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'Fire risk' recall for Ferrari supercar

02/09/2010

Ferrari has recalled more than 1,200 examples of its latest supercar model due to a design fault linked with several fires.

The carmaker confirmed that it was investigating five so-called "thermal incidents", following reports of the critically-lauded 458 Italia catching fire. According to Autocar, Ferrari acknowledged that a fault with the glue used in wheel arches could cause a problem in some of the earliest examples of the model, which typically costs £170,000.

"When the car is driven to high exhaust temperatures, in hot ambient temperatures, the adhesive used in the wheel arch assemblies can overheat and allow the rear wheel housing heat shields to move around," a spokesperson told the magazine.

"In extreme cases, the glue can begin to smoke and even catch fire."

Autocar's source also made clear that the fault would only be a problem on cars "driven very hard", adding that the risk of fire had only effected a "handful" of the 1,248 458 Italias delivered this year - and none of those in the UK.

The car manufacturer has contacted all owners of 458s that have already been delivered to arrange replacement of the current wheel arch liners, which will be attached more securely.

However, Ferrari - which suggests that sensationalistic journalism mixed with unfortunate timing has exaggerated the issue, wrongly proposing the car is 'jinxed' - says that only those whose vehicles have been damaged by the fault will have them replaced for free.

This is not the first high profile car recall to hit the headlines this year however. Shares in Toyota were sent tumbling in January when fears regarding the safety of accelerator pedal mechanisms incited a mass recall that affected 7.5 million cars in the US alone.

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