After the alarming scandal of Ford Fiesta ST's burned down on fire last January, Ford SA Chief Executive Officer, Jeffery Nemeth, was forced to initiate a recall of 1,078 Ford Fiesta cars in South Africa. This was followed by another announcement from Ford later on Tuesday afternoon, informing the public that CEO Jeffery Nemeth will report back to the manufacturer's headquarters in the U.S.
Sunday Times reported that the South African insurance giants, Auto & General and Dial direct, were taking legal action against Ford Company. In relation to this, Ford has only claimed that they were only aware of one fire incident involving an EcoSport. The incident took the life of Recall Jimmy, in December 2015, when the victim was driving his 1.6L 2014 Kuga during the holidays around Western Cape, where the vehicle started to burn and burnt the victim inside his car.
According to the statement given by Ford, the fire was caused by faulty coolant system. "In the affected vehicles‚ a lack of coolant circulation could cause an engine to overheat‚ resulting in a crack in the cylinder head," Nemeth explained. "A cracked cylinder head can result in a pressurized oil leak. Oil that comes into contact with a hot engine surface increases the risk of a fire in the engine compartment", he added.
However, this very statement was opposed by the Police and independent forensic investigator. Stating that the death was caused by an electrical fault behind the car's dashboard. It was also announced that there has been a faulty part on the Ford Fiesta ST and the problem is with its coolant sensor. It's a minor item that is very easy to fix. However, failing to address the part can be deadly. This is also due to a failed coolant sensor that could misread the heat thus increasing the risk of an engine fire.
Over 50 1.6-liter engines, Kuga manufactured between 2012 and 2014 have been destroyed in fires across the country since 2015. Ford defended by insisting that the fire which killed the life of Jimmy has nothing to do with the other Kuga fires. The safety recall will only affect models manufactured between September 2012 and December 2014.
Ford boss, Jeffrey Nemeth, gave his statement in an interview stating that he have always known that his contract will end. The company found a capable replacement in the name of Casper Kruger and he took post on April 1st. Nemeth also denied that his return to the United States has anything to do with the Ford Fiest STs or Ford Kuga's safety recall.
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