The first-generation Ford Kuga arrived late in its lifecycle to the local market, coming in towards the end of 2011 before being replaced by the all-new second-generation early in 2013. This is why for our purposes today, we will be focussing on the reliability of the second-generation model, of which there were over 200 listed for sale on AutoTrader at the time of writing.
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The Elephant in the room
We cannot address the subject of the reliability of the Kuga without acknowledging the issue that plagued some of the 2012-2014 models, particularly the 1.6-litre EcoBoost models. The issue was related to the vehicle's cooling system, which would leak, leading to insufficient coolant levels, causing the engine to overheat, the turbocharger and/or cylinder head to crack and then allowing hot oil to leak onto the engine, causing a fire. Over 4 000 Kuga models from this period were affected and subsequently recalled and the problem fixed, but not before over 40 Kuga 1.6 EcoBoost models went up in flames locally. It is important to note that the 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine that replaced the 1.6-litre model is not known to have the same overheating issue.
Ford claims that the issue was resolved during the recall process of the 1.6-litre models, which comprised of two stages. "The first stage involves replacing affected components on the cooling system, verifying and updating the software, and conducting an oil leak check on the cylinder head." the brand said in a press release, followed by "The next stage of the safety recall will make the cooling system even more robust, and is likely to involve further changes to parts and warning systems. We are currently ensuring that the changes we make are complete and thoroughly tested – and will communicate with our customers as soon as this stage commences." it added.
What the consumers have to say
We had a look at the Ford Kuga's reliability ratings from reputable sources such as the J.D. Power website, where we looked up the Kuga’s “Consumer Rating” heading. We used the 2018-year model as this was the final year of production for the second-generation Kuga, since we have not received the third-generation locally as of yet.
This is based on feedback from Escape drivers, which is what the Kuga is named in the USA and other markets drivers, and gave 2018-model a score of 80 out of 100, ranking it sixth in the compact SUV segment for that market. Looking back at previous years, the Escape (Kuga) scored 82 in 2017, 81 in 2016, 82 in 2015, 80 in 2014 and 74 in 2013 respectively.
We then did some reading from sites in the United Kingdom, where owners report that some Kuga models suffer from a battery draining problem on the batteries that come fitted from the factory, however, many of the second-generation Kuga models will have had their batteries replaced already and those that have not are likely still under warranty, which should cover this potential problem.
There is also a potential problem with the clutch pressure plate on manual gearbox-equipped versions with either the 1.5 or 1.6-litre EcoBoost engines. These items tend to crack and require replacement fairly early in the vehicle's life cycle. For those with the automatic gearbox option, ensure that the 'box has been serviced as early iterations tend to have issues with the computer that controls the dual-clutch shifting mechanism.
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Verdict
When approaching a topic as charged as the Kuga's reliability, we expected to run into a myriad of issues, and were reasonably satisfied with the overall consensus shared by owners of the second-generation Kuga. Despite having most of its issues resolved by recalls, we would avoid pre-facelift Kuga models and go for the updated model. This is an approach that we would take for most vehicles as the life cycle update often fixes many of the teething issues experienced in the pre-facelift.
