2000 Ford Crown Victoria fuel system problems

What is wrong

On certain natural gas vehicles, if a flame from a vehicle interior fire becomes locally directed at the natural gas fuel tank located immediately behind the rear seat, the flame could damage the fiberglass wrap on the tank weakening the tank.

Risk

If the strength of the tank is significantly compromised, it could rupture, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will install an insulator behind the current seat back. Owner notification began on january 7, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 03V472000 · Recall details

In september 2002, a fuel cylinder in a natural gas powered vehicle (ngv) exploded during a fire.ford and vrtc test engineers jointly examined the incident vehicle and reviewed testing to determine whether the performance of the pressure relief valve (prd) was proper.the purpose of a prd is to protect a compressed natural gas tank from overpressure by allowing the cng to vent when the temperature reaches a specific point.the prd was removed from the failed tank and subjected to a yield temperature determination test. It was concluded that a direct flame (from the interior of the vehicle) onto the cylinder (located behind the rear seat in the trunk)compromised the hoop strength of the natural gas cylinder, thus allowing the cylinder to fail prior to the prd releasing at itsdesigned temperature.as a result of this testing and review of the involved vehicle, ford has developed an insulator to insulate the natural gas fuel tank from a locally directed flame projecting from the interior of the vehicle.insulators will be installed behind the back seat on subject vehicles to prevent future failures of this type. Ford's action addresses the concerns of odi.therefore, this investigation is closed.

EA03001

An explosion of a compressed natural gas (cng) tank should not be able to occur, as the tank is fitted with a pressure relief device (prd). This prd should release the cng in the tank, prior to the pressure reaching the tank burst pressure.the prd did not release in the subject wisconsin police cruiser explosion.the federal safety agency has recovered the prd valve from the tank that exploded and testing will be necessary to establish why this tank safety valve did not release in the very high temperature fire that occurred in the police cruiser.there is only the single known event, but due to the catastropic force of such an explosion and the potential for injury and loss of life, this investigation is being upgraded.

PE02071

There is no summary currently available

SQ01014