WAKE COUNTY, N.C. -- All 1,400 of the State Highway Patrol's Ford Crown Victorias are headed
to the shop. Two Crown Victorias, outfitted with the high performance law enforcement package,
went up in flames in Arizona after rear-end collisions. The State Highway Patrol is sending
1,400 of their cruisers off the road and into a garage due to safety concerns.
The problem
relates to a bolt under the vehicle. The bolt holds the parking brake and the anti-lock brake
cable in place. In an accident, the bolt can rupture the gas tank. To fix the problem, the
Highway Patrol is simply replacing the bolt. None of North Carolina's patrol cars have caught
fire, but they say it is time for a safety fix. Officials say the cars going in for repairs
will not impact law enforcement. "We have the vehicles rotating in on a staggered basis. It's
just a matter of seconds or just a matter of minutes to bring the car in and correct the recall
and get the trooper back out on the roadway," Sgt. Everett Clendenin of the State Highway Patrol
said. Durham police say they have not heard about the problem with the Crown Victorias. Raleigh
police say they are looking into it.
A spokesman at Capital Ford said the bolt problem only
impacts cars outfitted with the high-performance law enforcement package. The repairs are not
coming out of the taxpayer's pockets. They are being funded by Ford.