Commission to probe #Kuga fires

This photo taken on January 12 captures Warren Krog's 2013 Ford Kuga ablaze in Alberton.

This photo taken on January 12 captures Warren Krog's 2013 Ford Kuga ablaze in Alberton.

Published Mar 3, 2017

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Johannesburg - South Africa’s National Consumer Commission (NCC) said it has launched a probe into the local unit of US car maker Ford over the recall of 4 500 Kuga SUVs after dozens of reports of the vehicles catching fire spontaneously.Ford’s Southern Africa president and chief executive Jeff Nemeth in January said the company could confirm 39 incidents of the cars catching fire, as well as one death, which Nemeth said was not directly linked to the defect.

Ford’s South African unit said the company, a unit of the US car maker Ford, would co-operate with the probe.

Read also:  Ford Kuga: can you claim money back?

“The National Consumer Commission says that it has instituted an investigation into the activities of Ford Motor Company Southern Africa and its dealerships, for alleged prohibited conduct,” the commission said on its website on Thursday.

“The NCC received more than 130 complaints against Ford South Africa relating to various issues, including the combusting of Kuga vehicles, since December last year,” it said.

A spokesperson for Ford’s Southern Africa unit, Rella Bernardes, said the firm had followed safety guidelines. 

REUTERS

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