"It's not a design flaw, it's a security weakness."

That's the distinction which Ford SA is using to justify the fact that various "solutions" it is now offering to many of its customers - whose cars are being targeted by thieves, thanks to a "weak" driver's door lock - won't be free.

The manufacturer's stock response to the many "but why isn't this free?" tweets is: "Our vehicles' anti-theft system meets all required safety and security measures and as such this cannot be considered a design or manufacturing fault, which means we are unable to offer security upgrade for free."

That weakness has caused scores of Ford owners massive loss and distress. Many have lost laptops, wallets and other valuables. One former Ford dealership head told Carte Blanche that about 10 to 15 owners of the affected Fiesta and EcoSport models would come to the dealership every month for replacement locks at considerable cost.

The new locks made the cars just as vulnerable to a quick, easy break-in as they were before, hence many suffered repeated losses.

Bonginkosi Mthombeni of Midrand says his 2014 Fiesta has been broken into five times, and his losses include two laptop bags and their contents, an iPad and a cellphone.

His car is insured by Discovery Insure, but he didn't claim for any of his losses "for fear that my premiums would go up, especially given that the insurance company had to know that replacing the lock was no deterrent and it was likely to happen again. I expect Ford to introduce a different locking system to this model at no cost as I have already lost a lot due to their flimsy lock," Mthombeni said.

Despite being aware of the "security weakness", the manufacturer issued no alert to affected owners about the "vulnerability" and no warning not to leave valuables in their car boots - not until the issue became public via social media.

Sowetan's sister publication TimesLIVE asked Ford SA why it kept quiet about this vulnerability for so long, but didn't get a response.

Robyn Farrell, CEO of Telesure Investment Holdings, which owns Auto & General, Budget, DialDirect and First for Women, said their claims data had noted a recent increase in the number of claims.

"We have contacted Ford about this issue," she said. "We believe that if Ford was aware of this issue they should have pro-actively engaged with owners of the affected models."

Ford SA spokesperson Minesh Bhagaloo said the company regretted the "inconvenience".

"Unfortunately, crime of this nature is rampant in our market," he said. "Criminals are taking advantage of a vulnerable access point into the vehicle, which is why we are committed to providing after-
market solutions that improve vehicle security and help prevent thefts from Ford vehicles.

Reaction on "My Ford was broken into SA" Facebook page has been mixed.

While some happily reported paying their R155 to make sure the car's alarm sounded if broken into via the driver's door lock, others objected to paying anything at all "to fix a problem created by Ford".