Austin TX. PD pulled 60 PIU's for Carbon Monoxide issue

[tinner]

Policemen were getting sick cruising in their Explorers,so they pulled 60 today. They are equipping the rest of the cruisers with carbon monoxide detectors. Do you think something will happen now that it made national news? Maybe start buying another make of PIUs

 

[peterk9]

That's a lot of vehicles off the road and some officers too I'm guessing. I'm a fan of the TV program Live*PD. I wonder if the issue will come up on it.

Peter

 

[Sixonemale]

Policemen were getting sick cruising in their Explorers,so they pulled 60 today. They are equipping the rest of the cruisers with carbon monoxide detectors. Do you think something will happen now that it made national news? Maybe start buying another make of PIUs

The carbon monoxide (CO) and/or exhaust emissions entering the cabin of the Explorer seems to be growing in the public eye which is sad because the first post on this topic occurred in this forum about six years ago. Two TSBs later, it appears that Ford still has not solved the problem. Many owners who don’t drive their Explorers at wide open throttle (WOT) may never know if the problem exists until they get in a situation where they have move quickly causing them to press the gas pedal to the floor. Unfortunately carbon monoxide is a tasteless and odorless gas, so unless exhaust emissions from another criteria pollutant(s) enter the cabin that have an odor, an owner would not know if he or she was exposed to high concentrations of CO unless they become ill. Perhaps it is possible that this issue is more common and extreme with police interceptor Explorers than publically owned Explorers since, in theory, they are driven at WOT more often than civilian owned Explorers. Let’s hope this issue is one of the new CEO’s top priorities, if not top priority, since it appears to be safety/security related and could potentially effect a large number of vehicles currently on the road.

Note: security related meaning that if an interceptor is being used by police in pursuit of a criminal and triggers high concentrations of CO by a detector, this could stop and maybe should stop the pursuit.

 

[thefranchise713]

I've still gotten that WOT smell, heck, today I got it even with just a very moderate acceleration.

I wish they'd solve this issue already. The last time they had an engineering screw-up this bad was when the Escapes were catching fire. Took two recalls and a fleet of rental cars nationally. Enough of the games on the Explorer, Ford.

I've read the TSBs, too. The exhaust "modification" makes me laugh. I can't believe they seriously wrote TSBs as they have over this issue.

 

[Turdle]

And, the price of a PIU just went way down for the rest of us.

 

[JAPeterson]

Here is a link to the story from NBC News.

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/are-police-vehicles-making-officers-sick-1008844355993

 

[reserved50]

what really baffles me is why cant this issue be fixed? like wtf. I'm sure they must have test reports a mile high by now. Is it some part of the vehicle that needs extensive modifications to fix? Like how hard is it really to keep exhaust gas out of a vehicle, it exits out of the tail pipes then goes back into the cabin? IS it even carbon monoxide or is it something burning from the hot exhaust inside the cabin?

 

[Jack Daniel]

I am just learning this ! I bought mine used a couple of months ago and am wondering if anybody has tried simply increasing the amount of weather seal at the rear hatch (assuming that is where it's getting in) I have experienced this also but I always have 2 windows cracked open a bit and thought it was that .

 

[peterk9]

I am just learning this ! I bought mine used a couple of months ago and am wondering if anybody has tried simply increasing the amount of weather seal at the rear hatch (assuming that is where it's getting in) I have experienced this also but I always have 2 windows cracked open a bit and thought it was that .

I believe just about everything has been tried. Some 'fixes' reduced the smell and some members said it went away over time. Since these vehicles are assembled at the same plant and I'm guessing the same line, why is it that only some experience this issue. I haven't had with either my previous 2011 or my current 2017 under similar circumstances described in the appropriate thread. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...st-smell-in-cabin-during-acceleration.323597/

Peter

 

[Sixonemale]

what really baffles me is why cant this issue be fixed? like wtf. I'm sure they must have test reports a mile high by now. Is it some part of the vehicle that needs extensive modifications to fix? Like how hard is it really to keep exhaust gas out of a vehicle, it exits out of the tail pipes then goes back into the cabin? IS it even carbon monoxide or is it something burning from the hot exhaust inside the cabin?

If you put your smartest engineers on this and throw enough money at it, it can be fixed. People and companies don't normally pay multimillion dollar settlements if they are unequivocally right or correct.

If you review the Firestone and Ford tire controversy associated with the first generation Explorer, it takes an awful lot for a company to conduct a massive and expensive recall:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_and_Ford_tire_controversy

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

I will get it occasionally and thankfully with our vehicles (as all modern gas vehicles do) have a catalytic converter which will make more of a smell when in WOT/fuel rich incidents that can help to alert you/remind you to do as I do... lower the rear windows for a few seconds to mix the air and bring in fresh air. The shape of the Explorer and any SUV doesn't help as it creates a "dead air" space behind the vehicle when in motion due to aerodynamics.
Sad that it is getting this far and still no fix for 99% of the time/issues.

 

[tinner]

That's a lot of vehicles off the road and some officers too I'm guessing. I'm a fan of the TV program Live*PD. I wonder if the issue will come up on it.

Peter

That's a great show - shows it like it is.

 

[Turdle]

There are a lot of by product chemicals being produced by the catalytic converter. While it is removing what are known to be bad compounds, and it selective about this, what about the compounds which remain, or are created during the process? Finding an answer to which compounds exist in car exhaust is difficult.
The problem might not be CO, rather a buildup of something there is no sensor to detect.

 

[Sixonemale]

There are a lot of by product chemicals being produced by the catalytic converter. While it is removing what are known to be bad compounds, and it selective about this, what about the compounds which remain, or are created during the process? Finding an answer to which compounds exist in car exhaust is difficult.
The problem might not be CO, rather a buildup of something there is no sensor to detect.

A modern catalytic converter is used to convert toxic exhaust emissions of a properly tuned gasoline combustion engine into nontoxic emissions. More specifically, the main function of a catalytic converter is to: oxidize carbon monoxide (CO) into carbon dioxide (CO2); reduce nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen; and oxidize unburnt hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water or water vapor. Since gasoline combustion engines emit CO in high concentrations, a leak before the catalytic converter would allow these CO emissions to escape uncontrolled or with no pollution control. If the catalytic converter has not been warmed up to operating temperature and is cold, the conversion of CO to CO2 will be ineffective or at least compromised at best. An improperly tuned engine can destroy a catalytic converter with unburned fuel and/or elevated concentrations of CO. So, as you can see there are a lot of variables associated with the risk of creating high concentrations of CO that could cause a safety hazard, all of which could be mitigated if exhaust emissions are not allowed to enter or infiltrate the cabin.

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

Ford seems to be putting part (most/all) the blame on aftermarket upfitting of LEO equipment on the PUI .. obviously there is a real issue here and Ford has taken too long to address.
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/07/29...lorer-exhaust-leaks/?hcid=ab-around-ab-tile-9

 

[reserved50]

so theyre thinking only on the Explorers (not any other SUV) all this equipment was installed incorrectly , lol. Explorer upfitter conspiracy!!. In 2 or 3 months if the smell doesn't go away then see what happens, I wonder if they are also modifying other parts of the vehicle while its in for repairs or just the aftermarket installs. If so theres a bigger problem.

 

[Sixonemale]

so theyre thinking only on the Explorers (not any other SUV) all this equipment was installed incorrectly , lol. Explorer upfitter conspiracy!!. In 2 or 3 months if the smell doesn't go away then see what happens, I wonder if they are also modifying other parts of the vehicle while its in for repairs or just the aftermarket installs. If so theres a bigger problem.

I'm also struggling with the statement above. Police departments modify every vehicle they put in there fleet and all of the sudden they are making mistakes on the Explorers???

 

[1995E]

My mother has gotten sick from the Explorer... She hardly ever wants to ride in it. I got a job after graduating from college and with a lot of stop and go. I get a lot of headaches but I thought it was the commute. I don't know what action I have to take but I've reported this to Ford before. How do I test for carbon monoxide?

 

[LukerDooker]

Reported on news tonight - Auburn, MA police dep hast 3 officers affected by CO in Explorer.

 

[reserved50]

I've driven vehicles with the hatch glass fully open and just cracked open and never smelled exhaust before, this is so puzzling. I'm really curious where its actually coming from.