Ford issues recall in wake of Kuga fires.

Over the course of several months, dating back to 2015, several Ford Kugas have caught alight during operation in South Africa. At the moment, there is an unofficial count of 52 cases where an engine compartment fire has broken out in the 1.6-litre EcoBoost Ford Kugas and, in most cases, completely engulfed the vehicle, reducing it to nothing more than a charred wreckage.

While there are reports of a death, that of Reshall Jimmy in December 2015, investigations have yet to confirm whether or not the same reason for the other cases of Ford Kuga fires, can be attributed to this fatal incident. As such, Ford cannot acknowledge the case as yet and report that there have been no known cases of injury in the 37 cases that have been officially logged with Ford.

Ford has spent several months investigating the cause of the fire and have attributed it to a fault in the cooling system. Their official press statement says that they believe a cooling system fault causes the 1.6-litre Kuga to overheat, resulting in the cylinder head cracking and creating an oil leak that is prone to dripping on the hot exhaust manifold and turbocharger. They say that high-heat conditions are created which then result in the fires that have been destroying the Kuga and causing potentially life-threatening scenarios.

Their investigations have lead them to sending 15 engines and 1 complete shell overseas for inspection as to determine the cause of the fires. They have been able to identify the affected models. Ford say that Kugas built between February 2012 and December 2014 have been affected with models produced outside of this window being regarded as safe and of little concern.

Under pressure from the National Consumer Commission, Ford has elected to go with a voluntary recall of Ford Kuga 1.6-litre Ecoboost models manufactured between February 2012 and December 2014, at no cost to the consumer. This is phase one of the recall with phase two being initiated at a later date. The recall will see cooling system components replaced and the vehicle inspected for associated latent damage before being returned to the customer. Courtesy cars will  be provided while the repairs take place.

Owners are urged to contact their nearest Ford dealership to check the manufacture date of their vehicle and to book their car in for the recall as soon as possible. Owners are urged to keep an eye on their temperature gauges and to stop the instant that the vehicle shows any signs of overheating.

Concerns can be addressed to the Ford Customer Service line at 0860 011 022.