7 ways Ford is trying to help clients after the Kuga disaster
Ford South Africa met with the National Consumer Commission (NCC) this week to update it on the progress made on the 1.6-litre engine Kugas affected by the recent safety recall.
“We know that the incidents of engine compartment fires in Ford Kuga 1.6-litre vehicles in South Africa have created concerns for Kuga owners and for the general public,” said Jeff Nemeth, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
“We understand and appreciate the feelings of our customers and other stakeholders, and we want to assure you that your safety is our priority. Whenever an incident raises concerns about one of our vehicles we treat it with the utmost seriousness.”
Ford SA had faced heavy criticism over the course of December and January following a large number of Ford Kuga’s catching fire in those two months. This resulted in a class action lawsuit planned against the company, with documents showing that Ford knew about existing problems with Kuga models.
A total of 4,556 model year 2013 and 2014 Ford 1.6 Kugas, built between December, 2012 and February, 2014, are affected by the safety recall in South Africa. Ford has since confirmed that there have been no incidents reported since the launch of the safety recall on 16 January 2017.
Despite the significant backlash, Fords overall sales weren’t heavily impacted.
According to Nemeth, Ford South Africa has reportedly taken the following steps to minimise any inconvenience its customers may have experienced:
- We’ve increased the capacity of our call centre, adding a dedicated Kuga support team, with longer hours and weekend support
- We’re talking directly to our customers. Since the launch of the maintenance check we have contacted over 3,800 customers via e-mail and posted letters. We have also put a request in to get the outstanding customers detail from eNatis
- We are flying in parts to alleviate the shortage. All outstanding parts will arrive in South Africa by mid-February
- Courtesy vehicles are being provided to keep our customers mobile while their cars are being repaired. To date, Ford has supplied over 4,080 courtesy cars to affected 1.6 Kuga customers. This number excludes the number of dealer loaner and Ford South Africa’s company vehicles that were given to customers while their vehicles underwent the safety recall action
- We expanded our current partnership with the AA for extended Ford Roadside Assistance for all Kuga 1.6 vehicles, including those out of the standard 3-year cover period, to ensure customer reassurance and peace-of-mind
- We have introduced support programmes to assist our dealers in discussions with their customers
- Dealers will also provide each Kuga 1.6 customer with a letter confirming that the necessary repair has been made on their vehicle, for additional peace of mind.
“We recognise that, during the initial process, customers and the public were not well enough informed about the situation, and for that Ford sincerely apologises. We care about the safety and well-being of our customers.”
“It’s at the heart of everything we do, and we understand that our customers have questions and concerns. Our current focus is on working with our dealers and our customers to resolve these issues as quickly as possible, through open and direct communication.”
Read: How the Kuga fires affected Ford sales in South Africa
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