Ford recalls popular hybrid model and issues ‘do not charge’ warning amid risk of ‘vehicle fire’

Ford has issued an urgent safety recall for one of its most popular vehicles over fears the battery could short-circuit and lead to serious issues.

The US auto giant has warned owners of the Ford Kuga plug-in hybrid not to charge their cars until the problem has been remedied.

This means drivers will temporarily lose the major cost-saving and emissions-cutting benefits of owning a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

The issue affects every current-generation Kuga PHEV with a 2.5-litre petrol engine, of which there are thousands on UK roads.

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Ford engineers are developing new software to address the potential condition which could trigger “battery thermal venting, potentially resulting in a vehicle fire, increasing the risk of injury”.

The company has told owners they will receive another letter when a solution has been developed, according to Auto Express.

In letters sent to affected owners, Ford explained: “While monitoring vehicles in operation, we have become aware of a number of Kuga PHEV vehicles on which the high voltage battery may have some cells that could potentially develop an internal short circuit.”

If a short circuit occurs, drivers will see a “Stop Safely Now” message and warning icon in the instrument cluster.

Affected vehicles may experience a loss of motive power, increasing the risk of an accident.

While 12-volt accessories, steering and brake control will continue to function, there is a risk of battery thermal venting.

Thermal venting is a safety feature designed to release gases generated within battery cells under abnormal conditions such as short-circuiting, according to This is Money.

Ford has instructed owners in its recall notice: “Please DO NOT PLUG YOUR VEHICLES IN TO CHARGE THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY and use the drive mode ‘Auto EV’ only.”

This restriction is designed to “prevent the potential issue from occurring while charging or driving”. The company emphasised that it “has not issued instructions to stop driving your vehicle.”

However, Ford advised that if drivers experience a “Stop Safely Now” message in their vehicle’s instrument cluster, they should “follow the advice and exit the vehicle as soon as it can be brought to a safe stop.”

A Ford spokesperson said the remedy won’t be ready until sometime between April and June, which will not be available via an over-the-air software update.

This means owners will need to take their vehicles to their nearest Ford dealer for the update to be applied. The remedy will be free, although Ford is not likely to compensate customers.

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