Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa says it has started phase two of its recall action for all affected Kuga 1,6 models, asking owners to schedule an appointment with their nearest dealer.
The local arm of the US automaker says the second phase of the recall is “designed to mitigate the risk of an engine fire resulting from a cracked cylinder head caused by a loss of coolant”. It applies to all Kuga 1,6 models built in Spain between 8 May 2012 and 27 September 2014.
“Our customers are our top priority, and their safety is of the utmost importance to us,” said Casper Kruger, the new managing director at Ford SA. “We are taking additional precautions to protect our customers and their vehicles with the Phase 2 recall action.”
“Our global engineering team has finalised the second stage of the recall, and South Africa is the first market to receive parts and implement Phase 2 of the recall,” Kruger added.
“Accordingly, we have now begun rolling out the final recall and are notifying customers to make an appointment with their nearest dealer.”
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In the second phase, Ford says “new hardware” will be installed, including a new coolant expansion tank with a sensor that monitors the level of the vehicle’s coolant. The company says this system will warn the driver “well in advance” if there is a risk of overheating due to insufficient coolant in the system.
In addition, Ford says the vehicle’s “updated software” introduced as part of this second phase “has the ability to reduce engine power, and notifies the driver to safely pull over if coolant levels drop below the minimum required level”.
To accommodate the changes, coolant pipes have to be rerouted, an electrical harness fitted and software configured to monitor the new sensor. An additional coolant pipe will also be replaced for “added robustness and durability”.
Ford added that dealers would be able to “pre-arrange alternative transport” upon scheduling of an appointment should this be required.
