“Do not recharge your car anymore”: difficult to imagine more paradoxical recommendation for a rechargeable hybrid vehicle. And yet, it is the official advice addressed to more than 7,500 drivers in France and 5,369 in Belgium by Ford. In sight: the Kuga spya very popular SUV on the market and which could present a serious of the battery haute tension.
The models concerned were manufactured between August 2019 and November 2023 and they are currently the subject of a Large reminder campaign. Concretely, Ford identified a risk of court-circuit In certain cells of the lithium-ion battery, which could lead to a loss of brutal power and, even more dangerous, a start of fire in the most extreme cases. The order is in any case clear: especially do not recharge the vehicle and drive only in automatic hybrid mode. The use of All electric fashion East prohibited.
Limited repairs?
Ford wants to be reassuring for its customers: according to its estimates, only 0.1% of vehicles Affected will require a complete battery replacement. For the vast majority, a Software update battery management will be enough. This computer fix, expected by the end of May, will not delete the defect, but will at least detect anomalies earlier. This strategy avoids for the manufacturer of Systematic replacements And expensive, but it obviously does not solve the substance of the problem.
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In the event of an confirmed anomaly, the battery pack 14,4 kWh may be replaced – a heavy operation, but which will be supported by the manufacturer. For the moment, no compensation is guaranteed and customers can only claim a replacement vehicle in the event of proven immobilization if we believe hln. Ford says he examines cases individually.
Image crisis for a successful model
The case falls badly for the brand with blue oval: the Ford Kuga Phev was the The best -selling rechargeable hybrid In Europe in 2023, for the third consecutive year. In Belgium, highly electrified vehicles represent a volume of more than 700,000 hybrids and 254,000 electrics. The market is expanding, and this kind of incident is likely to break the confidence of motorists.
This is not the first alert for this model. From its beginnings, the rechargeable hybrid kuga had been slowed down by similar technical concerns, which had led to the temporary interruption of deliveries. It is therefore a new tile while the American manufacturer is already in a not brilliant financial situation.
Legal consequences?
The situation is not trivial legal. In its own communications, Ford actually recognizes a hidden defect: a manufacturing defect not detectable by the user, but which can compromise the proper functioning of the vehicle. According to European standards, a vehicle whose battery is unusable no longer respects the conditions of approval and more specifically CO2 emissions. In other words, these vehicles are not more fully in line with the regulations. It remains to be seen how customers will react. In any case, Ford is clear: if an error message concerning the battery is displayed, it is necessary to immobilize the vehicle and get out of it without delay.
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