Washington troopers sue Ford over carbon monoxide

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — Six Washington State Patrol troopers have filed a class-action lawsuit against Ford Motor Company, saying their patrol vehicles gave them carbon monoxide poisoning.

KOIN reports the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court, states the troopers suffered physical harm. A separate lawsuit was filed Thursday by five troopers against the State Patrol.

The lawsuit says Explorer model years 2011-2018 have an exhaust fume defect with the climate control system which allows exhaust fumes to get in the passenger compartment.

Ford’s fix, according to the lawsuit, was to replace the exhaust system, “which was merely a Band-Aid fix as the exhaust system would warp and fail again.”

In a statement, Ford said safety is a top priority and blamed after-market equipment installed on the police vehicles for creating unsealed holes.