Ferrari issues an unusual recall

Last week, Ferrari issued a recall on about 2,400 1995–99 355 and 355F1s in the United States. The reason? A non-factory mechanic improperly installed “certain screw clamps that are located in close proximity to the fuel lines and that fasten the water sleeve to the thermostat connection."

Ferrari said it feared the error could damage the fuel-supply pipes and possibly allow fuel to leak into the engine compartment.

The recall is unusual because the typical safety recall involves a design flaw, manufacturing error or the failure to meet motor vehicle safety standards.

In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Ferrari says it learned of the problem when it was sued over a fire involving an injury to the driver. Ferrari says the suit has been settled, but during discovery it uncovered the mechanic’s snafu.

Ferrari says the mistake was “extremely unusual and should have been obvious to, and readily avoidable by, any reasonably skilled technician." But to prevent this from happening again, Ferrari told the agency it was now recommending that owners have a “fuel divider block" installed by dealers.

A spokesman for Ferrari North America agreed this was not the classic safety recall, but he said Ferrari felt it was important to make sure our cars were “always at their best condition." He said Ferrari had seen this same repair done improperly by non-factory mechanics in other countries, too. NYTimes.com