Ford moves Escape production to 2021 after Europe recall of Kuga

Ford Motor said on Tuesday it was moving production of its plug-in Escape sport utility vehicle to 2021 as it reviews its automobiles with the same engine and battery parts that were recalled in Europe.

“We are moving full-scale production of Escape PHEV to the 2021 model year. The first Escape PHEVs will be sold next year,” a company spokesman said in a statement.

The automaker said it recalled 20,500 Kuga PHEV vehicles in Europe last month and suspended their sale as it looks into possible concern with the high voltage battery, which in certain cases could cause fire.

“Because we share components with Kuga PHEV, including battery cells, we are moving production to next year, while we work with the battery cell supplier to resolve the issue affecting Kuga PHEV in Europe,” a company representative in Europe stated.

Ford, which builds Escape vehicles at Louisville plant located in Kentucky, had first planned their production last spring, but that was postponed to this summer as the coronavirus crisis forced the automaker to shut factories.