Fiery problem for Ferrari, Nano

Recalls are dreaded by manufacturers not only because they cost a lot of money but more worrying, they can damage the brand image. Depending on how a company manages a recall and its level of transparency, the exercise can be a nightmare or can be turned into an opportunity to prove how much the company cares for its customers.

For example, 10 years ago, Ford initiated a massive recall of its Explorer SUV for tyre failures. Though the cause was not confirmed in the initial stages, Ford took the expensive step to recall all Explorers to change the tyres free of charge. So many tyres were required that some Ford factories had to delay vehicle production to allow their stock of tyres to be used for the exercise. Ford’s president at that time said that the most important thing was to get customers out of danger as quickly as possible and think of who would pick up the cost later (the issue involved Firestone, the tyre supplier). Many Explorer owners were reported to have been happy to see Ford take such pro-active position and remained positive about the company despite the recall.

With some other companies that have had recalls, it’s usually a negative thing as far as customers are concerned. In the past year, following what happened with Toyota, it seems that many manufacturers are quick to recall their cars for problems for fear that delaying will hurt them further as customers perceive that they try not to make the recall. There are some companies that are also known to try to avoid making a recall because they feel it's a 'loss of face', especially if they have boasted of a new model having quality standards that are far higher than any model the company has ever sold.

 

The latest recall by Ferrari shows that even the most exclusive cars can’t escape being recalled (and even -Royce has made recalls before). After reports of five units of its 458 Italia catching fire, Ferrari is recalling all 1,248 cars delivered worldwide since February this year. The cars will get a new wheelarch liner which was attached using an adhesive that could overheat and even ignite in certain conditions. The conditions were associated with hard driving which would cause the exhaust temperatures to be very high. The extreme heat could affect the adhesive and allow the heat shields of the rear wheel housing to move around. The new wheelarch liner will have a more secure fitment. The company also said that cars which were damaged by fires would be replaced.

And at the other end of the price spectrum, even the world’s cheapest car (140 times cheaper than the 458 Italia!) can have the same problem as a Ferrari. There have been three reports of the Tata Nano catching fire for unknown reasons, with the most recent incident occurring last Friday in Delhi, India. In two of the cases, the driver was unaware that there was a fire as the engine is located at the back. Tata is still investigating the matter but stresses that the car is safe.

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