Hi all,
I’m hoping to get some advice and perspective from other Kuga PHEV owners, as I’m at a bit of a loss with my car (see profile). It’s now been into Ford dealerships three times for the same serious fault, and I’m still no closer to a resolution.
The fault
Usually within 10 minutes of starting a journey, the car suddenly loses all drive and displays a red “Stop Safely Now” warning, along with multiple dashboard lights. It cannot be restarted in that state. After 5–20 minutes it will start again, this time only showing an amber “check engine” light (which disappears on its own after a few hours/days). The Ford Pass app flags that the engine needs servicing.
Timeline
My concerns
My ask to the community:
Thanks in advance
Really appreciate any thoughts or shared experiences.
I’m hoping to get some advice and perspective from other Kuga PHEV owners, as I’m at a bit of a loss with my car (see profile). It’s now been into Ford dealerships three times for the same serious fault, and I’m still no closer to a resolution.
The fault
Usually within 10 minutes of starting a journey, the car suddenly loses all drive and displays a red “Stop Safely Now” warning, along with multiple dashboard lights. It cannot be restarted in that state. After 5–20 minutes it will start again, this time only showing an amber “check engine” light (which disappears on its own after a few hours/days). The Ford Pass app flags that the engine needs servicing.
Timeline
- Mar 2025 – Received recall letter telling us to stop charging the HV battery due to fire risk.
- Jun 11 – First “Stop Safely Now” incident. Recovered to Group 1 Basingstoke. Told it was related to the recall, and FSA 24S79 was applied.
- Jun 21 – Fault reoccurred, just before our baby was due. Hired another car for safety.
- Jun 23 – Reported to Ford Customer Care (case raised but no follow-up).
- Jul 9 – Service at Group 1 Farnborough. Diagnosed as 12v battery failure, which we replaced (£490 total including service fee). Told this would fix it.
- Aug 23 – Fault reoccurred again.
- Aug 29 – Back to Farnborough. This time told it may be due to not charging the HV battery regularly enough. Technician said we should charge it once a week, even if it shows empty, since the HV battery is also used for operations like charging the 12v.
My concerns
- The root cause still hasn’t been proven – just theories.
- The dealer is now implying the issue is our fault because we haven’t been charging the HV battery, but we only stopped because Ford told us to.
- I can’t find any official Ford documentation that says PHEVs must be charged weekly to stay operational. My understanding was that they should still be usable on petrol alone, with charging being optional for efficiency.
- This whole saga has cost us £800+ already in hire cars, fuel, and the new 12v battery – not to mention the stress at a time when we’ve just had a newborn.
- Replace the HV battery under warranty, since it may have been damaged as a direct result of Ford’s “do not charge” instruction.
- Provide collection/return or a courtesy car during any further work, or reimburse us for hire costs.
- Reimburse the premature 12v battery replacement and all associated service/hire/fuel costs.
My ask to the community:
- Has anyone else been told their Kuga PHEV needs regular HV battery charging to avoid faults like this?
- Has anyone else had to have their 12v battery replaced since earlier than expected/following the battery recall?
- Do you think the dealership’s stance here (blaming lack of charging) is reasonable, or am I right to push back?
- Are my expectations reasonable?
Thanks in advance
Really appreciate any thoughts or shared experiences.
