Police in Austin, Texas, will pull nearly 400 Ford Explorer SUVs from their patrol fleet amid complaints of exhaust fumes inside the vehicles that have sickened some officers.
Friday's move comes as U.S. auto safety regulators investigate complaints of exhaust fume problems in more than 1 million Explorers from the 2011 through 2017 model years.
Austin police installed carbon monoxide alarms in the department's Explorers after officers reported becoming sick. The department had already parked 60 of them when the alarms activated.
Austin Police Interim Chief Brian Manley says more than 60 officers have registered health complaints since February. He says 20 had measurable carbon-monoxide in their systems. The department has other vehicles in its fleet that officers can use, but they will have to double up on patrols.
