Ford will inspect every Kuga sold in South Africa
Last week we posted about the Ford Kuga saga which saw a man lose his life after his Kuga burst in to flames. More and more people posted about their similar experiences and how they were lucky to escaped their burning Kuga’s unscathed. It appeared that Ford was not doing enough to investigate and the public were outraged.
According to the National Consumer Commission, Ford South Africa has now vowed to inspect every single Kuga that it has sold in South Africa.
After a meeting between the manufacturer and the commission, a statement was released.
“The company undertook to conduct safety inspections on all Kuga utility vehicles that have been sold in the country. The inspections will form part of precautionary measures instituted at the behest of the NCC after serious allegations of engine overheating on the Kuga vehicle surfaced in the media in recent weeks‚” the commission said in a statement.
“…Ford has undertaken to alert all Kuga owners to take their vehicles to a nearby Ford workshop or dealership for a free safety inspection. The company has urged consumers with related concerns to contact its Customer Service helpline on 0860 011 022 for advice or assistance‚” the NCC said.
“The NCC has preliminarily enlisted the services of the Motor Industry Ombudsman and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications to assist with the matter.”
“The regulatory group will independently review all concluded investigation and related reports from Ford to determine the best possible way to proceed with the matter.”
According to Herald Live, it is unclear whether the latest undertaking by Ford will be enough to stave off a possible class action lawsuit after yet another Kuga burst into flames at the weekend‚ allegedly after technicians assured the owner the vehicle was safe to drive in Durban. As many as 23 Kugas have caught fire this year. Some of the affected owners are considering a class action lawsuit‚ including the family of the man who died after being trapped inside his burning vehicle.
Source: Herald Live, Car magazine