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Not just SA, Ford Kuga up in flames in New Zealand

Auckland - Earlier in January 2017, Ford announced it was recalling 4 556 Kuga 1.6l EcoBoost models produced from December 2012 to February 2014.

The recall follows dozens of cases of Kuga's reportedly catching fire in South Africa. Ford CEO Jeff Nemeth said the fires were due to overheating caused by "engine coolant not circulating properly". Ford stated that the recall only applied to the Kuga 1.6l.

It's not just South Africa that's affected by Ford SUVs bursting into flames as a Kuga has reportedly caught fire in Auckland, New Zealand.

Kuga on fire in NZ

An Auckland motorist witnessed her 2013 Ford Kuga bursting into flames in December 2016. Eden O'Connor told TVNZ that she was forced to move quickly to remove her nephew from a car seat before the SUV caught fire. 

More than 1 000 Kuga (1.6-litre) units have been sold in New Zealand.

So what's involved in a Kuga repair?

Earlier in January, Huffington Post South Africa visited a Ford dealership to find out what the repairs entail.

Cassie du Toit, service manager at Eagle Ford in Johannesburg, explains what occurs when an affected Kuga is booked in. 

Watch the clip below:

More woes in SA

Owners of other models of the Ford Kuga  say their vehicles have also caught fire, challenging the vehicle manufacturer's claims that only one version of the car has a fault that could result in it bursting into flames.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) earlier in January confirmed it had received complaints from owners of the Ford Kuga 2.5l Turbo and the Ford Kuga 1.5l EcoBoost.

"We assess and process the complaints on an individual basis," said NCC spokesperson Trevor Hattingh.

Your SUV on fire? Ford shows what happens during a Kuga repair

Ford CEO Jeff Nemeth said the fires were due to overheating caused by engine coolant not circulating properly. Ford stated that the recall only applied to the Kuga 1.6l.

At least 39 incidents reported

"No other models or engine derivatives are affected. No other incidents have been reported to us," spokesperson Rella Bernardes told News24.

The safety recall comes after at least 39 incidents of Ford Kuga units catching fire locally, leaving one person dead.

Reshall Jimmy, 33, was killed when his Kuga caught fire in Wilderness, Western Cape, in December 2015.

After the recall the family's lawyer Rod Montano announced they would be pursuing a class action-type lawsuit against Ford.

6 things you should know if your car catches fire

He confirmed that he had received two complaints from owners of Ford cars not part of the recall.

These would be added to his case load.

"As far as I hear, there are also two Ford Figos that set alight. One reported in the media [in Nelspruit] and one that I heard about in central Johannesburg this morning."

He said that while the court documents for the complaints would be handed in together at some stage, each matter would still be dealt with on its own merits.

'Insurance scam' warning

The recall of the 1.6l model did not prevent them from submitting complaints for other models or engine variants.

"Ford hasn't done their homework and they don't know what cars are involved. All other drivers are at risk," claimed Montano.

"We are not restricted by Ford's version of events."

Some Kuga owners claimed on Facebook that Ford dealerships were reluctant to accept their vehicles for trade-ins or were offering far less than the retail value.

In response, Bernardes said: "Every Ford customer has our assurance that each individual case will be dealt with on its merits, and customers will be treated fairly at all times."

Opportunistic criminals had seemingly not missed out on a chance to benefit from the recall.

The SA Insurance Bureau shared on its Facebook page on Wednesday that someone contacted a Ford Kuga owner recently to say the manufacturer would collect their car as part of the recall.

"A young male, claiming to be 'Wayne' arrived as organised and collected the car. However the client then became suspicious and contacted Ford who knew nothing about the agreement, the client then immediately contacted Tracker," said the bureau.

Tracker recovered the vehicle without the suspect.

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