The long-awaited announcement comes less than a month after the automaker advised owners to have their vehicles checked as a precaution, following social media postings showing Kuga’s alight and in some case, completely burned out.

Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, FMCSA President and CEO for Sub-Sahara Africa Jeff Nemeth, flanked by the National Consumer Commission’s Ebrahim Mohammed, said it had taken the decision to voluntary recall the affected Kuga, made between December 2012 and February 2014 at its plant in Valencia, Spain, after receiving confirmation that a total of 39 models had gone up in smoke and flames.

“Based on the current data, we have determined that the fires are due to overheating caused by a lack of coolant circulation, which can lead to the cracking of the cylinder head and therefore an oil leak. If the leaking oil comes into contact with a hot engine component, it can catch fire,” Nemeth said.

Despite early reports putting the number of fire-damaged Kuga’s at 48, Nemeth stated it had managed to lower to the number of models from an initial 6 300 to 4 556, saying that models fitted with the 1.5 and 2.0-litre EcoBoost engines, as well as the 2.0 TCDi, are unaffected.

“With this safety recall, all affected vehicles, including those that have already been checked, must be taken to a Ford dealer as soon as possible,” Nemeth said, adding that the recall will consists of two stages focused on the faulty cooling system.

“The first involves replacing the affected components on the cooling system, varying and updating software and conducting a oil leak check on the cylinder head”.

He also said that owners noticing warning displays on the dashboard of overheating must immediately pull-over, turn the engine off and refrain from opening bonnet, before calling emergency services and Ford's road assistance team if necessary.

Assuring owners about the safety of the Kuga post recall, Nemeth said a thorough check of the cooling system will be conducted, and that every effort is being made to minimise inconviences.

"Safety is our top priority and we remain committed to keeping our customers mobile. Should they experience any engine overheating problems, arrangements will be made to provide them with a courtesy vehicle while their Kuga is being fixed," he said.

"With the increased volume of repairs being undertaken there may be instances where dealers are not be able to complete the action due to a shortage of parts. Should there be any delay, owners will receive a courtesy car. We want to reassure that with the safety recall and with proper cooling being maintained, the Kugas are safe to drive".

He also expressed condolences with the family of Reshell Jimmy, who died in December 2015 after his Kuga caught fire while on holiday in Wildnerness, but stated that the reason remains unknown as investigations had ruled out there being a fire in the engine bay.

Questioned about the initial slow response to the problem, Mohammed said it only became aware of the problem in December last year, and that it called a meeting with Ford "where the matter was fully discussed".

"Ford was conducting an investigation to establish the actual reasons. They had asked for a longer period, but the NCC had agreed that this should be completed by the end of February this year and a report submitted," Mohammed said.

He however acknowledged that the increasing number of fires reported after their initial meeting had prompted them to take urgent action, and that a recall would have initiated even if Ford had not agreed to do so.

"Time has elapsed but I think the NCC, as a responsible organisation, had met with Ford less than a week after we became aware of the problem, and that an arrangement had been made to carry out these maintenance checks in order to rectify the problems while they were conducting this investigation," he said.

Nemeth also stated that each of the incidents reported to them had been investigated, while Critical Concern Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mark Galvin, denied that the fires were related to those that affected the Kuga's US twin, the Louisville, Kentucky-build Escape, back in 2013.

"These were early life failures not seen in Europe and happened to vehicles with no coolant in them. [This matter has however] only been seen in South Africa and nowhere else," he said, while Customer Service Director for Africa and the Middle East, George Goddu, suggested that South Africa's higher than normal temperatures could have been a contributing factor.

Nemeth would however not be drawn into the costs of the recall, merely saying it would not have any bearing on recent investments the company had made in South Africa.

IMAGE from timeslive.co.za