FORD Motor Company Southern Africa has assured its motorists that their cars are safe.
This comes as more and more people driving Ford model cars, other than the Ford Kuga, are raising concerns about their cars catching fire.
Ford management has released a statement stating that it is only its 1.6 litre EcoBoost that has a problem.
The Ford Kuga of a motorist from the Eastern Cape, Maria White-Booi, allegedly caught fire in December within months of its purchase.
Maria posted on Facebook that she was allegedly told that when vehicles caught fire, it was caused by people modifying their vehicles with gadgets not approved by Ford.
She posted: “I’d requested them to also do a safety check on the vehicle as I was planning to go on holiday. They returned my car a few hours later and said everything was fine, it was just the battery that was faulty.” In another tragic incident, Reshall Jimmy was allegedly killed when his Ford Kuga caught fire in December 2015. His family has since set up a Facebook page in his honour. Many Ford Kuga owners have posted photos of their vehicles burning as recently as yesterday.
However, Ford has denied responsibility for Jimmy’s death. Product Communications Manager Minesh Bhagaloo said: “We take the safety of our customers very seriously and we have contacted owners of the 6 300 locally sold 1.6 litre Kugas built between December 15, 2012 and October 20, 2014. In the case of Jimmy’s Kuga, our examination showed that the fire originated at the rear of the vehicle and not in the engine compartment. We have requested access to the police report to better understand all the facts concerning the case.”
He said they have agreed to report back to the National Consumer Commission by the end of February.
