Ford Cancels Orders For Police Interceptor SUVs With No Reason Given

Nov. 08, 2022 1:05 PM ET by Sebastian Cenizo Industry News / 7 Comments

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Department has seen its order for new cop cars canceled, and the Blue Oval has not explained why.

According to the Maine newspaper Boothbay Register, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department has been left "scrambling" after an order placed with Ford at the beginning of the year was unexpectedly canceled late last month. According to the report, the department received authorization to purchase two new Ford SUV Interceptors (based on the Explorer SUV), but late in October, Ford communicated to the department that it could no longer fulfill this order.

"This has left us scrambling," said Sheriff Todd Brackett. "I don't know whether it's supply chain issues or what. All I know is they told us they couldn't fill the order."

Interestingly, this is not the first instance of such a thing happening. Last month, KSNT reported that the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office had faced a similar issue, with sheriff spokeswoman Abigail Christian saying that Ford had canceled multiple orders for police cruisers across the country. In this case, the order (which is usually placed for around 10 new vehicles per year, depending on the mileage of existing vehicles) was placed on March 14, but Ford canceled it on September 27 with no explanation.

"We have generally sourced our vehicles through most of the major manufacturers in the past," said Christian. "However, Ford is not alone in its manufacturing challenges. It is our understanding that most manufacturers of police-rated vehicles are in the same posture."

Shawnee County Sheriff's Office has placed a new order that is expected to arrive in April 2023, but in the meantime, these police departments have to find alternative temporary solutions. These vehicles endure a lot of constant running, so replacing them once the mileage gets too high is imperative. For Shawnee County, replacements occur when the cars have covered between 100,000 and 120,000 miles, or sooner if they are deemed unsafe for use.

Ford has had to sell cars to the public without key features, and Rivian has even had to resort to the legal system to try to find solutions to its supply challenges. Hopefully, these issues come to an end soon.