If you’re not driving with your seat belt on you’re a fool, but that’s not going to help much when your car bursts into flames.

Ford have themselves a nightmare on their hands with their Kuga range of cars, and now video has emerged of another vehicle catching alight.

This one comes from just outside Estcourt in KZN, and happened last Friday.

Sissy Mkhwanazi was the unfortunate driver, with her account from News24:

She found her brakes not functioning properly as soon as she moved into the slow lane, stuck between two trucks on a road going downhill.

Forced back onto the fast lane, she heard a loud noise coming from somewhere in the vehicle and observed a dark object flying off as she applied her handbrake in order to safely pull off the road.

At this point she had not smelled any smoke nor seen any flames coming from the vehicle, and her initial suspicion was that she had blown a tire. Upon exiting the vehicle and making her way towards the boot, she noticed that the car was locking itself and that the side mirrors were cycling back to their parked configuration.

After grabbing her handbag from the boot, she then moved to inspect the front and back tyres. At this point she saw the flames, and you can guess what happened next.

Not a very good look at all.

According to Times LIVE, Ford haven’t covered themselves in glory since the incident:

[Mkhwanazi] lambasted Ford for what she said was a lack of empathy following her traumatic ordeal in the same vehicle.

“They later called me and offered me a Ford Everest instead but they are not taking full responsibility. All the people I have engaged with say they are not making promises or accepting liability. I really want help‚ not just for me but for other people who are still driving these cars‚” said Mkhwanazi…

Between November 2015 and December 2017‚ 72 Kugas were reported to have caught fire on South Africa’s roads. Of the 72‚ six either caught alight or sustained engine and electronic failures after undergoing the recalls. The owners of the six vehicles have had their bank repayments settled by Ford.

When you consider those numbers, zooming around in a Kuga seems like a chance many of us wouldn’t be willing to take.

[sources:news24&timeslive]