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Ferrari2018–2023 Critical issues documented

Ferrari Portofino: common faults & what to check

Thinking about buying a used Ferrari Portofino (2018–2023) in New Zealand? We've documented 5 known faults for this model spanning brakes, transmission, electrical, and engine. 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 Portofino

  • Odometer history
  • Money owing
  • Reported stolen
  • Ownership history
  • Official NZ vehicle register data
  • NZ owned and operated

Type the plate for the free basics. The full record is a paid check from $13.49, one car at a time, no subscription.

No NZ plate yet, or buying in Australia? Pick the generation and engine and start a free check below. New to KickTyres? How the check works →

5

Documented faults

Critical

Most serious

$800–$6,000

Typical repair

4

Systems covered

Which Ferrari Portofino 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.

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.

3.9 twin-turbo V8 petrol· 3.9 litre petrol, turbocharged

Start your free check on this Ferrari Portofino

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 Portofino

Free. The paid plate check is separate, and stays optional.

Likely — same engine family

Ferrari Portofino

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.

  • 1 documented fault names an engine this selection cannot confirm. It is listed separately below.

matched on 3.9L engine

What to look out for

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

  • Serious issue

    Ask for the dealer's recall history against the chassis number and confirm the brake fluid reservoir cap campaign is complete.

    See why

    Brake fluid reservoir cap recall — Ferrari RC 80 (NHTSA 22V-536)

    Ferrari recalled 2019–2022 Portofinos because the brake fluid reservoir cap may not vent properly, creating a vacuum in the reservoir that can pull brake fluid past the seals and lead to a partial or total loss of braking. The fix — Ferrari campaign RC 80 — is a new cap and a software update that adds a low-brake-fluid warning, free at a dealer. It is the only recall on the model and it is a serious one, so it should be marked complete on the chassis. The cost shown is what the same work costs if the car turns out to be outside the campaign.

    What you would notice

    • No record of recall RC 80 / 22V-536
    • Brake fluid level dropping with no visible leak
    • Brake warning light
    • Soft or long brake pedal

    Typically $0–$600 to put right.

  • Common issue

    Ask whether the car is kept on its maintainer and how long it sits between drives, and whether the battery has been replaced.

    See why

    Battery drain on a car that sits — the maintainer question

    Like every modern Ferrari the Portofino draws on its battery constantly when parked, and a car left unplugged for a couple of weeks will be flat and will then greet you with a string of warnings. Ferrari supplies a maintainer with the car for a reason. A Portofino that has been allowed to go flat repeatedly is the one that later needs faults chased through its modules, so the first question to ask is how it is stored.

    What you would notice

    • Failure to start or slow cranking after sitting
    • Multiple warning messages on start-up that clear after a drive
    • Battery replaced early in the car's life

    Typically $400–$2,000 to put right.

See all 5 documented issuesEverything researched for the Ferrari Portofino, including 1 rated critical.
Engine, transmission & cooling1

01Catalyst sensor faults putting the car into limp mode, and overheating reports

petrol2018–2023Engine
OccasionalEngine $800–$6,000 to fix

Portofino owners have reported faults with the sensors on the catalytic converters that bring up the engine warning light, cut power and drop the car into limp mode, and a smaller number have reported the engine overheating repeatedly and problems recurring within weeks of a dealer repair. On a car this new any of it should be under warranty and in the records, and a car with a clean history and no warning lights is the normal case — but a car whose seller mentions 'a few dealer visits' needs those visits explained.

Symptoms to notice

  • Check-engine light with reduced power or limp mode
  • Temperature warning or the cooling fans running hard after a short drive
  • Warnings that clear and return
  • Repeated dealer visits for the same fault in the history

What to check

  1. Read every message on the dash at start-up and watch the check-engine light and temperature through the whole drive, including some sustained hard acceleration once warm.
  2. After the drive, stand at the front and listen for the cooling fans running unusually hard.
  3. Ask whether the car has ever gone into limp mode, shown an engine warning or run hot, and what the dealer found each time.

Where to look: Catalytic converters and their sensors in the exhaust under the engine; cooling system radiators in the nose

Parts involved: Catalytic converter.

Ask the seller

  • “Has a check-engine light or limp mode ever occurred, and what was replaced?”
  • “Has the engine ever overheated?”
Electrical2

02Retractable roof 'roof failure' warnings — misaligned and failed Hall sensors

The Portofino and Portofino M inherited the California's folding hardtop and some of its habits.petrol2018–2023ElectricalRead the full fault: symptoms, where to look, what to ask the seller

03Battery drain on a car that sits — the maintainer question

Ask whether the car is kept on its maintainer and how long it sits between drives, and whether the battery has been replaced.petrol2018–2023Electrical
CommonElectrical $400–$2,000 to fix

Like every modern Ferrari the Portofino draws on its battery constantly when parked, and a car left unplugged for a couple of weeks will be flat and will then greet you with a string of warnings. Ferrari supplies a maintainer with the car for a reason. A Portofino that has been allowed to go flat repeatedly is the one that later needs faults chased through its modules, so the first question to ask is how it is stored.

Symptoms to notice

  • Failure to start or slow cranking after sitting
  • Multiple warning messages on start-up that clear after a drive
  • Battery replaced early in the car's life

What to check

Ask whether the car is kept on its maintainer and how long it sits between drives, and whether the battery has been replaced. Switch on and read every message before starting, then start it and note how eagerly it cranks.

Where to look: Battery under the bonnet; body control modules

Parts involved: 12V battery.

Ask the seller

  • “Is the car kept on a battery maintainer?”
  • “Has the battery been replaced or the car ever failed to start?”
Body, brakes, suspension & interior1 critical1

04Brake fluid reservoir cap recall — Ferrari RC 80 (NHTSA 22V-536)

Ask for the dealer's recall history against the chassis number and confirm the brake fluid reservoir cap campaign is complete.petrol2019–2022Brakes
OccasionalBrakes $0–$600 to fix

Ferrari recalled 2019–2022 Portofinos because the brake fluid reservoir cap may not vent properly, creating a vacuum in the reservoir that can pull brake fluid past the seals and lead to a partial or total loss of braking. The fix — Ferrari campaign RC 80 — is a new cap and a software update that adds a low-brake-fluid warning, free at a dealer. It is the only recall on the model and it is a serious one, so it should be marked complete on the chassis. 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 recall RC 80 / 22V-536
  • Brake fluid level dropping with no visible leak
  • Brake warning light
  • Soft or long brake pedal

What to check

  1. Ask for the dealer's recall history against the chassis number and confirm the brake fluid reservoir cap campaign is complete.
  2. Look at the brake fluid reservoir level with the engine cold.
  3. With the engine running, press the brake pedal hard and hold it, feeling for it to sink, and watch for a brake warning on start-up.

Where to look: Brake fluid reservoir and cap under the bonnet

Ask the seller

  • “Has the brake fluid reservoir cap recall been completed?”
  • “Has a brake warning ever appeared?”
Depends on which engine this Ferrari Portofino has — 1Each of these is documented for one particular engine. Pick the year and engine above to see which of them apply.
Engine, transmission & cooling1

01Dual-clutch shudder, rough shifts and the occasional loss of drive

petrol2018–2023Transmission
OccasionalTransmission $1,500–$15,000 to fix

Can't confirm for this car

The Portofino's seven-speed dual-clutch — an eight-speed on the Portofino M — is a strong gearbox and most cars never trouble it, but owners have reported shudder and hesitation at parking speeds and in traffic, rough shifting, and a small number of cases of the car refusing to take a gear or dropping into limp mode with a transmission warning. Most of it is software or a sensor and is dealt with under warranty; a car with a transmission warning in its history needs the repair explained, and the gearbox fluid needs changing on schedule whatever the seller says about it being sealed.

Symptoms to notice

  • Shudder or hesitation pulling away or at parking speeds
  • Rough or delayed shifts in automatic mode
  • Transmission warning light or a gearbox fault message
  • Car refusing to engage a gear, or limp mode
  • No record of gearbox fluid changes

What to check

  1. Drive it in automatic mode in traffic and park it several times using reverse and drive in turn, feeling for shudder or a delay before it moves, then use the paddles on the open road and confirm every shift is quick and clean.
  2. Watch the dash for a transmission warning at any point.
  3. Ask whether the gearbox has ever shown a fault, what the dealer found and replaced, and when the fluid was last changed.

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

Parts involved: Clutch.

Ask the seller

  • “Has the gearbox ever shown a warning or lost drive, and what was done?”
  • “When was the gearbox fluid last changed?”

Ferrari Portofino faults in detail

Each of these has its own page: the symptoms, where to look, what to ask the seller and what the repair costs. Free, no account needed.

Retractable roof 'roof failure' warnings — misaligned and failed Hall sensorsMajor · Electrical

What these repairs cost on other cars

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

Other Ferrari models

Ferrari 4589 documented faultsFerrari 3607 documented faultsFerrari F4307 documented faultsFerrari 4886 documented faultsFerrari California6 documented faultsFerrari F126 documented faults

Ferrari Portofino buyer questions

Is the Ferrari Portofino reliable?

Like any used car, it depends on the specific example and its service history. Across the 5 documented faults for the Ferrari Portofino, the recurring problem areas are brakes, transmission, and electrical. A Ferrari Portofino 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 Portofino?

We've catalogued 5 known faults for the Ferrari Portofino, covering brakes, transmission, 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 Portofino?

Most single repairs on the Ferrari Portofino fall between $800–$6,000 at NZ independent-workshop rates. 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 Portofino?

Yes. A Ferrari Portofino 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 plus a market valuation and negotiation figure for $24.90 far less than the cost of missing one of the faults on this page.