Ford Recalls Kuga PHEV Due to Battery Fire Risk

A Ford recall affecting 27,000 cars globally has been announced.

The recall was issued after four new Kuga PHEV models have suffered from overheating batteries that resulted in the cars catching fire, according to AutoEvolution.

Sales of the Kuga PHEV have been halted due to the over-heating incidents. According to Ford, affected cars will be repaired later in the month after the necessary auto parts are accessible. 

The new model Kuga PHEV is a plug-in hybrid SUV.

The Ford recall news includes a warning to Kuga owners to not charge the high-voltage batteries until they have been notified it is safe to do so, according to a report by Autocar. The overheating batteries can catch fire when the car is parked or being charged.

Kuga drivers have been informed to use the vehicle’s EV Auto drive mode until the car has been properly serviced. The EV Auto drive mode switches from using the internal combustion engine and e-assistance automatically, decreasing the risk of the high-voltage battery overheating or catching fire.  

The urgent Ford recall over the four Kuga PHEV vehicles that caught fire is concerning to many, considering the brand new model has only been in car showrooms for a couple of months, Fleet News reported. There have not been any reported any injuries from the fires. 

All sales and deliveries of Kuga PHEV models manufactured in Germany before 26 June 2020 have been temporarily halted due to the overheating of the vehicles’ high-voltage batteries and the potential for fires, Express reported.

To date, the Ford recall has not identified why the overheating of high-voltage batteries has seemingly only affected Kuga PHEV vehicles manufactured before the end of June. 

The Kuga PHEV has been recalled before, despite being new on the market.

Twenty-five thousand Kuga PHEV SUVs were said to have had possible battery control charge module impairment, according to AutoEvolution. The affected models were apparently built this way, but Ford will replace the module and charging cable. 

The Kuga PHEV has 222 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque and a 14.4-kWh battery pack.

Petrol versions of the Kuga are available, but many drivers are likely drawn to the Kuga PHEV because the hybrid vehicle is an environmentally-friendly choice. The Kuga PHEV has become the most popular model.

According to Ford, the fuel economy of the Kuga PHEV is 201 mpg and the CO2 emissions hover at 32g/km. 

The Ford recall includes all Kuga PHEV and drivers have been notified about the safety issues and repairs will be available for the affected vehicles.

It is unclear how complicated the Ford recall safety issue will be to work through.

Fires in combustion engines are well known, but fires in EV-model cars are rare. This could be because there are fewer electric vehicles in general. Electric-vehicle fires can be especially dangerous, but firefighters have been provided with the knowledge to switch off high-voltage power systems as a first concern.

It is not known when the parts will arrive to begin servicing Kuga PHEV models, but all affected drivers will be notified when they can receive a repair to their vehicles. All repairs under the Ford recall will be free of charge.

Do you drive a Kuga PHEV? Do you worry about the battery overheating? Let us know in the comments.

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