2018 Ferrari 488 Spider
Gas Sports car
The 2018 Ferrari 488 Spider is sold in the U.S. as a gas sports car with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 488 Spider, is EPA-rated at 18 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 1 complaints, most often about service brakes.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 488 Spider | Gas | RWD | 3.9L 8-cyl turbo | 15 | 22 | 18 | $4,300 |
| 488 Spider | Gas | RWD | 3.9L 8-cyl turbo | 16 | 22 | 18 | $4,300 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (4)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
highProblem: Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2010-2015 458 Italia, 2012-2015 458 Spider, 2014-2015 458 Speciale, 2015 458 Speciale Aperta, 2016-2019 488 GTB, and 488 Spider vehicles. The brake system may leak brake fluid, resulting in a loss of braking ability.
Risk: Loss of braking ability increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake fluid reservoir cap and update the software, at no charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 4, 2022. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-201-816-2668. Ferrari's number for this recall is 78.
Air Bags
highProblem: Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2018 488 Spider, 488 Pista, 2015 458 Speciale A, 2016-2018 488 GTB, 2015-2017 F12 Berlinetta, 2016 F12 tdf, and 2016-2018 Carlifornia T vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly causing the non-deployment or improper deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag ECU, free of charge. The recall began August 2, 2019. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-201-816-2668. Ferrari's number for this recall is 70.
Fuel System, Gasoline
criticalProblem: Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2017 LaFerrari Aperta, 2018-2019 488 GTB, GTC4Lusso T, GTC4Lusso, 488 Spider, 812 Superfast, and 2019 488 Pista vehicles. The fuel vapor separator may crack and allow fuel to leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Fix: Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel vapor separator, free of charge. The recall began June 25, 2019. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-201-816-2668. Ferrari's number for this recall is 69.
Air Bags
highProblem: Ferrari North America (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2014 Ferrari California, 2014-2015 Ferrari 458 Italia, 458 Spider, 2014-2016 Ferrari FF, 2014-2017 Ferrari F12, 2015-2018 Ferrari California T, 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale A, 2016 Ferrari F60 America, 2016-2017 Ferrari F12 tdf, 2016-2018 Ferrari 488 GTB, 488 Spider, 2017-2018 Ferrari GTC4Lusso and 2018 GTC4Lusso T vehicles nationwide. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degrad
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2019. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-866-551-2828. Ferrari's number for this recall is 65.
NHTSA investigations
Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (open)
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002
Owner complaints
1 complaints filed
0 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 0 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2021: 1
Most-cited components
- Service Brakes — 1
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Other 488 Spider model years
2019 488 Spider
2 recalls · 0 complaints
B2017 488 Spider
2 recalls · 0 complaints
C2016 488 Spider
3 recalls · 0 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 38670, 38671). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.