Ferrari's finally decided to issue a recall on the Ferrari 458 Italia after at least four fires in three months, according to a letter allegedly received by an owner. Ferrari's apparently blaming a design flaw instead of their owners. UPDATE
The Italian automaker promised us the Ferrari 458 Italia would be a hot new ride, but the numerous fires made us wonder about how literal the Italians were being.
After weeks of no response to our questions, we were treated to a quiet leak to European buff books earlier this week that Ferrari was investigating the fires. It turns out it may have been a quick investigation.
We've heard from one owner tonight that they received a letter from Ferrari claiming a gas overflow tube and gas vapor system were placed too close to the engine, thus creating the possibility of a fire. The owner was told they can take their vehicle to their dealer to receive a fix. We're currently trying to confirm this report and will update you as soon as we get it.
UPDATE: The reliably in-the-know Ferrari obsessives at Ferrari Chat seem to confirm there's a fix going on, with one poster even posting pics saying:
picked up my 458 today.
This was the part they changed immediately during the PDI.
The 1st photo is where the "breather pipe" is located.
The 2nd photo is the old part.
The 3rd photo is the new part that was installed.
In response to a question about whether this was related to the fire, the same person who shared photos of the repair said "I asked the same question... they gave a non-committal "probably". I think they are under gag orders. "
We're still waiting for Ferrari to respond to our inquires, but they all seem to be at a bocci game.
(Hat tip to tekufah98!)