Ford Recalls Ambulances Due to Fires

Ford Motor Co. announced the safety recall today of up to 20,000 ambulances to correct problems that have resulted in at least two dozen of the vehicles catching fire, 12 in the last 12 weeks.

Ford officials said the recall, which had been sought for months by auto safety advocates and officials in a number of states, affects ambulances that have been converted using the chassis of 1983-87 Ford E-350 vans.

The action follows the filing of a petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on behalf of the attorneys general of six states asking for a formal safety recall of the ambulances.

Ford provides chassis for about 90% of the ambulances used in the country.

The problem with the converted vans stems from overheating and overpressurization of fuel in the gasoline tank, which has caused fuel to spurt from the tank, resulting in at least 24 fires and five injuries.

Helen Petrauskas, Ford’s vice president for safety engineering, insisted that the problem was not Ford’s fault.

She said the recall is estimated to cost Ford about $30 million, some of which may eventually be recouped from companies that converted the vehicles and from the ambulance users.