My dealer just informed me that as of 1 minute ago he learned that Ferrari has issued a recall on ALL 458 due to the fire situation. Ferrari has determined the cause of the 458's that have caught on fire was from an adhesive that attached the heat shield under the rear fenders. The heat shields were attached with an adhesive and became flammable under high temps. The new shield will be attached rivets, not any type of adhesive. Every 458 produced will get this new part so call your dealer now and set up your appointment which of course is free of charge. Ferrari is not taking any chances and will replace this part on every 458 italia produced to date. Kudos to Ferrari for discovering this issue as this couldn't have been any easy find. Look for an official announcement from Ferrari within the next hour.
Wow, all the specualtion as to casuses were completely off! I'm happy for all 458 owners and future owner who can now rest at ease. Dave
I wouldn't be so sure on that one... Don't you have to get at both ends of a rivet to fasten it? Might be a time consuming fix depending on what techs have to remove to get at this heat shield. There is a reason Ferrari spec'd adhesive instead of rivets the first time...
After examining the enormous amount of putty used in the front fender wells and beneath the car (my car bottom has stalactites). Perhaps the entire 458 is stuck together with flammable goo. J
I thought most of the composites were bonded with adhesive? Even on the Enzo, and Scud. Glad to see that they found the root cause before some one was hurt, from what I have seen, all the ones that have burnt, did so with the driver watching, not participating. The rivet fix seems simple, and it should be. I do not imagine they will be using actual rivets, that will require an anvil, and access to tight spots. I imagine that those who inspect their newly configured Italia's will find aircraft grade pop rivets on the heat shield.
Speculation that its's apparently a batch of incorrectly mixed epoxy resin, too much of one compound and not enough of the other or something that lowers the flashpoint . Cannot pinpoint all the affected cars so changing all globally. Sending my car in tomorrow.
Have you posted pics of your car yet Lung? I would love to see it mate. I hope they get your car sorted my friend.
Just a thought as I read about the cause of the recent 458 Italia fires. Do many owners drive their cars harder than the factory test drivers? Wouldn't this issue have shown up in all the test miles that Ferrari subjects their cars to? Just doesn't add up that this wouldn't have happened on a pre-production test car. Anyways, if owners are put at ease by this, then I guess problem solved.
I did the Ferrari driving experience in July at Mont-Tremblant , and the 458's never got a rest, they were run hard and for longs periods of time. No fires while I was there for the two day's.
It is likely an issue affecting a small number of cars, as described by prior poster perhaps a bad batch of adhesive. Certainly they would not have used an adhesive that is not heat resistant, and again if it were every car then there would have been a lot more fires (and discovered in testing too). So unfortunately needs to be changed on all cars to be safe. Now I'm wondering if I should drive my car at all or wait for the repair kit to arrive to dealer. Dealer said Ferrari is paying for flatbed service as well and best be on the safe side and wait .. lame! Especially with the long weekend here in the US approaching and guests coming that wanted to see the car!
The breather valve is unrelated and is just a normal upgrade campaign, per Ferrari's information on the recall.
Cheers up man, it better to send it in for a change damn something happen later. When your car back to you, it will be in great condition plus safer to drive
The fundamental problem is trapped heat in the engine bay, Ferrari designed the car for aerodynamics so any air going into the car will force the car downward, hence they forgot about the heat the engine produces as there is no venting for the heat out of the engine bay. In my opinion they should add some type of venting by the exhaust system so hot air can escape.
Ferrari North Europe has officially explained the fault that has caused five of the very earliest examples of its 458 supercar to catch fire. "When the car is driven to high exhaust temperatures, in hot ambient temperatures, the adhesive used in the wheelarch assemblies can overheat and allow the rear wheel housing heat shields to move around. In extreme cases, the glue can begin to smoke and even catch fire," a Ferrari spokesperson told Autocar. "It would only be a problem on cars driven very hard, and has only affected a handful of the 1248 458 Italias we've delivered so far none in the UK, our source confirmed. Ferrari claims that the problem has been made to look more serious than it should because of unfortunate timing and innaccurate reporting. A new 458 was written off because of a warehouse fire recently, and others have been crashed, the firm says, causing some areas of the media to suggest the car is 'jinxed'. Ferrari will recall all of the 458s delivered so far to fit new wheelarch liners, which will be attached more securely. It will also be replacing any cars that have been damaged as a result of the problem. All new 458s built now that Ferraris Maranello plant has re-opened after the summer shutdown will be rectified before they leave the factory. http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/252519/