City of Austin puts small batch of Ford Explorers back in service

The City of Austin has put 44 Ford Explorer units back in service, following what they say was rigorous testing to address safety concerns. 

This comes after the city removed 439 units from service earlier this year following suspected carbon monoxide exposure with four police officers. 

The city says they worked with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Ford to identify possible issues. Repairs in the vehicles now back in service were carried out by local Ford dealerships, along with further testing by APD and Fleet Department Staff. 

The City of Austin says they expect the transition of the remaining units to take several months.