Owners of Ford Kuga plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) who have been told not to plug them in as a battery defect could cause them to catch fire have started legal actions over the issue.
The urgent recall, which was issued in early March and affects 2,850 Irish motorists, warns drivers not to charge the battery because of a risk it might short-circuit while on the road. The problem could cause a loss of power or a fire, according to the recall notice.
Ford said sales of unsold new Kuga PHEVs built before November 2023 were halted in January and said it has no control over the sale of used vehicles.
It instructed occupants to exit their vehicle immediately if the “stop safely now” warning is triggered while on the road and told owners to “not plug your vehicles in to charge the high voltage battery”.
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In a Circuit Court summons issued in recent days, one owner of a 2023 Kuga complained that the vehicle was fitted with a plug-in hybrid system that was “dangerously defective and not fit for purpose” and that Ford has failed to provide “an adequate solution to deal with the potentially dangerous and life-threatening issues”.
The summons claimed the car is now worthless, yet the owner must continue to make repayments on the Personal Contract Plan financing “for fear of risking his credit rating”.
A Ford spokesman said all affected customers in Ireland have been contacted and its engineers are working to develop a software remedy for the issue. “When this becomes available, Ford will notify customers of affected vehicles via letter to schedule a service appointment with their dealer.”
He said the software will be used “to detect cell anomalies indicative of separator damage. In the event of anomaly detection, dealers will replace the vehicle’s high-voltage battery pack.”
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He said it is anticipated the software will be available by July.
According to solicitor Evan O’Dwyer, representing the owner in this case: “For any manufacturer to call its own product dangerous is worrisome. This is compounded by Ford not offering a solution to the problem. This is not a recall but a warning to park up.”
The Kuga was Ireland’s bestselling PHEV in 2023 and 2024, and was the bestselling PHEV in Europe between 2021 and 2023.
