Why aren’t modern cars simple?

As a professional engineer who loves machines, I am shocked by the awful fires that have wrecked about 50 Ford cars, especially the 1.6-litre Kuga.

Overshadowing everything is the horrible death of Reshall Jimmy, roasted to death in his Ford. It seems mere luck has saved other motorists from the same fate.

The response from Ford has been callous and shameful.

I’d never allow anyone under my responsibility to get into a Ford Kuga or buy any new Ford.

It appears there are various causes for the fires. The main one – probably not applicable to Jimmy – is a fire in the engine compartment.

Apparently the cooling fails, oil in the engine reaches high temperatures, the over-heated cylinder head cracks and oil vapours squirt out and catch fire.

I checked the technology of the Kuga. It, and some other Fords, use an engine system called “EcoBoost”. This consists of a turbo-charger, electronically controlled fuel ignition and variable valve timing, and lightweight aluminium construction.

In short, a complicated, computerised, flimsy, high-tech mess designed to squeeze out the last ounce of power, to reduce fuel consumption and – sigh! – to reduce CO2 emissions.

I couldn’t find out how the cooling system works but guess it is also complicated.

The greatest motor car was the Ford Model T, built from 1908 to 1927. It changed the world for the better. It gave the ordinary man an affordable car he could fix. It was strong, reliable and, above all, simple.

Henry Ford said beforehand: “It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise.” (My emphasis.)

So why are modern motor cars, so complicated, so full of unnecessary gimmicks, so dependent on electronics, making them near impossible to fix when they go wrong? I guess their complication can make them dangerous, as might be the case with the Ford Kuga.

My own car, a 1984 Suzuki Jeep, is almost as simple as a Model T. A single fan belt drives the water pump and alternator. The only way the cooling can fail is when this belt breaks. I get a new fan belt (costing about R50) and a spanner and replace it in minutes.

Why can’t I get a modern car this simple?