After a spate of
high-profile fires Ferrari is finally recalling the new
458 Italia having discovered that a bonding adhesive
used in the rear wheel arch assembly section has been
melting and working loose and causing the dramtic sports
car to spectacularly combust. Five fires in recent
months have made headlines around the world as the 560
bhp, 4,499cc V8 mid-engined supercar has erupted in
flames, and last month engineers from Maranello started
to investigate the problem.
There have been
documented fires in California, Switzerland, Paris and
most recently in China, plus one further incident that
hasn't been divulged. A sixth 458 Italia, the car was
designed by Pininfarina, was consumed by a fire while in
a warehouse at Heathrow but this case it isn't currently
being linked to the wheel arch problem.
Ferrari's engineers
visited the locations to examine what it described as
being "thermal incidents" although until just a few days
ago the coompany was blaming drivers for the problems. A
Ferrari spokesman said yesterday: "Dealers are
contacting clients to ask them to take their cars in to
carry out modifications to the wheel arch assembly and
heat shield. This modification has been decided after
the analysis carried out by Ferrari technicians
investigating the thermal incidents since July involving
five 458 vehicles of over 1,000 delivered."
Ferrari now says that
the issue is related to an adhesive used in the rear
wheel arch sections and this glue can be prone to
overheating - and in extreme circumstances - melting and
deforming the exhaust heat shield assembly which then is
freed up to move closer to the hot exhaust pipes and
result in an engine bay fire. The aluminium-bodied 458
Italia has melted down in spectacular fashion according
to a series of images that have captured the incidents
over recent months.
The Ferrari spokesman
said: "The wheel arch assembly and heat shield which
incorporates both mechanical fasteners and adhesive may,
in the case of particularly high temperatures and as a
result of heat produced by the exhaust cause the
deformation of the assembly itself. Such deformation
brings the assembly excessively close to the exhaust
causing the adhesive used to overheat and produce smoke
or, in the case of particularly high temperatures,
ignite."
Around 1,200 examples
of the 458 Italia sports car have been delivered to
customers around the world so far this year (it was
first shown in public for its world première at the
Frankfurt IAA last autumn) and all these models will now
be recalled, with the owners of the burnt-out cars
having their examples replaced free-of-charge. Ferrari's
dealers will replace the bonding agent used in the wheel
arches with more conventional steel rivets to resolve
the problem. All 458 Italias built at the factory iin
Maranello since the end of July have apparently had this
new wheel arch assembly solution applied.
