Ford in court over ‘combusting’ Kuga cars saga

Automotive giant Ford will be in court on Wednesday in a bid to defend itself from allegations that one of its models on the roads was deadly and dangerous.

This comes after allegedly more than 40 Ford 1.6-litre EcoBoost Kuga cars, manufactured between 2013 and 2014, have ended up bursting into flames.

Port Elizabeth resident Reshall Jimmy was burnt alive in his car in 2015. His family allegedly has the video footage, which Ford has been trying to obtain.

The company requested an urgent interdict last week, so that it could be allowed access to the footage and the police dockets into the alleged fires. None of these requests were adhered to, it has claimed.

John Gardiner, director of news operations for Ford Europe, told The Citizen on Tuesday that in order to conclude the manufacturer’s investigation, it needed the information, documentation and evidence held by the SA Police Service (SAPS) and the Jimmy family.

READ MORE: This is how much you’d lose if you sold your Ford Kuga now 

“This is why Ford has requested the Jimmy family and the SAPS to share the evidence in their possession, and why we have made an application to the high court in relation to the SAPS.

“To date, both the SAPS and the Jimmy family have declined to provide Ford with the evidence in their possession, more particularly the video evidence which is alleged to exist.

“Ford continues to cooperate with the police and we have provided them with a copy of our preliminary investigations,” said Gardiner.

In December, Sabelo Cele posted on Facebook that his Kuga had caught alight while he was driving in Westville North.

Meanwhile, Ford has issued an urgent alert to owners of 1.6-litre Kuga models to get their vehicles to their Ford dealership for a maintenance check.

Police spokesperson Sally de Beer, said they would not be discussing a sub judice matter.

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