Another Ford Recall In South Africa : The Ford Fiesta ST

Ford Fiesta ST South African Recall

It would seem that Ford’s baby hot-hatch is quite a lot hotter than we had originally anticipated, with the recall that affected 4 556 Ford Kuga’s making use of the 1.6-litre GTDi EcoBoost motor now trickling down to the Fiesta ST which makes use of that very same motor. This comes mere moments after Ford issued a press release noting that 63% of the affected Kuga’s have been tended to.

The expansion of the recall affects some 1 078 Fiesta ST models, produced between September 2012 and December 2014. This makes one wonder, then, what change was implemented to models produced from December 2014 onwards and, more importantly, for what reason these changes were put in place…

In their statement, Ford SA said: “a lack of coolant circulation could cause an engine to overheat, resulting in a crack in the cylinder head. A cracked cylinder head can result in a pressurized oil leak. Oil that comes into contact with a hot engine surface increases the risk of a fire in the engine compartment.”

To resolve this, affected vehicles will receive hardware and software upgrades, consisting of the fitment of a coolant level sensor with supporting hardware and software changes, free of charge to customers. These parts will, however, only be available by the fourth quarter of 2017 which could mean a toasty winter for many a ST charna. Boets will all be informed as soon as they are able to book their cabbies in for repairs.

Ford say that these vehicles are safe to drive, however, at the first signs of overheating, be it warning lights or rising coolant temperatures, the vehicle should be pulled to the side of the road, debussed and the engine compartment left closed.

Owners are also urged to conduct regular inspections of the cooling system and should endeavour to maintain a 50:50 coolant-water ratio as an added precaution.

In the event of an emergency, emergency services should be contacted immediately, followed by Ford’s Roadside Assistance (0861 150 250) a service which is available 24/7.