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Ford has confirmed that based on the procurement of parts needed, work is likely to begin on repairing cars by late December. Owners will be contacted by the end of November with a suggested booking date with priority given for vehicles based on the date cars were purchased.
Ford says that repair work will continue until all models are fixed which they say is likely to take until the end of March.
Inconvenience to customers will be minimised with Ford arranging to pick up and deliver affected vehicles from a driver’s home or place of work.
The repairs will take at least one full day so a courtesy car will be offered to use while their car is in the garage.
As a goodwill gesture, Ford says owners will soon receive the complementary £500 fuel card they recently promised to make up for the loss of electric power in their cars.
Repairs will be able to go ahead after Ford finally identified the issue as a “cell contamination” problem in the battery system.
They warn that “serious consequences” could arise from the issue so Ford has decided to install a new drive battery pack in all cars.
In a statement, Ford said: “We have identified that cell contamination in the drive battery system was the cause of the issue that a small number of Kuga PHEV vehicles experienced.
“Given the potential serious consequences that could arise from this we have decided to install a new drive battery pack to your vehicle.
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“The vehicle will need to be in a workshop for at least a full day so that your dealer can complete all of the work necessary including all software updates.
“Having identified the cause of the concern and solution, we understand that our customers would like to know how quickly their vehicle will be fixed and we would like to explain the timing and our commitment to our affected customers.”
Ford announced the Kuga recall in August with 27,000 models affected worldwide and 1,800 in the UK.
There were fears the car could overheat and catch fire even when it was parked in a major concern for many.
Concerned road users can check whether their model is affected by searching for their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the Ford recall website.
Owners can also search for their registration number through the dVSA for latest updates on any safety issues which may affect them.
Ford has been adamant that owners should not use their Kuga’s electric capabilities for fear of causing further distress to the vehicle.
Ford has maintained this stance, urging road users to keep their car in “EV Auto Mode” and to not use the plug-in charger
In a further statement, they revealed cars will remain “safe to drive” if precautions are taken ahead of repair work.
They said: “We do apologise for the inconvenience you have experienced and assure you that we are continuing to work very hard to make things right so that you can enjoy your new Kuga PHEV to the full and in the way that we intended.
“In the meantime, please continue to use your car in EV Auto mode and do not use the plug-in charger or use the Sport and Snow/Sand mode while driving.
“As long as you do this, your vehicle remains safe to drive in EV Auto mode. If you have any other issues with your vehicle, please make sure to directly contact your Ford dealer.”
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