Narrow escape as Ford EcoSport goes up in flames
“LADY‚ your car is burning.”
Those words of warning from a passing motorist gave Nomsa Dondashe just enough time to get out of her Ford SUV before it was engulfed in flames on the N2 near East London at the weekend.
Somila Dondashe did not say it was a Kuga when she posted photographs of the burning vehicle on Twitter with the advice: “If you have a Ford‚ please return it‚ even when they insist nothing is wrong with the car.
“My mother’s car just burnt to pieces.” Many assumed it was a Kuga. But in fact, it was a 2013 Ford EcoSport 1.5 litre‚ owned by her mother, Nomsa‚ of Beacon Bay in East London.
Dondashe said she’d been complaining to a Ford dealership in East London about a “weird noise” she’s been hearing coming from the engine for some time.
The noise intensified when she was driving to Mthatha to attend a funeral with a friend on Saturday. On reporting this to the Ford dealership‚ she was told the only thing she could do at the time, was to contact a breakdown service for assistance.
Dondashe chose to drive home‚ but about 20km outside East London‚ the driver of a passing car flagged her down and said: “Lady‚ your car is burning”.
They abandoned the car before it was engulfed in flames.
The EcoSport‚ which was insured‚ was towed to a storage yard in East London.
More than 4 500 Ford Kuga 1.6 models were recalled for compulsory safety checks mid-January after about 50 of the SUVs burst into flames in South Africa and one of the vehicle owners‚ Reshall Jimmy‚ died while he was trapped inside his burning vehicle.
Investigations revealed that the fires were caused by overheating‚ which led to engine cylinder heads cracking and oil leaks.
Recalled vehicles have been subjected to a software update and a check on the cylinder head.
Jimmy’s sister Renisha‚ who has documented the Kuga fires‚ told The Times that she knew of a few other incidents of EcoSports catching fire in recent months.
Asked to comment‚ a Ford SA spokesman said: “Ford South Africa is aware of the incident involving a EcoSport near East London on Saturday evening.
“The safety of Ford drivers is a priority for us. We will investigate the cause of the fire as a matter of urgency. Ms Dondashe was offered a courtesy vehicle.” — TMG