‘If you don't‚ we will’ - Consumer Commission’s ultimatum to Ford on Kuga recall

17 January 2017 - 12:31 By Graeme Hosken
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The rear Ford Kuga logo
The rear Ford Kuga logo
Image: SUPPLIED

Car manufacturer Ford had to be given an ultimatum before it acted: either you sort out your spontaneously combusting Kuga SUVs‚ or we will.

The warning‚ issued by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) last week‚ led to Ford announcing the recall of 4556 Ford Kuga 1.6l vehicles manufactured between 2012 and 2014 on Monday.

The recall comes after a high-level meeting was held on Friday between senior Ford executives and NCC lawyers where Ford executives “pleaded” for more time‚ but to no avail.

  • Kuga owners complain that dealers unprepared for recallA day after Ford announced a recall of 4556 Ford Kuga 1.6l cars‚ some owners of the apparently fire-prone model reported that dealerships were unprepared to deal with it. 

The car manufacturer had been given until February 28 to resolve the problem‚ but a sudden increase in the number of fires saw the Commission forcing Ford to announce the recall on Monday.

On Monday‚ Ford SA CEO Jeffery Nemeth was at pains to point out how customer safety was its utmost priority.

But‚ in an exclusive interview with The Times‚ Nemeth said none of the company's executives would lose their jobs over the debacle‚ which the company tried to explain away as a coolant system problem exacerbated by South Africa's hot climate.

  • Safety recall just start of the battle: Ford Kuga fire victim's sister"We have only just won the first leg of the battle with Ford.” Renisha Jimmy – the sister of a motorist who perished while trapped in his burning SUV – had this to say in reaction to the safety recall of Ford Kugas announced on Monday.

Investigations had revealed that the fires were caused by overheating which led to engine cylinder heads cracking and oil leaking. Recalled vehicles will be subjected to a software update and a check on the cylinder head‚ he said.

The compulsory safety recall follows 48 of the SUVs bursting into flames since December 2015. Of these fires‚ 11 have occurred this year.

Johannesburg businessman Reshall Jimmy was killed when his Kuga caught fire while he was on holiday in the Wilderness in the Western Cape in December 2015.

NCC commissioner Ebrahim Mohamed said it was regrettable that Jimmy had died.

“One incident is one too many and this issue has dragged on for too long… no brand is above the law‚" warned Mohamed.

“The NCC has concerns for the users of the Kuga and the various life-threatening incidents. A product which poses risks to consumers doesn't have a place in our market place‚" he said.

Nemeth offered his condolences to the Jimmy family‚ but added that while the investigation into that incident had not yet been concluded‚ Ford was of the view that it was a unique case unrelated to an engine fire.

A Commission source‚ speaking to The Times before the press conference‚ said IT had ordered Ford to do the recall last week‚ but the company’s executives had “pleaded” to be given more time.

“They cited the chaos it would cause if they had to do it last week. The commission said fine but it had to be announced today.

"The ultimatum was: if you don't‚ we will‚” the source said.

Mohamed confirmed that an ultimatum was given.

Mohamed said the safety recall was is in the best interests of consumers.

“Ford must come up with a strategy to deal with the problem and provide bi-weekly updates.

“This is a critical safety matter and we will be monitoring this closely.

“People must know that this recall is not the end of the matter. The commission can still conduct further investigations and can rope in other government bodies available to us.”

Nemeth said: “We don't take this lightly. The investigation will look at a number of issues around the cooling system and why warning lights and systems were not responding as they should.

“We have investigated every case brought to us and have taken 15 engines from the affected cars for examination in the US and Europe.”

He said Ford would evaluate the engineering data obtained from the examinations to design and build robust systems to stop the problems from occurring.

In the meantime‚ Nemeth said: “People whose cars burnt must go to their insurance companies. It is an insurance matter. We will interact with the victims and the insurance companies and hopefully they will buy another Ford.”

 – TMG Digital/The Times

 

 

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