Ford Kuga's fire woes go back to 2013: Documents reveal

Cape Town - The National Consumer Commission will brief the media on the controversial Ford Kuga on Monday (Jan. 16) after several reports of the utility vehicles bursting into flames.

This comes after the automaker released a statement in December 2016 after a Kuga 1.6 EcoBoost SUV caught fire. 

One death 

In 2015 33-year-old Reshall Jimmy died when his Ford Kuga caught fire whilst on holiday. His family wants Ford to take responsibility for his death.

Times Live spoke to fire investigator, Larry Jenkinson, who was hired by Discovery Insure, to investigate fires in Kuga models. 

Jenkinson's investigation uncovered that Ford North America had ordered a recall of a related model in the United States and Europe. 

In November 2013, Ford motor company said it issued two recalls for fire risks in some 2013 Ford Escape SUVs, after it received new reports of engine fires.

According to the Times Live report a claims specialist from Discovery Insure contacted Ford South Africa five times in the first two months of 2015. 

However, Ford SA's operations director, John Gardiner, told Times Live there was no connection to the recalled vehicles in the States, as to those imported to South Africa. 

Can't Escape from fire woes

The Ford Escape (the Kuga in SA) is under investigation for fire risks in in North America. A full list of the Ford Escape recall is available online at Lemonauto.com.

In 2016, Ford recalled Escape models (2010-2012), due to a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source. In 2013, Ford recalled 140 000 Escape SUVs, fitted with 1.6-litre engines, in the US as they may experience fires due to overheating of the engine cylinder head.

In 2012, Ford recalled certain 2013 Escape vehicles with 1.6-litre engines, as the engines could overheat and leak fluid onto the exhaust system – resulting in fires.

The documents below show the concern raised regarding Ford Escape (Kuga) fires:

For more news on the Kuga fire saga, click here. 

*The National Consumer Commission will brief the media on the controversial Ford Kuga  on Monday after several reports of the utility vehicles bursting into flames. Check back with Wheels24 for the full report from the NCC conference later today