3.27 rear end in it, and is good for 17's in the 1/4) and two is that over 105MPH, they simply do not handle good at all. Now those are the real safety reasons to fix the CV, and reasons that the average cops will encounter all the time.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

I own a 93 CV-PI. I would much rather be hit from behind in this car, then the 87 honda prelude Si that it replaced. There are only two things wrong with the police interceptor. One, is that it is underpowered for the job that it has to do. (my 93 has the 210 HP 4.6 SOHC, and 3.27 rear end in it, and is good for 17's in the 1/4) and two is that over 105MPH, they simply do not handle good at all. Now those are the real safety reasons to fix the CV, and reasons that the average cops will encounter all the time.
Click to expand...

I would imagine the newer ones handle better than the older ones, and they dont need much more power than that, the cars have enough torque to get up quickly and are more than adequate for under 100mph, anything over 100mph is just very rare. Well atleast around here.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

My cousin is one of the town cops in Galveston IN (a really small town about 15-20 minutes from Logansport) they have 2 Grand Prixs and a Ford Crown Vic for their patrol cars...the Grand Prixs are pretty much a regular car with lights/sirens etc.. anyway, the one he drives most of the time is one of the g.p.'s its brand new and has already had the tranny replaced and needs some other work done to it... the one he prefers is the crown vic because its safer and bigger than the gp also its way more reliable.. i don't really see what they're complaining about either...you could probably hit a hummer at 70+ mph and would still have problems with it leaking gas/catching fire.. nothing is for certain with any kind of vehicle, however it would be awesome to see a car that could come out of a 100+ mph rearender with minor scratchs/dents :p

Josh

98 Saturn SL2 Gold/Tan w/55,500 miles
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........

A little redesign on the crown vic, or even an "upgrade package" would make it suitable for police use. For one, give it at least the marauder motor, or a DOHC 5.4. I don't think cops need the blower motor and the extra maintenance/fuel costs that might go with that. Relocate the fuel tank to where it is on the mark, in FRONT of the rear axle. Just because 75 mph rear-end crashes are more than one can expect to survive, doesn't mean you can't take steps to allow someone to survive one. Then add some chassis bracing and some extra bracing around the doors, to solve the pinching shut problem, as well as to strengthen the car in side impacts (how many of those cars do you see parked sideways across the street?). Then you'll have a solid police vehicle, and you'll sell the hell out of them. But, as we all know, at Ford "dropping the ball" is the company sport.
 
RE: Irony has its revenge...........



Flamark: Yo Bud, It all counts on twenty.

But Amen! A Crown Vic, or a Harley for me. Its

fast enough. The perp cant outstep the mike.

I remember back in 68 we got a Merc Of some type,

and was playing "long legs" with a hot bike (never did get close enough to ID it) when my last trans was "Be advised Im northbound ,
I-15, at the 5th st exit." "My speed is 145mph" Then the engine blew.

But Ive always preferred Fords.:)
 
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