MajorCommonElectrical

Ferrari 458: Battery drain and control-module gremlins — manettino, seat sensors, door handles, Spider roof module

Battery drain and control-module gremlins — manettino, seat sensors, door handles, Spider roof module is a common electrical fault on the Ferrari 458 on the 2010–2015 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $500 to $3,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 9 documented faults on the Ferrari 458.

Vehicle: Ferrari 458
Years: 2010–2015
Fuel: petrol
System: Electrical

This page covers the Ferrari 458 as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Ferrari 458 faults9 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph of the 12V battery yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of a different part.

What goes wrong

The 458's electrical architecture is always awake, polling its networks, and a car left three weeks without a battery maintainer will be flat — leave it three months and control modules can lose their memory and throw a cascade of faults. On top of that the steering-wheel manettino switches, the seat position sensors, the motorised flush door handles and, on the Spider, the roof control module all produce intermittent faults as the cars age. None of it is catastrophic, but each one is a dealer-level diagnosis and a Ferrari part, and a car that has lived on a maintainer and been driven regularly has far fewer of them.

What you would notice

Multiple warning messages on start-up that clear after a drive
Manettino or steering-wheel switches that work intermittently
Seat position or memory faults
A door handle stuck out or refusing to present
Spider roof stopping mid-cycle or throwing a roof error

How to check it

Where to look. Battery in the front compartment; body and roof control modules; door handle motors; steering-wheel switchgear

Before the car is started, ask whether it lives on a battery maintainer and how long it typically sits between drives. Switch on and read every message that appears on the dash, then work every control: run the manettino through all its positions, adjust both seats through their full travel, work every door handle inside and out several times, and on a Spider cycle the roof fully twice. Ask whether the battery has been replaced and when, and whether any control modules, handle motors or the roof module have been replaced.

Parts involved: 12V battery.

What it costs to put right

$500 to $3,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Is the car kept on a battery maintainer, and when was the battery last replaced?”
“Have any door handle motors, control modules or the roof module been replaced?”
“Are there any warning messages that come and go?”

Now check the Ferrari 458 you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

Foreign Automotive — 'Ferrari 458 Italia Common Problems: A Specialist's Field Guide'
Collecting Cars — The Ultimate Buyer's Guide to the Ferrari 458
Car Examer — 'Ferrari 458 Problems: What To Know Before Buying'

Ferrari 458 buyer questions

Is battery drain and control-module gremlins — manettino, seat sensors, door handles, spider roof module serious on a Ferrari 458?

We rate it major and common on the Ferrari 458. The 458's electrical architecture is always awake, polling its networks, and a car left three weeks without a battery maintainer will be flat — leave it three months and control modules can lose their memory and throw a cascade of faults. On top of that the steering-wheel manettino switches, the seat position sensors, the motorised flush door handles and, on the Spider, the roof control module all produce intermittent faults as the cars age. None of it is catastrophic, but each one is a dealer-level diagnosis and a Ferrari part, and a car that has lived on a maintainer and been driven regularly has far fewer of them.

How much does it cost to fix on a Ferrari 458?

$500 to $3,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Ferrari 458 years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2010–2015 Ferrari 458. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.