Ford has issued an update to almost 3,000 Irish owners of Kuga plug-in models, who have been affected by a potential fire risk with their cars.
In March, Ford issued a safety recall notice alerting owners to a problem with the battery that could potentially lead to a fire and advised them to drive in auto EV mode and avoid charging the battery.
This morning, Ford issued an update for customers saying the company was between 10 and 15 days away from issuing a software fix that would alert drivers to any potential problem with the battery.
So far, no incidents have been reported by the 2,850 Irish owners of Kuga cars. However, the company is still advising them not to charge the battery and to keep the car in auto EV mode after a "small number" of incidents were reported worldwide.
Lisa Brankin, Chair and Managing Director of Ford of Britain and Ireland, has apologised to owners and said Ford engineers and the suppliers of the affected part were putting all their resources into perfecting the software update to remedy the issue.
The update would be available within 10 to 15 days, she said. In the event of what the company calls indications of "thermal separation", the high-voltage battery pack would be replaced by Ford.
"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 teams fully focus 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", Ms Brankin said in a statement this morning.
"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 roadworthy when in Auto EV mode.
"We are also extending the warranty for high voltage components to 10 years / 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 the 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."
However, the visual "health check" is not designed to be an EV battery safety check, and drivers will still have to run their cars in petrol mode until the software fix has been implemented. At that point, owners will know whether there is a risk to their car.
