Ford in another urgent safety recall of ‘cooker’ Kuga SUV

FORD has issued an urgent safety recall after yet another fire threat to its luxury Kuga SUV.

The recall was announced yesterday with hundreds of owners receiving e-mails urging them to bring in their cars because of fears of insulation material – situated near the vehicle’s front seatbelts – catching alight during accidents.

The recall – the third in the past eight months – follows the death of Reshall Jimmy who died when his Kuga caught fire while he was on holiday in the Wilderness in the Western Cape in December 2015.

Since his death‚ 64 other Kugas have caught fire in South Africa‚ two of them within the last two months. The first two recalls were over faulty coolant systems, which Ford said led to the vehicle’s cylinder head cracking‚ oil leaking out onto the hot engine and the car then catching fire.

The latest recall notice states: “In the event of an impact which deploys the front seat belt retractor pretensioner there is a possibility that the insulation material on the inner face of lower ‘B’ pillar trim could be subjected to a concentrated heat source that could ignite the insulation material‚ resulting in fire.

“Please note that as the owner of the vehicle‚ you have possession and control of the vehicle and as such‚ the onus is on you to act upon the receipt of this notification‚” the company told drivers.

“While this recall is not related‚ customers that are already bringing their vehicles in for the Phase 2 action will be able to have both recalls conducted at the same time‚” Ford SA spokesman Alisea Chetty said.

Customers not affected by the previous Kuga recall‚ or those who have already had Phase 2 of the recall completed‚ should contact their dealer to schedule an appointment‚ Chetty said.

The repair work for the recall should not take more than an hour to complete‚ the company said.

For more information‚ contact Ford Customer Service at 0800-204-688 or 012-843-5824 or e-mail

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