Ferrari GTC4Lusso: common faults & what to check

Which Ferrari GTC4Lusso are you looking at?

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

Petrol

2 variants documented

2016–2020F151M2016–2020F151M3.9 twin-turbo V8 petrol (T)PetrolDocumented issues4 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Calreyn88 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

2016–2020F151M2016–2020F151M6.3 V12 petrolPetrolDocumented issues4 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Calreyn88 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

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.

Start your free check on this Ferrari GTC4Lusso

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.

The checks worth doing on a Ferrari GTC4Lusso before you hand over any money. Every documented fault is listed below, each with its own page.

• Serious issue

  Switch on, read every message and run the manettino through all its positions.

  See why

  Power Transfer Unit oil-mixing failure inherited from the FF — '4WD failure, manettino stuck in Wet'

  The GTC4Lusso kept the FF's four-wheel-drive system and with it the Power Transfer Unit's weakness: poor sealing lets hydraulic oil escape into the unit and mix with the gear oil, pressure to the selectors drops, and the car reports '4WD failure' with the manettino locked in Wet mode. It fails less often than on the FF but it still fails, and Ferrari's fix is a replacement unit at a price that reshapes the car's value. UK specialists now offer a permanent rebuild for roughly a quarter of that, which is what a well-cared-for car will have had if it has had anything.

  What you would notice

  • '4WD failure' message with the manettino stuck in Wet mode
  • Oil weeping at the front of the engine where the PTU meets the block
  • Clunk or whine from the front of the engine on take-off
  • Manettino faults that clear overnight

  Typically $15,000–$60,000 to put right.

• Serious issue

  Smell around the rear of the car and inside the boot before and after the drive for fuel.

  See why

  Fuel vapour separator recall on October 2017 to October 2018 builds

  GTC4Lussos built between October 2017 and October 2018 were caught by Ferrari's fuel vapour separator recall: a badly made weld on the separator could crack and leak fuel, which with an ignition source is a fire. It is a free dealer fix, but a fuel smell on any car in this build window is a stop until it is proven done. The Lusso and Lusso T of 2017–2018 also fall under the Takata passenger airbag campaign, so ask for the full recall history in one go. The cost shown is what the same work costs if the car turns out to be outside the campaign.

  What you would notice

  • Fuel smell around the car or in the boot
  • No record of the fuel vapour separator recall on a late-2017 to 2018 build
  • Check-engine light for an evaporative emissions code
  • No record of the Takata airbag campaign

  Typically $0–$4,000 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Look through each wheel with a torch at the ring of bolts joining the disc to its hub for flaking corrosion, starting with the rears.

  See why

  Carbon-ceramic disc corrosion — the rear discs go first

  Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard on the GTC4Lusso, and as on the FF the steel hub bolts and hubs corrode in a damp climate, condemning a disc long before its friction surface is worn — a documented FF needed both rear discs for corrosion at around £10,000, and the Lusso uses the same brakes. Front corrosion has been noted too but has less often reached replacement. Look at the bolts before the pads.

  What you would notice

  • Rust on the bolts around the centre of the disc, worst at the rear
  • Squeal at low speed that does not go away
  • Vibration through the pedal under braking
  • No disc wear measurements in the service history

  Typically $4,000–$40,000 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Park the car several times using reverse and drive in turn, feeling for a delay before it moves.

  See why

  Dual-clutch hesitation and reverse-to-drive lag — seals and sensors

  The GTC4Lusso's seven-speed dual-clutch can be slow to learn a driver's style and hesitates when switching between reverse and drive while parking, and on some cars the cause is a leaking seal or a faulty sensor rather than software. A drop, split and rebuild runs to several thousand dollars; owners have also reported manettino faults that fix themselves overnight and, on one documented car, a disconnected gearbox wiring plug that disabled some ratios. A car that parks without hesitation and shifts cleanly is the normal case.

  What you would notice

  • Delay engaging drive after reverse when parking
  • Hesitation or a lurch at low speed in automatic mode
  • Gearbox warning or oil leak at the rear
  • Some gears unavailable

  Typically $2,500–$16,000 to put right.

• Common issue

  Ask whether the car lives on its charger and how long it sits between drives.

  See why

  Battery drain in under a week and a run of software glitches

  The GTC4Lusso draws hard on its battery when parked and owners describe it sucking the life out of one in around six days, so the Ferrari charger is part of ownership rather than an accessory. Alongside that owners report the infotainment screen freezing, seat-heater display faults, mirror and lighting glitches, and the passenger window dropping after the car is locked. On a car this new most of it is software and most of it was dealt with under warranty, but a car that has been allowed to go flat repeatedly is the one that keeps producing new ones.

  What you would notice

  • Flat battery after less than a week parked
  • Infotainment screen freezing
  • Seat heater, mirror or lighting glitches
  • Passenger window dropping after locking

  Typically $400–$3,000 to put right.

What these repairs cost on other cars

Some of the Ferrari GTC4Lusso’s documented faults are repairs other models share. Each page lists the documented NZ cost for every model it affects.

• DSG and Dual-Clutch Gearbox Repair Cost

Other Ferrari models