Ford Delaying Electric SUV Launch Due To Fires During Recharging in Europe

Ford is being forced to delay the launch of its plug-in hybrid Ford Escape SUV to 2021 after "thousands" of similar SUVs in Europe were recalled for catching fire while recharging.

The Electric SUV had originally been planned to go into production over the spring of 2020, but the pandemic forced Ford to close several factories, delaying its release, according to Bloomberg. Now, Ford is pushing the release to 2021 as it addresses issues with its "Kuga" model, released in the European market. The "Kuga" shares parts with the Escape, including the battery and engine.

Mike Levine of Ford said: “We’re moving production to next year while we investigate what happened to the Kuga in Europe. None have been sold in the U.S.”

Also, per Bloomberg:

Ford of Europe is working to fix a problem with its Kuga plug-in related to venting heat from the batteries, Jay Ward, another company spokesman, said Tuesday. There have been seven vehicle fires in Europe, triggering the recall of 20,500 Kuga models sold there, spotlighting an issue that could take months to resolve, Ward said.