Ford at odds with investigators over Kugas
Ford accused of ‘worthless’ forensic analysis, while the car maker insists key documents are being withheld as at least 40 more Kugas reportedly burst into flames
Ford Motor Company and South African investigators traded blows on Monday over the fire-linked death of a Ford Kuga driver in December 2015, and reports of at least 40 more Kugas bursting into flames since then. Ford said the refusal of SA’s police and private investigators to provide the US company with their findings into the causes of the fire that led to the death of Reshall Jimmy, was hampering its efforts to protect motorists from similar fires in the future. Ford SA has applied to the High Court in Cape Town for access to all evidence in police dockets. Police have said they would oppose the application. However, forensic investigator David Klatzow said Ford was the obstructive party. The US parent had initially declined to share the results of its own preliminary investigation, and still refused to release Kuga electrical-wiring diagrams that would allow Klatzow’s own inquiries to move forward. Ford’s forensic analysis so far, he said, had been "shallow" and "worthless". For...
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