Another Ford Kuga burns

A Ford Kuga that was to have undergone repairs as part of the nationwide recall was destroyed outside Mbombela.

Thulani Hlophe was driving his 1.6l Kuga‚ which he had recently tried to have repaired‚ when he noticed smoke coming from the bonnet.

He said he stopped the car and got out. Part of the engine suddenly exploded, a shaken Hlophe said.

“There is so much happening at the moment. I don’t know what to say except that my Kuga was one of the affected ones,” Hlophe said.

“I was driving from my workplace to lunch when I saw smoke coming from the bonnet. I immediately got out of the car.”

Sowetan has learnt that Hlophe had taken his car to Numbi Ford in White River for the safety recall announced two weeks ago.

Told that the water bottle was faulty, Hlophe was‚ however‚ turned away as there were no spare parts in stock. He was told to come back the following Wednesday to have the car repaired. Hlophe said he was not provided with a courtesy car‚ as he should have been.

Fifty-two 1.6l Kuga’s manufactured between 2012 and 2014 in Valentia‚ Spain‚ and which have been sold in South Africa‚ have caught alight since December 2015.

Kuga owner Reshall Jimmy burnt to death in his vehicle. Jimmy was on holiday in the Wilderness‚ Western Cape, when his Kuga caught fire.

Ford maintains that the fire in Jimmy’s car is different to the other fires‚ which the car manufacturer says is caused by a cooling system failure. Ford says the fire in Jimmy’s car started at the back of the car‚ but have been unable to say what caused it. Police and private fire and forensic investigators say the fire in Jimmy’s car was an electrical fire which started behind the dashboard on the passenger side of the vehicle.