How to survive your Kuga
It’s not funny for the owners who want to ditch a vehicle on which they still owe money
Jokes about the fire-prone Ford Kuga 1.6 litre are coming thick and fast on social media. “Devastated! Woman just swore at me so badly cause stopped at a robot, pointed a long stick with a marshmallow on the end at her Ford Kuga!” tweeted @refliweafrica. @Champ_Payne asked: “Serious question: If I want to braai tonight, what’s the best thing to light the fire with? Firelighters or a 2013 Ford Kuga?”
The vehicle is receiving bad press after a reported 52 cases of the Kuga spontaneously catching alight. In one case, a fire seemingly caused the electronics to fail and the car owner was burnt alive, a matter which Ford is still investigating.
In affidavits filed this week, the police accused the carmaker of breaking the law for not reporting the death to the Consumer Commission.
It’s a PR disaster. But, for owners of what is surely now the most undesirable car in South Africa, it is a nightmare. Some are keeping everything from emergency hammers to fire extinguishers in their vehicle, whereas others are said to have opted to drive with a window open at all times.
John (not his real name), a Cape Town-based Kuga owner, posted an advertisement on the online clas- sifieds website Gumtree two weeks ago, hoping to sell his vehicle, with 90 000km on the clock, for R245 000. He has not had one inquiry.
He and his family are still using the car, “but we keep something in there — a fire extinguisher. It’s going into Ford tomorrow. It has been in already but apparently there is a new thing to check. We are getting a courtesy car.”
John says he is determined to sell his vehicle, even though it will have been serviced.
“You see, it’s my wife driving that vehicle with our eight-month-old son. I’m not prepared to take that risk.”
The problem is that his wife bought the car about a year and a half ago “so she owes more than it’s worth. But, if we need to take a loss, we will have to do that,” he said.
Themba (not his real name), based in Pretoria, is also trying to sell his 2013 Ford Kuga, with just 65 000km on the clock, for a negotiable R255 000 but he too has had no takers.
“I’m just trying to see if anyone is willing to take a risk,” he said.
The car was bought for use by the family but, with a child in tow, Themba plans to use it to commute to and from work while he waits for someone to take it off his hands.
When it returns from its service at Ford, Themba said he will “keep everything I deem valuable in a bag in the front seat, and I have one of those glass shattering things [an emergency hammer] with me. I’ll keep that close by just in case.”
After spending R300 000 on the vehicle, Themba has little hope of being offered an acceptable trade-in.
“Dealerships are still selling them for R280 000 but, from what I have heard, guys are being offered R120 000 trade-in value on their Ford Kuga.”
Themba has written to the Consumer Commission, which put pressure on Ford to implement a safety recall after reports about the fires emerged.
“We are pleading with them to step in here and allow us to get back some investment. We need our organisations and associations to help, or at least for Ford South Africa to make it right.”
There are some willing buyers, although the price knock is substantial.
A cursory estimate from webuycars.co.za indicates that the vehicle can be bought for anywhere between