The Ford Kuga Plug-in Hybrid is too hot to handle as the company has reportedly revealed four fires may have been caused by the crossover’s battery pack.
In a statement to Autocar, the company said the fires were apparently caused by the batteries overheating.
Needless to say, vehicle fires are a serious safety issue. As a result, the company has reportedly suspended sales of Kuga PHEVs made prior to June 26th – at least in the United Kingdom. The company is also asking current owners not to their charge their vehicle and to keep them in “EV Auto” mode.
Also Read: New Ford Kuga Reinvents Itself As A Stylish SUV With Three Electrified Options
Ford has reportedly issued a recall and is reaching out to customers to schedule a repair. Little is known about the fix, but Ford reportedly confirmed the issue can happen “when the vehicle is parked and unattended or is charged.” Autocar also suggests up to 27,000 vehicles could be affected globally.
In the meantime, we’ll you mind of some basic safety precautions for vehicles which are a known fire risk. If possible, don’t drive the vehicle until repairs are completed and respond promptly to any messages from the automaker.
You also shouldn’t park the car in your garage. Losing a vehicle to a fire is bad enough, but losing your house and, potentially, your life isn’t worth the risk.
Update: The recall appears in the European Union’s Rapid Alert System for dangerous products and says Kuga PHEVs built between July 1st 2019 and June 5th 2020 are affected. It goes on to say the vehicles pose a fire risk as “physical damage to the Secondary On-Board Diagnostic Control Module A (SOBDM) and/or the SOBDM connector could allow water ingress to the module which may cause an electrical short. A short in the SOBDM can potentially cause one or more battery cells to overheat, increasing the risk of fire.”
