U.S. automaker Ford on Monday recalled 4,500 Kuga SUVs sold in South Africa after dozens of reports of the vehicles catching fire were reported.
39 incidents of the cars catching fire were confirmed by Ford’s Southern Africa President and chief executive Jeff Nemeth.
He said early investigations revealed that fires in the Kuga 1.6 liter model, imported from Spain, were likely due to overheating caused by a lack of coolant circulation which could lead to a crack in the cylinder head and oil leaks, Reuters reports
Nemeth said that the fires were caused by overheating due to poor coolant circulation that led to an oil leak.
Adding that hot weather in South Africa could be a contributing factor as well.
“With this safety recall all affected vehicles, including those that have already been checked as part of our maintenance check, must be taken to a Ford dealer as soon as possible.” He said
