Ferrari2011–2016 Critical issues documented

Ferrari FF: common faults & what to check

Thinking about buying a used Ferrari FF (2011–2016) in Australia? We've documented 5 known faults for this model spanning transmission, brakes, and electrical. Each researched and verified before it's published. The most serious issues here are rated critical. Every one is listed below with its symptoms and repair cost, and each has its own page with where to look and what to ask the seller. Free, no account needed.

Check this exact Ferrari FF

Money owing
Written off
Accident claims
Odometer history

An Australian plate goes to the A$17.90 Vehicle Check: money owing, write-off, stolen and rego. Full History adds past kms, accident claims and market value from A$24.99. The free fault check for this model needs the generation and engine, pick them below.

Documented faults

Critical

Most serious

≈A$2,300–13,800

Typical repair

Systems covered

Which Ferrari FF are you looking at?

1 generation variant documented. Pick the shape you recognise: the faults, the servicing and the timeline below all narrow to it. Free, no account needed.

Petrol

1 variant documented

2011–2016F1512011–2016F1516.3 V12 petrolPetrolDocumented issues4 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Charles from Port Chester, New York via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Now narrow it to the engine

A 1.8 and a 2.4 of the same car do not fail the same way, so the faults below narrow to the engine as well as the year. Free, no account needed.

Which engine is in it? These cover every year of this model.

6.3 V12 petrol· 6.3 litre petrol

Start your free check on this Ferrari FF

No plate needed. You get the risk score, the buyer's checklist and the guided inspection for the exact car you picked above — not the whole nameplate.

Ferrari FF

Likely — same engine family

Ferrari FF

Narrowed by capacity and fuel. No engine code is recorded for this option, so a fault specific to one engine of that size cannot be confirmed from it.

Matched on capacity and fuel, not on an engine code.

2 documented faults name an engine this selection cannot confirm. They are listed separately below.

matched on 6.3L engine

What to look out for

The checks worth doing on a Ferrari FF before you hand over any money. Every documented fault is listed below, each with its own page.

Costly issue
Drive it in automatic mode in traffic, then park it several times using reverse and drive in turn, feeling for a delay before first engages.
See why
Seven-speed dual-clutch — hesitation, first-after-reverse lag, seal and sensor faults on early cars
The FF's Getrag seven-speed dual-clutch is a far better gearbox than the 599's F1 box, but the early cars had their share of trouble: hesitation at low speed while the learning software worked out the driver, a lag re-engaging first after reverse when parking, a reluctance to shift from sixth to seventh at high revs, and seal leaks and sensor faults that put up a warning. A rebuild runs to several thousand dollars but is far cheaper than a replacement, and the fluid needs changing on schedule. A car that shifts cleanly in traffic and parks without hesitation is the normal case; anything you can feel is a question.
What you would notice
- Hesitation or a lurch at low speed in automatic mode
- Delay engaging first after reverse when parking
- Reluctance to take seventh at high revs
- Gearbox warning or oil leak at the rear
- No record of gearbox fluid changes
Typically ≈A$2,300–13,800 to put right.
Common issue
Ask whether the car lives on a maintainer, how long it sits between drives and whether the battery has been replaced.
See why
Battery drain, infotainment and phantom sensors — the FF's electrical character
Leave an FF for much more than a week without a maintainer and the battery will be flat, and owners fit lithium batteries or live with the charger as a matter of course. Beyond that the FF's electronics are a running commentary: tyre-pressure sensors that beep at correct pressures, parking sensors that invent obstacles, a much-criticised sat-nav display and an unreliable Bluetooth connection behind the passenger dash flap, and the suspension lift system has failed outright on some cars with a five-figure Ferrari repair. None of it stops the car, but it is the texture of FF ownership and a car with fewer of these has usually been driven more, not less.
What you would notice
- Flat battery after a week or two parked
- Tyre-pressure warning with correct pressures
- Parking sensors beeping at nothing
- Infotainment freezing or Bluetooth dropping
- Suspension lift not working
Typically ≈A$460–5,520 to put right.

All 5 documented issues

Everything researched for the Ferrari FF. Tap an area to open it.

1 rated critical

Electrical2

01Takata passenger airbag inflator recall

petrol2012–2013Electrical≈A$0–3,220

OccasionalElectrical ≈A$0–3,220 to fix

The FF was included in the worldwide Takata recall: the passenger frontal airbag inflator can degrade after years of heat and humidity and rupture on deployment, throwing metal fragments into the cabin. Ferrari recalled 2012-build FFs and later 2014–2016 cars, replacing the passenger airbag module free of charge. Australia both ran Takata campaigns, and an imported car can fall between them, so completion has to be checked against the chassis number. The cost shown is what the same work costs if the car turns out to be outside the campaign.

Symptoms to notice

No record of the Takata passenger airbag replacement
Recently imported car with unknown recall history
Airbag warning light staying on

What to check

Ask whether the Takata passenger airbag recall has been completed and look for it in the service history, and if it is not there ask the seller to have a dealer check the chassis number.
Note where the car was first sold.
Turn the key and confirm the airbag warning light comes on and goes out.

Where to look: Passenger frontal airbag module in the dashboard

Ask the seller

“Has the Takata airbag recall been completed on this car?”
“Was the car imported?”

02Battery drain, infotainment and phantom sensors — the FF's electrical character

Ask whether the car lives on a maintainer, how long it sits between drives and whether the battery has been replaced.petrol2011–2016Electrical≈A$460–5,520

CommonElectrical ≈A$460–5,520 to fix

Leave an FF for much more than a week without a maintainer and the battery will be flat, and owners fit lithium batteries or live with the charger as a matter of course. Beyond that the FF's electronics are a running commentary: tyre-pressure sensors that beep at correct pressures, parking sensors that invent obstacles, a much-criticised sat-nav display and an unreliable Bluetooth connection behind the passenger dash flap, and the suspension lift system has failed outright on some cars with a five-figure Ferrari repair. None of it stops the car, but it is the texture of FF ownership and a car with fewer of these has usually been driven more, not less.

Symptoms to notice

Flat battery after a week or two parked
Tyre-pressure warning with correct pressures
Parking sensors beeping at nothing
Infotainment freezing or Bluetooth dropping
Suspension lift not working

What to check

Ask whether the car lives on a maintainer, how long it sits between drives and whether the battery has been replaced.
Switch on and read every message, then work the infotainment, the Bluetooth, the reversing camera and the parking sensors, and use the suspension lift up and down and check it holds.
Drive it and note any tyre-pressure or sensor warnings that appear for no reason.
Ask whether the lift system or any modules have been replaced.

Where to look: Battery in the boot; body and infotainment modules; suspension lift pump and struts

Parts involved: 12V battery.

Ask the seller

“Is the car kept on a battery maintainer?”
“Has the lift system or any electronic module ever been replaced?”

Body, brakes, suspension & interior1

03Carbon-ceramic brakes with rusting disc bolts — a five-figure bill in a temperate climate

petrol2011–2016Brakes≈A$3,680–36,800

CommonBrakes ≈A$3,680–36,800 to fix

Every FF has carbon-ceramic brakes, and on post-2009 Ferraris driven year-round in a temperate or damp climate the bolts that join the carbon disc to its steel hub corrode, which condemns the disc long before the friction surface is worn — owners have paid five figures for a pair of rear discs for exactly this reason. Ferrari's price for a full set is enormous; specialists offer refurbishment or steel conversions for a fraction. On a car that has lived anywhere wet, look at the bolts before you look at anything else on the brakes.

Symptoms to notice

Rust blooming on the bolts around the centre of the brake disc
Squeal at low speed that does not go away
Vibration through the pedal under braking
Brake wear warning on the dash
No disc wear measurements in the service history

What to check

Look through each wheel with a torch at the ring of bolts joining the disc to its hub and at the hub itself for rust — surface discolouration is normal, flaking corrosion is a disc on its way out.
Look at the disc faces for chips at the edge and glazing.
Ask for the latest disc wear measurements, which Ferrari records by weighing the discs, and whether any discs have been replaced or refurbished.
Brake firmly on the drive and feel for vibration.

Where to look: Carbon-ceramic brake discs and their hub bolts at all four wheels

Ask the seller

“What were the disc wear readings at the last service?”
“Have any brake discs been replaced or refurbished, and what did it cost?”

Only if it's 4WD or AWD: 1 issueThese only happen on four-wheel-drive versions. If this one is 4WD or AWD, check these too.

01Power Transfer Unit failure — '4WD failure, manettino stuck in Wet' and a spline-wear recall

The FF drives its front wheels through a Power Transfer Unit bolted to the front of the engine, and the PTU is the FF's defining weakness.petrol2011–2016TransmissionCan't confirm for this car≈A$13,800–55,200

CommonTransmission ≈A$13,800–55,200 to fix

Can't confirm for this car

The FF drives its front wheels through a Power Transfer Unit bolted to the front of the engine, and the PTU is the FF's defining weakness. A seal between it and the crankcase leaks, hydraulic oil is lost into the unit and the oils mix, pressure to the selectors falls and the dash reports '4WD failure' with the manettino locked in Wet mode. Separately, around 2,650 PTUs were recalled because movement between the differential input splines and the transmission output shaft could wear the spline teeth off, disconnecting the front drive and losing Park. Ferrari's answer was a new unit costing more than many cars; UK specialists now rebuild them for around a quarter of that. It is the first thing to check on any FF.

Symptoms to notice

'4WD failure' message with the manettino stuck in Wet mode
Oil leak at the front of the engine where the PTU meets the crankcase
Clunk or whine from the front of the engine on take-off
Park not holding on a slope
No record of the PTU spline recall

What to check

Switch on and read every message on the dash, and run the manettino through all its positions — a car that will not leave Wet mode has already told you about its PTU. Look under the front of the engine with a torch for fresh oil where the PTU sits against the block, and under the car where it is normally parked for drips. On the drive pull away firmly on a loose or damp surface and listen for a clunk or whine from the front. Stop on a slope, select Park and see whether it holds. Ask whether the PTU has ever been replaced or rebuilt, whether the spline recall was done, and for the invoices.

Where to look: Power Transfer Unit at the front of the engine, driving the front wheels

Parts involved: Transfer case.

Ask the seller

“Has the PTU ever been rebuilt or replaced, and by whom?”
“Was the PTU spline recall carried out?”
“Has the car ever shown a 4WD failure or been stuck in Wet mode?”

Only with a certain gearbox: 1 issueEach one names the gearbox it affects, for example the CVT automatic. Check which gearbox this car has.

01Seven-speed dual-clutch — hesitation, first-after-reverse lag, seal and sensor faults on early cars

Drive it in automatic mode in traffic, then park it several times using reverse and drive in turn, feeling for a delay before first engages.petrol2011–2016TransmissionCan't confirm for this car≈A$2,300–13,800

OccasionalTransmission ≈A$2,300–13,800 to fix

Can't confirm for this car

The FF's Getrag seven-speed dual-clutch is a far better gearbox than the 599's F1 box, but the early cars had their share of trouble: hesitation at low speed while the learning software worked out the driver, a lag re-engaging first after reverse when parking, a reluctance to shift from sixth to seventh at high revs, and seal leaks and sensor faults that put up a warning. A rebuild runs to several thousand dollars but is far cheaper than a replacement, and the fluid needs changing on schedule. A car that shifts cleanly in traffic and parks without hesitation is the normal case; anything you can feel is a question.

Symptoms to notice

Hesitation or a lurch at low speed in automatic mode
Delay engaging first after reverse when parking
Reluctance to take seventh at high revs
Gearbox warning or oil leak at the rear
No record of gearbox fluid changes

What to check

Drive it in automatic mode in traffic, then park it several times using reverse and drive in turn, feeling for a delay before first engages.
Use the paddles on the open road and note whether every shift is quick and clean.
Watch for a gearbox warning.
Look under the rear of the car for oil drips.
Ask when the gearbox fluid was last changed and whether any sensors or seals have been replaced.

Where to look: Dual-clutch transaxle at the rear; gearbox sensors and seals

Parts involved: Clutch.

Ask the seller

“Has the gearbox ever shown a warning or had sensors or seals replaced?”
“When was the gearbox fluid last changed?”

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Ferrari FF buyer questions

Is the Ferrari FF reliable?

Like any used car, it depends on the specific example and its service history. Across the 5 documented faults for the Ferrari FF, the recurring problem areas are transmission, brakes, and electrical. A Ferrari FF with a full service history and no signs of the issues listed on this page can be a sound buy but each one needs to be checked individually before you commit.

What are the most common problems with a used Ferrari FF?

We've catalogued 5 known faults for the Ferrari FF, covering transmission, brakes, and electrical. All 5 are written out in full on this page, with the symptoms to notice, what to inspect, and typical repair costs for each. Free to read, no account needed.

How much do repairs cost on a Ferrari FF?

Most single repairs on the Ferrari FF fall between ≈A$2,300–13,800 at independent-workshop rates (an approximate guide in Australian dollars). Some of the 5 documented faults cost less and a few cost considerably more, and no one car needs them all. Knowing which ones to look for before you view is what lets you negotiate the price down or walk away.

Should I get a pre-purchase inspection on a Ferrari FF?

Yes. A Ferrari FF inspection focused on its known weak points is the single best way to avoid an expensive mistake. KickTyres gives you a guided, model-specific inspection with AI photo analysis from A$28.90, far less than the cost of missing one of the faults on this page. For a big purchase, a mechanic's pre-purchase inspection on the car you settle on is still worth it.