Proving the success of Ferrari and the necessity for all automakers to be on guard for quality issues, NHTSA is recalling 1,950 Ferrari F430 Spiders because “heat from the engine may cause hair-line cracks to form in the hoses which may result in fluid leakage from the convertible top hydraulic system”.
Which hoses? See, the hydraulic hoses that operate the convertible top are located inside the engine compartment. Remember, the engine compartment in a Ferrari F430 is located aft of the cockpit. It appears obvious that hydraulic fluid leakage in the engine bay of a very expensive supercar with a 4.3L V8 and 483 horsepower could be bad. NHTSA spells it out: “This leakage in turn, will cause the convertible top warning light to illuminiate and if not remedied, could ultimately leak fluid into the engine compartment causing smoke and a fire, rendering the vehicle inoperable and possible resulting in a crash.”
F430 Spiders involved are from model years 2005, 2006, and 2007. This Recall will begin sometime this month. Dealers are expected to install protective heat shields over the hydraulic lines.
