Owners of Ford plug-in hybrid vehicles that currently cannot be fully charged should ask for a refund or compensation if the problem is not fixed soon, Consumer NZ says.

Ford has contacted owners of some Escape PHEVs about a battery issue that could be a fire hazard if the vehicles were fully charged.

“A manufacturing defect in one or more of the vehicle’s high voltage battery cells may cause the cell to develop an internal short circuit. Ford globally has had no incidents reported and the batteries we’ve checked, again globally, less than 1 percent have shown it to even be a potential issue.

“In NZ, we’ve had no known incidents and no batteries have yet been found to have the issue in question.

“However, as an added safety precaution, Ford has asked customers to limit the charging to 80 percent and drive in auto EV mode only. This is not a ‘stop drive’ issue.”

Consumer NZ communications and campaign manager Jessica Walker said it was a frustrating time for people who owned the cars during a period of high petrol prices.

“Under the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA), goods – including cars – must be of acceptable quality and fit for purpose. If Ford has advised some of their hybrid cars should not be fully charged and should only driven in auto EV mode, we think these guarantees will have been breached.

“This means consumers could be entitled to a remedy under the CGA. If the problem can be remedied, the retailer can choose whether to repair, replace or refund a customer and must do so within a reasonable time.

Walker said if Ford failed to provide a solution soon, customers should be entitled to reject their cars and request a full refund – or compensation to reflect the reduction in the car’s value.

“They can also claim back any additional costs they incur as a result of the defect. For example, if they incur additional fuel costs, they could ask the retailer to cover these costs.

“If Ford fails to assist, we recommend customers consider lodging a claim at the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal.”

A Ford spokesperson said the estimated EV-only range of the Escape PHEVs affected was 52km, and reducing the charge to 80 percent would limit that to 41.6km.

“If using fuel for that 10.4 kms, they’d be using approximately 0.73 to 1.06 litres depending on driving conditions. We haven’t yet offered compensation for the loss of 10.4 km EV only range.

“We do recognise and acknowledge how frustrating this can be for customers and we know Ford’s global engineering team is working as fast as they can on a solution. It’s due very soon, just a few weeks I’m told.

“We’d recommend if customers are demanding compensation for the difference or have any concerns, they contact their local dealer.”

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