Lisa Brankin, Chair and Managing Director of Ford of Britain and Ireland has issued a statement regarding the issues that car owners have had with their Ford Kuga PHEV cars.
“To all of our affected customers, we’re really sorry that an issue has occurred with the Ford Kuga PHEV battery. Our engineers are working closely with the supplier of the affected part and are putting all of their resources into perfecting a software update to remedy the issue. This software update will be available within 10-15 days and will give the Battery Energy Control Module enhanced capability to detect cell anomalies indicative of separator damage, providing advance warning to owners of a high-voltage battery issue before thermal venting occurs. In the event of anomaly detection, dealers will replace the vehicle’s high voltage battery pack.
Until the software update has been installed by your Ford dealer, we ask all Kuga PHEV drivers to use their cars in “Auto EV” mode and avoid charging until the software update is complete. We are committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible for our customers and thank you for your patience and trust in us.
Resolving this issue speedily and expertly is our priority, and while our engineering and software team fully focuses on that we will continue to monitor vehicles in operation. Only a very small number of vehicles on the road worldwide have reported an issue with battery thermal venting with zero reported issues in Ireland.
If customers have any concerns about their Kuga PHEV, they can contact their local dealership for reassurance, and to book in for a complimentary “Kuga PHEV Check-Up” to reassure them that the vehicle is safe and road-worthy when in Auto EV mode. We are also extending the warranty for high voltage components to 10 year/240,000km (whatever comes first), covering the high voltage battery, for all affected Kuga PHEVs in Europe.
If customers require further assistance or would like to discuss how they are being affected by this recall notification, they can contact our Customer Relationship team on 1800 771 199 between 09:00 and 17:00, Monday to Friday to speak to a person who can advise them.
Ford is committed to bringing a great lineup of hybrid and electric vehicles to market in Ireland helping to serve our customers’ needs, reduce emissions and being there for our dealers and communities long into the future.”
