One bank has confirmed that it requires guarantees from the global car manufacturer when processing finance purchasing applications for the vehicle.
TimesLIVE has learnt of at least one WesBank client who was told that‚ before the finances for sale of his vehicle would be approved‚ he required a guarantee from Ford that a replacement part fitted to the car was safe‚ although the bank says this is not its official policy.
Ford says that the Kugas destroyed in fires on South Africa’s roads since December 2015‚ when Reshall Jimmy burnt to death in his 1.6l 2014 Kuga‚ caught fire because of a faulty coolant system.
Last week‚ Ford issued a safety recall for 4 556 Kugas built between 2012 and 2014 to replace the system with a more robust one.
The company‚ however‚ maintains that the fire which killed Jimmy while he was on holiday in the Wilderness‚ in the Western Cape‚ is unrelated to the other fires and started at the rear of the car. It is‚ however‚ unable to explain what caused that fire.
At least 50 other Kugas are reported to have caught alight since then.
