Kuga: Ford’s life-threatening denialism

THE GENERAL rule is to acknowledge a problem exists, and then only can there be a solution.

Ford has not concluded the investigation that claimed the life of Reshall Jimmy when his Ford Kuga caught alight, claiming his life. This incident happened in December 2015 and has still to be concluded.

Ford, in their preliminary findings, have stated that the fire started in the boot of the vehicle. This is a totally absurd assertion as cellphone footage shows no fire at the back of the vehicle. The huge flames were spewing out from the dashboard section of the Kuga.

A police investigation concluded that the fire started from below the dashboard on the front passenger side. An independent investigator concurred, yet Ford is disputing these findings.

A disturbing aspect of this incident is that Ford did not immediately implement a total recall of all Ford Kugas in South Africa, putting the lives of other Kuga drivers in danger. Thirty-seven other Ford Kugas went up in flames, yet there was minimal action taken by Ford.

A situation like this would never be allowed to take place in a European country. Could it be a case of Ford abusing our ineffective laws and manipulating the system? Could it be that South African lives are not important.

Putting profits ahead of safety considerations of the consumer can be detrimental to the continued existence of any business.

The way forward would be for Ford to accept responsibility for the fire that caused the death of Mr Reshall in light of the video footage and other evidence from Kuga owners.

A joint lawsuit on behalf of the affected Kuga owners is imminent. To save the brand, Ford needs to settle out of court. The longer these devastating incidents remain in the spotlight, the greater will be the reputational damage.

Ford needs to pick up the pieces, knowing that they have erred in their mechanics when manufacturing the Kuga. They need to meet with their highly-paid engineers to rectify the problem, thereby making sure that there is no recurrence.

We patiently await the conclusion of this saga.

Could it be that SA lives are not important?

Phoenix, Durban