Ferrari owners have filed 43 complaints with NHTSA across 17 models. On average the car was 6.44 years old when the problem happened, and 28.2% of reports fall inside the first three years — while the factory warranty was still running.
What breaks on Ferrari
The systems Ferrari owners report most, and how often each failure ended in a crash.
| System | Complaints | Share of Ferrari | Ended in a crash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 27.9% | 0% | |
| Service Brakes | 16.3% | 28.6% | |
| Seat Belts | 11.6% | 0% | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7% | 33.3% | |
| Electrical System | 4.7% | 0% | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4.7% | 0% | |
| Unknown Or Other | 4.7% | 0% | |
| Visibility/wiper | 4.7% | 0% |
When Ferrari problems show up
| Measure | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Average age at failure | 6.44 years | How old the car was when the problem happened |
| Reported inside 3 years | 28.2% | Share of complaints filed while the factory warranty was likely still running |
| Complaints describing a crash | 4 | Of 43 total |
| Complaints describing a fire | 3 | Of 43 total |
A low average age does not automatically mean a fragile car: a brand with a young fleet on the road will always skew early. Read it next to the share reported inside three years.
Which Ferrari models draw the most complaints
Volume follows sales, so a bestseller will always top this list. The columns worth reading are age at failure and how many reports ended in a crash.
| Model | Complaints | Share of Ferrari | Avg age at failure | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 488 GTB | 20.9% | 3.4 yrs | 2 | |
| 458 ITALIA | 14% | 7.3 yrs | — | |
| TESTAROSSA | 11.6% | 15.0 yrs | — | |
| F430 | 9.3% | 8.3 yrs | — | |
| F355 | 9.3% | 8.8 yrs | 1 | |
| CALIFORNIA | 9.3% | 6.0 yrs | — | |
| 488 SPIDER | 2.3% | 3.0 yrs | — | |
| GTC4LUSSO | 2.3% | 2.0 yrs | — | |
| CALIFORNIA T | 2.3% | 2.0 yrs | — | |
| 812 SUPERFAST | 2.3% | 0.0 yrs | — | |
| 550 MARANELLO | 2.3% | 15.0 yrs | — | |
| 348 TB | 2.3% | 5.0 yrs | — | |
| 458 SPIDER | 2.3% | 5.0 yrs | — | |
| 458 SPECIALE | 2.3% | 9.0 yrs | — | |
| 430 SCUDERIA | 2.3% | 7.0 yrs | — |
Ferrari complaints by model year
A bad generation shows up here as a block of years, not as a single spike. Recent years look quiet simply because those cars are young and still under warranty.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | — | — | |
| 2019 | — | — | |
| 2018 | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | 1 | — | |
| 2016 | — | — | |
| 2015 | — | — | |
| 2014 | — | — | |
| 2013 | — | — | |
| 2012 | — | — | |
| 2011 | — | — | |
| 2010 | — | — | |
| 2009 | — | — | |
| 2007 | — | — | |
| 2006 | — | — | |
| 2002 | — | 1 | |
| 2001 | 1 | — | |
| 1998 | — | — | |
| 1996 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1992 | — | — | |
| 1990 | — | — |
What Ferrari owners report
Grouped by the system owners named. Open any row for the full reports, in their own words — one per model so the same fault does not repeat.
Air Bags 12 Read
Rpm Royalty a rental car company located at [XXX] has been renting out a rebuilt 488 Ferrari with no functional airbags. This is a serious safety risk INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Ferrari does not respond to the urgent safety recall regarding the passenger side front airbag. I am worried for my safety and that of my family in case of a crash
Since the first recall in june 2019, I try to get an appointment at my local ferrari dealership and he is not able to repair the car for some reasons
Service Brakes 7 Read
On Sunday Sept 4th, while attending an Edge Addicts track day event at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, My 2017 488 Was parts of the run group, 2 laps were completed prior to the brake pedal failing completely to the floor and causing my driver to loose all braking capability and slamming into a wall. We have in car video from Go Pro footage, footage from another vehicle from behind my 488 and also footage from the control room of the track. This vehicle was purchased 3 months ago, the brake fluid is at the correct level and the new "Recalled" Brake fluid cap is installed. There is some sort of serious manufacturing defect with this system, this is a car designed for this type of use. This needs a serious investigation before others are hurt or killed
On 07 September 2021, I had been driving my 2018 Ferrari 488 Spider for 8 to 10 miles when the car suddenly displayed the following message "Brake Fluid Low, Go to Dealer Slowly". (note: Dealer is 2 hours away at 60 mph). As I slowed the car from approximately 45 mph, the brakes felt minimal but with down-shifting and minimal brakes I was able to slow the car. I attempted to limp home at 5 to 10 mph however within 3 miles or so the brakes failed completely. With the pedal to the floor there was absolutely no effect on the vehicle. It was fortunate that I was able to slow the car prior to complete failure and did not hit anything or anyone. Once the brakes failed completely, I did end up running through a stop sign before I could pull off the road into a parking lot and only stopped the car by rolling into an uphill parking spot and hitting the concrete parking barrier with the tires. I found it was necessary to turn the car off in order to keep it from rolling backwards. The car does not have a classic emergency brake but rather an electronic hold function. When trying to activate this function to keep the car from rolling backwards the car displayed the following message (as best I can remember) "Depress Brake Pedal to Activate Hold". However, with the brake pedal fully depressed, the function would not activate even though it worked fine prior to the brake failure (and subsequent to repair). The car was towed to the dealer and repaired under warranty. The serv
A few occurrences of applying the brake, but the brake pedal barely moves further (hard brake feel) but the car does not slow down. Has occurred going forward at slow speeds. However next brake application is normal. Perhaps issue with brake boost?
Seat Belts 5 Read
The contact's son owns a 1988 Ferrari Testarossa. The contact stated that vehicle was manufactured with an electrical seat belt that would recline once an occupant was seated in either the driver’s or passenger’s side seat. The contact stated that the track for the passenger side seat belt was defective and would not recline with an occupant seated in the passenger’s seat. The seat belt warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 03V142000 (Seat Belts) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000
The contact owns a 1992 ferrari 348 tb. The contact stated that the passenger side passive seat belt restraint became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 03V142000 (seat belts). The manufacturer was not aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,500
Fuel System, Gasoline 3 Read
1996 ferrari spyder f355 caught fire in the engine compartment. Consumer states that after the investigation it was verified that the fire was caused by a rupture of the high pressure fuel line. *kb the consumer stated the driver sustained burn injuries to the head, shoulder, back, and neck. The recall had been performed to prevent the problem a possible fire from occurring, however despite the recall fix, the vehicle still caught on fire
The contact owns a 2015 ferrari 458 italia. The contact stated that the vehicle was at a stand still at a gas station, the contact was unable to add fuel to the vehicle. The contact stated he attempted to refuel the vehicle at different stations but continued to experience the failure. The contact was able to add fuel using a gas container. The contact also stated the fuel was leaking from the vehicle while turning. The vehicle was taken to ferrari los angeles (7051 hayvenhurst ave, van nuys, ca 91406; (888) 353-2595), where it was diagnosed with needing the fuel neck pipe to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.*dt *jb
Electrical System 2 Read
It appears that a battery wiring harness leading to a fuse block overheated and created a fire in the passenger compartment footwell, involving the wire harness itself, the wire harness cover, the fuse block, passenger compartment carpet and nearby components. It is unknown when the fire occurred, though we believe the vehicle was stationary in the garage since we did not experience any smoke while in motion. Ferrari north america has been involved/informed
Power windows and all buttons in the ferrari becomes sticky and all controls become stuck in place. Making it dangerous to operate the vehicle. This only happens in the summertime when temperature melts the top layer of the film or plastics of the bottons. This is a well known and docomented issue among ferrari online chats. This happens anytime the outside temp is over 90 degrees. When driving more than half of all buttons including hazard how can I setting and turn signals do not work
Fuel/propulsion System 2 Read
I have a 2012 ferrari 458 italia and the "flapper" on the fuel filler does not close. I've noticed on a couple occasions that after filling and "spirited" driving (corning at legal speeds) I will have fuel on the side of the car. This indicates that the fuel can "slosh" out of the filler neck. I've got a concern that this could ignite causing a fire. I've been able to manipulate the flapper to get it to close, but it sticks open again after the next fuel up. I've attached a picture of the abnormal condition. The flapper is stuck open in the abnormal condition and is the safety concern. I believe the flapper should always return to closed when fuel filler neck is removed from the automobile
The charcoal canister vapor trap can malfunction and fill with gasoline. This happened once with the prior owner (02/06/2008) and twice with us (10/31/2016). One of these malfunctions was at the dealership after they had replaced the charcoal canister vapor trap, drove the vehicle and it filled with gasoline. They replaced the charcoal canister vapor trap again. This causes total undrivability because of overwhelming raw fuel smell and the fear of fire
Unknown Or Other 2 Read
All the plastic in the dashboard, including all the buttons that are essential for operating the car, starts melting, the labels on these essential buttons become unidentifiable, and it coats the fingertips and hands with melted sticky plastic which renders the driving experience not safe as one is trying to clean his/her hands from essentially glue. A quick google search shows this is an extremely common problem in these cars. While there is an obvious cosmetic issue here, I believe this is also a safety issue when the button labels cannot be read, or when a glue-like chemical is all over the hands while driving
The two horn "buttons" are located in the steering rim at 9 and 3. It is not a normal location for the horn button which in all other cars is in the center of the steering wheel. Two times in the last 3 weeks I have nearly had someone turn into me when I cannot warn them with my horn, due to the illogical location of the "buttons"
Visibility/wiper 2 Read
Headliner is sagging and this is causing sun visor to come down thus affecting visibility of the driver. This problem is very common on this model and causing a safety issue
Vehicle owners manual says it is equipped with a feature to be able to activate/deactivate the auto-dimming feature for the rearview and side mirrors- the vehicle is not actually equipped with this feature. The mirrors automatically dim at night when the headlights are turned on, the side view mirrors especially dim to a very dark level where it is unsafe and I can not properly see making it unsafe to drive the vehicle. I wish I am able to deactivate this feature as stated in my owners manual for the vehicle
Unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA. Percentages are shares of all 43 Ferrari complaints.
Ferrari against the rest
| Measure | Where Ferrari sits | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| By complaint volume | #0 | 29 brands with 3,000+ complaints |
| By age at failure (later is better) | #0 | 29 brands |
| Complaints ending in a crash | 9.3% | across all 43 reports |
Ranking by volume says more about how many cars a brand sells than about how they hold up. Age at failure is the fairer of the two.
Compare Ferrari with the rest
Ferrari problems by model
16 Ferrari models have owner complaints on file. Pick one for its worst years, failing systems and what owners actually wrote. Another 1 Ferrari models have no complaints on record at all.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
How reliable is Ferrari?
Owners have filed 43 complaints across 17 Ferrari models. On its own that number reflects how many Ferrari cars are on the road — compare the average age at failure (6.44 years) instead.
What breaks most often on a Ferrari?
The most reported system is Air Bags with 12 complaints.
Do Ferrari problems show up under warranty?
28.2% of Ferrari complaints describe something that happened in the first three years, while the factory warranty was likely still running.
Which Ferrari model has the most complaints?
See the model list above — each card shows its complaint count, and the model page breaks it down by year and by system.