A car that can break the 200-mph barrier uses some pretty beefy bits and pieces to make that speed a reality. However, the equipment needed to bring you back to a standstill, most notably the brakes, is just as integral as the other parts. So imagine you are driving your 200+ mph Italian supercar when you press the brake pedal and nothing happens. That is a possibility, we are finding out, in the Ferrari 458 and 488 models made between September 26, 2009, and August 28, 2019.

What's the Deal Behind the Ferrari Brake Recall?

The 458 and 488 have a braking system made by Bosch that can malfunction due to an oil leak from the master cylinder or brake booster assembly. This leak can cause not just a loss in braking power but no brakes at all.

The other issue here is that neither Ferrari nor Bosch knows exactly what the problem is. Ferrari said in the official NHTSA recall document unknown at this time. Ferrari and the supplier of the brake booster/pump assembly, Bosch, are continuing to investigate this issue." >

Since they do not know the root cause of the problem they cannot fix it. The two companies can not even have a plan to fix it or know how much it will cost.

Ferrari has implemented measures to make sure this does not happen often. If the brake fluid reservoir is 48% or less full, a message will appear in the dashboard saying, "Brake fluid level low, Go to dealer slowly." There will also be a warning light and a noise to make sure the driver knows what to do.

What Ferrari plans to do right now

However, Ferrari says that "the driver should pull off the road as soon as it is safe to do so, and then contact Ferrari Roadside Assistance and get towed to the nearest authorized Ferrari dealer."

Ferrari plans to send a letter to all 458 and 488 owners detailing the issue and their plans. Assuming, of course, they have plans by that time. If you can afford a Ferrari, you can also probably afford to have your Ferrari towed to a dealership to have the system examined.

Another option is to just not drive it until Ferrari sorts out what exactly the problem is and can properly fix the issue. Fortunately, other Ferrari models do not use the same braking system, so they should be fine.