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Johannesburg - Ford's vehicles in the US are under review as it's believed the automaker's proposed solution to its coolant issues has yet to be resolved.
The US government's auto safety agency is reviewing a Ford recall of thousands of cars, SUVs and vans, that can run low on coolant and potentially overheat and catch fire, stating that the automaker's proposed a remedy that "doesn't fix the coolant problem".
Earlier in March 2017, Ford South Africa expanded the safety recall of the 1.6-litre GTDi Ecoboost engine to include its Fiesta ST hot hatch.
This after Ford recalled 4556 Kuga 1.6-litre Ecoboost models, produced from December 2012 to February 2014, in January following several reports of the utility vehicles bursting into flames.
Wheels24 asked Ford South Africa whether local models, affected by the recall, will be reviewed as is the case in the US.
Ford SA responds
Ford SA sent the following response to Wheels24:
"We are confident that the actions being taken are an effective solution to the Kuga recall underway.
"We have identified the known sources of coolant loss in South African vehicles. The Phase 1 recall action of rerouting coolant lines, replacing the affected components, and confirming integrity of the cooling system addresses these issues.
"Phase 2 will further upgrade the cooling and control systems along with adding a coolant level sensor to address low coolant levels regardless of the cause. Once completed this action will prevent a critical overheat of the engine that could lead to a fire.
Is your Ford affected by the recall in SA? Are you satisfied with the repair? Have you experienced any issues since then? Tell us via email, Facebook and Twitter.
"As always, Ford cooperates fully with all Government Agencies regarding Recall actions and will address any questions that these Agencies may have.
"We also wish to remind your readers that with this safety action and proper maintenance of the engine coolant system, including using the approved coolant at the required concentration level, the vehicles are safe to drive. To further provide reassurance for all Kuga 1.6 owners, once this safety recall action is complete, customers will receive documents from the dealership that include a description of the parts that have been replaced, along with a checklist that confirms all the safety recall actions have been completed.
"We can confirm that we have had nearly 80% have brought their vehicles in for phase one of the recall, and again ask those that have not taken their 1.6 Kuga to a dealership for the recall action please do so at their soonest convenience."
Ford SA says customers with concerns can contact Ford Customer Service directly at 0860 011 022 or CRC3@ford.com; Ford’s Roadside Assistance, supported through the AA, is also available 24/7 on 0861 150 250.