Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa has announced the extension of the warranty on all Kuga models sold in Southern Africa.
In mid-January, Ford SA announced the recall of 4 556 1,6-litre EcoBoost Kuga units built between December 2012 and February 2014.
“As a thank you to all of our Ford Kuga owners, at no cost, we are extending the cover on all Ford Kuga models to a total of six years or 200 000 km through the newly launched Ford Kuga PremiumCare Extended Plan,” Jeff Nemeth, president and CEO of FMCSA said in a statement.
“Our thousands of Ford Kuga owners have told us year in and year out, they love their Kuga. We are totally committed to providing an exceptional Ford experience to every member of our Ford family and to demonstrate we value their trust in the Ford brand. No one goes further to ensure ownership peace of mind,” Nemeth continued.
“We are very pleased to announce we have extended the cover on all Kuga models sold in Southern Africa to a total of six years or 200 000km, whichever comes first,” he added.
The extended plan will be automatically added to all Kuga models in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho, including the Kuga 1,6-litre petrol, the 1,5-litre petrol, the 2,5-litre petrol and 2,0-litre diesel and petrol derivatives.
Details of the plan – and exactly what is covered – can been seen here.
Ford says it will be loaded against each Kuga’s vehicle identification number (VIN), giving the vehicle a total of six years or 200 000 km cover, whichever occurs first, based on the original new vehicle limited warranty start date.
“We trust this will assist in restoring customers’ confidence in our products and the Ford brand,” the statement added.
Of course, for the warranty to remain in place, the owner must ensure that the maintenance and servicing of the vehicle occurs at an authorised Ford dealer, according to the specified service schedule, “along with proper maintenance and care between services as recommended in the vehicle’s owner’s manual”.
The relevant correspondence sent to customers was shared by Twitter user Melanie Webb, who tweeted an image of an email from Ford SA, which reads:
“While we cannot make up for any inconvenience or discomfort you may have experienced as a result of the safety recall, we want to assure you that we believe in our Kuga”.
“To that end, we have extended your vehicle’s cover with an additional two (2) years or eighty thousand (80 000) kilometres through the newly launched Ford Kuga PremiumCare Extended Plan,” the email explained.
Thank you @FordSouthAfrica…you were slow to respond to the Kuga saga but this is appreciated! pic.twitter.com/l45yBk6bne
— Melanie Webb (@MelanieWebbSA) February 22, 2017
