Ford could face lawsuit as another Kuga catches fire at the weekend

FORD could face a class action lawsuit after yet another Kuga family SUV burst into flames at the weekend.

This, after technicians had assured the owner the vehicle was safe to drive in Durban.

As many as 23 Kugas have caught fire this year.

Some of the affected owners are considering a class action lawsuit‚ including the family of a man who died after being trapped inside his burning vehicle.

DA provincial leader Zwakele Mncwango witnessed the latest incident at the weekend and posted photographs of the smouldering wreckage after calling the fire department.

Nivesh Sewpersadh‚ 39‚ was driving in Westville when his 2014 Ford Kuga burst into flames on Saturday.

He was travelling a short distance to a Ford dealership‚ concerned because the engine light kept turning on‚ for the third time in the space of a week.

“I noticed smoke and pulled off to the centre island,” he told a reporter.

“I opened the door and had one leg out before the car even came to a stop. I took the service books‚ my cellphone‚ and my keys and ran across the road. Then I saw it was in flames.”

Ford technicians had assured him the vehicle was safe to drive, Sewpersadh said.

Forensic investigator Dr David Klatzow is assisting the family of 33-year-old Reshall Jimmy‚ who burnt to death in his Kuga while on holiday in the Wilderness in December last year.

The family is reaching out to Kuga owners after battling to get closure more than a year after the tragedy.

Klatzow said Ford was facing a public relations disaster over the way the company had handled the incident. – TMG Digital