The driver of a Ford Kuga Ecoboost SUV had a lucky escape after her car burst into flames on the North East Expressway (NEX) in East London on Friday afternoon.
Owner Edwin Boer said his wife, Celeste, left the car and ran for her life. The inferno brought traffic on the busy highway to a standstill shortly before noon.
Videos of the burning car circulated on social media.
Ford SA, has launched an investigation.
When the Dispatch arrived at the scene, the charred wreck was being loaded onto a tow truck.
Buffalo City Metro traffic officials “temporarily” closed one lane of the North East Expressway, said BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya, who said the fire was believed to have been started by a technical fault in the car at around 11.43am.
Speaking to the Dispatch on the telephone, Boer said: “My wife was driving. She was alone. A passenger in a passing taxi alerted her about smoke coming from her bonnet.
"She stopped the vehicle, switched off the engine and put on the emergency lights. She gathered her belongings and exited a safe distance from the vehicle. The vehicle started to set alight from the front engine. A commuter alerted the fire department and they arrived shortly thereafter putting out the fire.
“My wife really wants to thank the passenger in the taxi and the commuter. Ford SA and the dealership have been of great help in assisting us with a replacement vehicle. They promised to be of assistance where ever possible.
Ford said that soon after the blaze they had spoken with Boer.
In a statement, Ford SA national spokesperson Minesh Bhagalo said: “We are aware of an incident involving a Ford Kuga in East London. We are investigating the cause of the fire as a matter of urgency.
"The safety of our customers is a priority for us and we are engaged with the customer to minimise the inconvenience caused. At this time, we do not have any further details on the cause of the incident, so we are unable to comment further.”
More than 4,500 Ford Kugas equipped with the ecoboost engine were recalled between 2016 and 2017 after more than 70 caught alight on SA roads.
Ford SA relaunched the Kuga at Hogsback in September 2017. It was supposed to pose no fire hazard.
Ford SA director Neal Hill said at the launch that the coolant system of the previous model equipped with a 1.6l engine was identified as the cause of the fires. A total of 4,556 vehicles were affected by the safety recall in SA...