A brake system issue whose root cause is still unknown is leading to a recall of Ferrari 458 and 488 models. The actual number of vehicles affected is still not known, but the Italian supercar manufacturer could have to fix as many as 5,601 vehicles.
According to NHTSA documents, Ferrari has determined that a defect related to the braking system in the 2010-2015MY 458 (produced between September 26, 2009 and December 2, 2015) and 2016-2019MY 488 (manufactured between July 22, 2015 and August 28, 2019) supercars could leak fluid.
If the brake fluid leaks out completely, the consequences could be dire and the risk of a crash would be greatly increased. Fortunately, there are systems in place to warn drivers before that happens.
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Owners of the vehicles will be warned by a message in the car’s infotainment system if the total amount of brake fluid decreases by 52 percent in the reservoir. If that happens, a message on the dashboard will read “Brake fluid level low, Go to dealer slowly.” A warning light will also appear on the dash with an acoustic signal to warn the driver.
If the message appears, Ferrari encourages drivers to simply pull over as soon as it is safe to do so and contact Ferrari Roadside Assistance to get the vehicle towed to the nearest authorized dealer.
Unfortunately, since neither the root cause of the issue nor the number of vehicles affected is known at this time, a remedy to the situation is not yet clear. Ferrari plans to send out an interim letter to owners to warn them of the issue while it works on finding a solution.
Subsequent Ferrari models do not use the same brake master cylinder or brake booster components and are therefore not subject to the recall.
