A Ford Kuga owner told his family to “get out now and run” when he noticed smoke coming out the front of his vehicle while driving on the N1 in Johannesburg this morning.
According to a report by Herald Live, Dino Metaxas was with his family when the car caught on fire in the Woodmead area.
“I knew it instantly. This was it‚” he said.
The latest incident is one of around 45 cases of the Kuga spontaneously catching alight since December 2015.
Several incidents involving Ford Kugas catching on fire in South Africa in recent months have left owners fearful their car could be next.
Ford South Africa recently stated it was investigating possible engine fires in Kugas powered by its 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine.
It told affected Kuga owners to take their car into the nearest Ford dealership for a safety inspection.
Class action lawsuit
In a related report from IOL, the family of Reshall Jimmy – who died when his Kuga burst into flames in December 2015 – said they took about 30 cases of Ford Kugas catching on fire to the Motor Industry Ombudsman on Friday.
The family also plans to launch a class action lawsuit against Ford South Africa, and said they have support from the majority of the affected Ford Kuga owners they have been in contact with.
The report stated that Ford SA recently launched legal action to obtain evidence from the SAPS related to the Jimmy investigation
