After some difficult years in the Norwegian market, a completely new version of the family SUV Kuga has given Ford a boost in Norway.
Kuga has come as a rechargeable hybrid. It provides a favorable starting price in this country, which is also noticeable in the sales statistics.
In July, the Kuga was among the ten best-selling cars in this country, it has been a while since Ford last experienced it.
But now it is known that the manufacturer has problems with the rechargeable newcomer. Internationally, they have stopped the sale of all cars produced before June 26 this year.
Has caught fire
Those who have managed to buy one of these cars must have been contacted and told that they must not charge them “until they are further informed”.
According to Ford, the reason is that they have received a report that four Kuga copies have caught fire, as a result of the battery pack being overheated.
No injuries or serious accidents have been reported as a result of these fires. But as a carmaker, Ford must naturally take such incidents seriously.
Also read: Here you can read our test of the new Kuga
(The case continues below)
VIDEO: The rechargeable version of the Ford Kuga has got off to a very good start, with the top 10 ranking in the sales statistics in July. Here from presentation in the Netherlands in 2019:
Applies to 20. 808 cars
What about cars sold in Norway? This is what information director Anne Sønsteby says to Broom:
– As part of Ford’s ongoing quality and safety processes, we have identified a potential concern related to the high voltage battery on the Kuga PHEV – on cars built before June 26, 2020. In the highly unlikely event that the vehicle’s high voltage battery or charge control components encounter a technical problem, the high voltage battery may need to release pressure and hot gases. In the extreme, overheated batteries can, under certain circumstances, cause a fire in the battery area.
She continues:
Anne Sønsteby is information director for Ford in Norway.
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– Ford engineers have developed an additional HV ventilation shield package to protect these components from the heat generated under these possible conditions. Over the next few days, customers will be asked to contact their Ford dealer to have their car repaired. Our customers will still be able to drive their new Kuga as long as it is driven in Auto EV mode – which is the car’s standard mode. Until the car has been repaired, it must not be charged externally, but charging via regeneration in Auto-EV mode is OK.
Here in Norway, sales of cars built before 26 June will continue as before, but these will not be handed over until they have been repaired. Cars produced after June 26 are sold and delivered as usual.
According to British Coach It is not known why this only affects cars manufactured before June 26. In total, this will apply to 20,808 cars, in a number of markets.
The case was originally published on Broom.no
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