Photo: Ford
The situation has come to public attention after several engine compartment fires on the same vehicle have occurred across South Africa. The National Consumer Commission has investigated the case, and Ford has decided to start a voluntary safety recall in the country to fix the potential problems.
According to The LA Times, 39 fires have been reported to Ford in South Africa, and one of the incidents has led to the death of a man. In the latter case, a forensic investigator hired by Ford has explained that the fire that resulted in the death of Jimmy Reshall was not linked to the problem that is targeted by the recall campaign. The situation is being treated as a separate incident.
Meanwhile, the affected Ford Kuga units sold in South Africa are the ones that are equipped with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine. The 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter models are not affected by this potential problem. Representatives of the Blue Oval have explained that the campaign targets only the units built between December 2012 and February 2014.
Apparently, the fire risk came from a crack in the cylinder head, which led to an oil leak. The fissure was not a manufacturing defect, but a problem that was caused by driving with insufficient coolant. This implies driving with low coolant levels for enough time to make the cylinder head develop a crack, and then oil leaking through the puncture.
From there, if oil leaked on a hot component within the engine compartment, a fire risk becomes imminent. Ford customers in South Africa will have to have their Kuga 1.6-liter EcoBoost models checked, and the affected components of the cooling system will be replaced.
The recalled models will also receive a software update, and their cylinder heads will be checked for oil leaks. Finally, the recall will involve adding additional warning systems to the ECU, which will prevent this situation.
According to The LA Times, 39 fires have been reported to Ford in South Africa, and one of the incidents has led to the death of a man. In the latter case, a forensic investigator hired by Ford has explained that the fire that resulted in the death of Jimmy Reshall was not linked to the problem that is targeted by the recall campaign. The situation is being treated as a separate incident.
Meanwhile, the affected Ford Kuga units sold in South Africa are the ones that are equipped with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine. The 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter models are not affected by this potential problem. Representatives of the Blue Oval have explained that the campaign targets only the units built between December 2012 and February 2014.
Apparently, the fire risk came from a crack in the cylinder head, which led to an oil leak. The fissure was not a manufacturing defect, but a problem that was caused by driving with insufficient coolant. This implies driving with low coolant levels for enough time to make the cylinder head develop a crack, and then oil leaking through the puncture.
From there, if oil leaked on a hot component within the engine compartment, a fire risk becomes imminent. Ford customers in South Africa will have to have their Kuga 1.6-liter EcoBoost models checked, and the affected components of the cooling system will be replaced.
The recalled models will also receive a software update, and their cylinder heads will be checked for oil leaks. Finally, the recall will involve adding additional warning systems to the ECU, which will prevent this situation.
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