A fresh report out of Europe says Ford has halted sales of its Kuga PHEV over a fire risk linked to the battery pack.

According to Autocar, the battery pack of the plug-in hybrid version of the third-generation Kuga is at risk of overheating and catching alight, with up to 27 000 units affected.

The publication says the Blue Oval brand has confirmed Kuga PHEV variants built before 26 June 2020 have been "temporarily" pulled from sale on the continent, with the company apparently set to issue a recall.

"Information from the field indicates that four vehicle fires are likely to have been caused by the overheating of the high-voltage batteries,” Ford said, according to Autocar.

In addition, the publication says owners of affected vehicles already sold in Europe have been advised by Ford not to charge the battery pack “until further notice”.

As a reminder, the plug-in hybrid model features a 2,5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine as well as an electric motor and generator, along with a 14,4 kWh lithium-ion battery.

The third-generation Kuga is currently not offered in South Africa, where a refreshed version of the second-gen model is still on sale. Of course, at the start of 2017, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa announced a fire-related recall of a batch of Kuga units fitted with the 1,6-litre EcoBoost engine.

Original article from Car