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Advocacy group seeks Ford Explorer recall due to fumes

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 11, 2017, file photo, Austin police Ford utility vehicles are parked on East Eighth Street outside police headquarters in Austin, Texas. Ford Motor Co. has begun repairing Ford Explorer SUVs in Austin that were pulled off police duty because exhaust containing carbon monoxide was seeping into them. But the company faces lingering questions about the safety of thousands of other Explorers on the road. Ford says it’s still investigating complaints of exhaust fumes in its non-police Explorers. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, July 11, 2017, file photo, Austin police Ford utility vehicles are parked on East Eighth Street outside police headquarters in Austin, Texas. Ford Motor Co. has begun repairing Ford Explorer SUVs in Austin that were pulled off police duty because exhaust containing carbon monoxide was seeping into them. But the company faces lingering questions about the safety of thousands of other Explorers on the road. Ford says it’s still investigating complaints of exhaust fumes in its non-police Explorers. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)

By Associated Press 3 min read

A nonprofit auto safety advocacy group is asking Ford to recall 1.35 million Explorer SUVs due to continued complaints of exhaust fumes in the passenger compartments.

The Center for Auto Safety says it found 44 complaints in a government database about fumes and potential carbon monoxide after owners had taken Explorers in for free repairs in a Ford customer service campaign that started last October.

The center made its request in a letter to Ford CEO Jim Hackett this week.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating the problem for two years in police and civilian Explorers from the 2011 through 2017 model years, but it has not reached a conclusion.

Ford says Explorers are safe, owner complaints have decreased and the free service has addressed the exhaust odors. The company says anyone who isn’t satisfied with the repairs should contact their dealership “for further inspection.”