Ferrari is recalling more than 2,000 cars in China over a potential braking fault, the country’s regulator has announced.
The issue affects 2,222 cars imported to China between March 2010 and March 2019, including coupe, Spider, and hardcore Speciale versions of the mid-engine 458, Reuters reports. But since production of those cars had finished by 2015, the recall must also affect the 458’s successor, the turbocharged 488 GTB, and its Spider variant. Bizarrely, the same report says the recall, which begins on May 30, affects 458 examples of each of the 458 variants.
Ferrari has yet to comment on the announcement, but it seems likely China is late to the Ferrari recall party announced last November. Or perhaps that should be early because although the Italian supercar firm revealed in late 2021 that it was investigating 458 and 488 variants over a potential brake fluid leak that could lead to a loss of braking power, it hadn’t worked out a cure.
That issue covered the 2010-15 458 Italia, 2014-15 458 Speciale, 2015 Speciale A, 2012-15 458 Spider, 2016-19 488 GTB, and 2016-19 488 Spider, but at the time of the announcement Ferrari had not yet determined the root of the problem, exactly how many cars were affected, or how to fix them.
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Ferrari explained that if a car is experiencing a problem and the volume of brake fluid in the reservoir has dropped by 52 percent, the driver will get a message on the dashboard that reads “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.
But rather than follow those instructions, the company says owners should pull over to the side of the road as soon as they receive the warning message and contact Ferrari roadside assistance. It also says that owners of its sports cars built outside of the 2010-2019 timeframe, like the F8 Tributo, are in the clear because they were built with different braking components.
We’ve reached out to Ferrari to ask if it has determined the cause of the problem and will update this story when we have more information.