While there have been concerns in other parts of the nation about police officers suffering carbon monoxide poisoning while patrolling in Ford Explorer Police Interceptors, locally, there have been no complaints, local officials said.
Both Sheriff William Sheron and Batavia PD Chief Shawn Heubusch said neither agency has heard from officers about any exhaust-related problems within the patrol car fleets of both agencies.
National news reports say that there have been officers involved in serious accidents after passing out from exhaust fumes.
Investigators have recently started looking at holes in the vehicle that are used to outfit the vehicles with lights, sirens and other equipment, but Jeff Gillard, who has long outfitted patrol vehicles for the Sheriff's Office (and until recently, Batavia PD), said he doesn't think the problem is anything Ford is doing.
He suggested that in the locations where exhaust fumes have been a problem, some after-market modifications may be the cause of the problem.
"When I first heard about it, I thought something must be going on because those vehicles are closed up so tight you can't get wires through anything," Gillard said.
From everything I've read
From everything I've read about the CO2 problem, Ford "believes" it's caused by after-market installation of equipment (lights, sirens, etc).
The (Ford) company said it will cover the cost of repairing any police Explorer with exhaust fumes leaking into the passenger compartment, no matter the vehicle’s age, mileage or aftermarket equipment.
Regardless, if you're in a position that requires you to be in a running vehicle (ANY vehicle), for any great length of time, you might want to think about spending $25 for a portable CO2 detector (like the ones used in houses). It could possibly save your life, or, someone else's.