U.S. public vehicle records

2012 Ferrari CALIFORNIA: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

3 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

2,500 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2012 model year. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 3 complaints (33.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Transmission and shifting	1	33.3%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags

Engine

Power Train

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags: 1; Engine: 1; Power Train: 1; Vehicle Speed Control: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 2 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2012

2019

2026

2012: 1; 2019: 1; 2026: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10484817 · 2012-11-15 (November 15, 2012)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V211000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS HOWEVER, THE PARTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT READILY AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH THE DEALER FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AND HAD NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED DUE TO THE PARTS NOT BEING AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 2,500. TH…

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10484817 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11286838 · 2019-12-04 (December 4, 2019)

LONG ISLAND FERRARI DEALER KEEPS TELLING ME THE PART IS NOT AVAILABLE

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11286838 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11761219 · 2026-09-01 (September 1, 2026)

While driving the car, the transmission dont shifted correctly jurking the car almost causing the car behind to crash into my car. Sometimes in the highway the car goes into neutral or wont shift correctly, this starts creating traffic and almos accidents. This is well know by the factory and they never addressed a big issue with their cars.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11761219 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

18V381000 · Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module

Reported: 2018-06-07 (June 7, 2018)

Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2012 Ferrari California, 458 Italia, 458 Spider, and FF vehicles that have not already had their passenger frontal air bag replaced. These passenger frontal air bag modules have air bag inflators that may explode in the event of a crash due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assembly with one that uses an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 19, 2018. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-201-816-2668. Ferrari's number for this recall is 61. Note: This recall supersedes recall 17V-018.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

22V536000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Reported: 2022-07-26 (July 26, 2022)

Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2005-2009 430, 2019-2020 488 Pista, 2016 F60 America, 2005-2011 612 Scaglietti, 2010-2011 612, 2018-2022 812, 2020-2022 F8 Spider, 2020-2022 F8 Tributo, 2021-2022 Roma, 2009-2017 California, 2015-2017 California T, 2013-2017 F12 Berlinetta, 2017 F12 TDF, 2012-2016 FF, 2017-2020 GTC4 Lusso, 2018-2020 GTC4 Lusso T, 2013-2015 LaFerrari, 2017 LaFerrari Aperta, and 2019-2022 Portofino vehicles. The brake fluid reservoir cap may not vent properly, creating a vacuum inside the brake fluid reservoir, and resulting in a brake fluid leak that may lead to a partial or total loss of brake function.

Consequence: A loss of brake function can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake fluid reservoir cap and update the software to provide a new warning message for low brake fluid, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 22, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2022. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-201-816-2668. Ferrari's number for this recall is RC 80. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 21V-833.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

3 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

33.3%Usable mileage1 / 3 records

100.0%Valid incident date3 / 3 records

100.0%Valid filing date3 / 3 records

100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates3 / 3 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Air Bags	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 11232698 TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V341000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED FERRARI OF WASHINGTON (LOCATED AT 45235 TOWLERN PL, STERLING, VA 20166, [phone removed]) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. Look up ODI 11232698 at NHTSA ↗	133.3% ODI 11286838 LONG ISLAND FERRARI DEALER KEEPS TELLING ME THE PART IS NOT AVAILABLE Look up ODI 11286838 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 11286366 TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V006000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS FOR THE RECALL REMEDY WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. FERRARI OF WASHINGTON (45235 TOWLERN PL, STERLING, VA 20166, [phone removed]) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIB… Look up ODI 11286366 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Vehicle Speed Control	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10946219 · 7,500 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WHEELS WERE NOT OPERATING PROPERLY AND THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO FUNCTION. TWO DEALERS WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. A THIRD DEALER INDICATED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,500. Look up ODI 10946219 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 11761219 While driving the car, the transmission dont shifted correctly jurking the car almost causing the car behind to crash into my car. Sometimes in the highway the car goes into neutral or wont shift correctly, this starts creating traffic and almos accidents. This is well know by the factory and they never addressed a big issue with their cars. Look up ODI 11761219 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Instrument Panel:Speedometer/Odometer	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10946219 · 7,500 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WHEELS WERE NOT OPERATING PROPERLY AND THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO FUNCTION. TWO DEALERS WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. A THIRD DEALER INDICATED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,500. Look up ODI 10946219 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Engine	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 10484817 · 2,500 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V211000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS HOWEVER, THE PARTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT READILY AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH THE DEALER FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AND HAD NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED DUE TO THE PARTS NOT BEING AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 2,500. TH… Look up ODI 10484817 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Power Train	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 11761219 While driving the car, the transmission dont shifted correctly jurking the car almost causing the car behind to crash into my car. Sometimes in the highway the car goes into neutral or wont shift correctly, this starts creating traffic and almos accidents. This is well know by the factory and they never addressed a big issue with their cars. Look up ODI 11761219 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Service Brakes	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 11078602 · 13,000 mi I WAS IN MY FERRARI CALIFORNIA COMING TO PICK UP MY FRIEND (A DATE). I PULLED THE LITTLE LEVER ON THE LEFT OF THE STEERING WHEEL TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK. I PULLED IT TWICE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CAR WAS IN PARK...THAT WAS MY MISTAKE SINCE THE SECOND PULL TOOK THE CAR OUT OF PARK. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE CAR WAS NOW OUT OF PARK. I CAME TO EXIT THE CAR TO OPEN THE PASSENGER DOOR FOR MY DATE. AS I GOT OUT THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN THE SLOPED STREET. I HAD TO THROW MYSELF INTO THE CAR LIKE A STUNTMAN TO SLAM ON THE BREAKS AND PREVEN… Look up ODI 11078602 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Wheels	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10946219 · 7,500 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WHEELS WERE NOT OPERATING PROPERLY AND THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO FUNCTION. TWO DEALERS WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. A THIRD DEALER INDICATED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,500. Look up ODI 10946219 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
Engine	Too few reports for a range	2,500 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10484817 · 2,500 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V211000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS HOWEVER, THE PARTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT READILY AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH THE DEALER FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AND HAD NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED DUE TO THE PARTS NOT BEING AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 2,500. TH… Look up ODI 10484817 at NHTSA ↗

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Complaints	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	0	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	1	None	ODI 11761219 While driving the car, the transmission dont shifted correctly jurking the car almost causing the car behind to crash into my car. Sometimes in the highway the car goes into neutral or wont shift correctly, this starts creating traffic and almos accidents. This is well know by the factory and they never addressed a big issue with their cars. Look up ODI 11761219 at NHTSA ↗
2026-10 (partial)	0	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

2016: 0 complaints · 2017: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
2016	0	0	0
2017	0	0	0

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
2016	0	0	0
2017	0	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Air Bags	Engine	Power Train	Vehicle Speed Control
Air Bags	—	0	0	0
Engine	0	—	0	0
Power Train	0	0	—	1 ODI 11761219 While driving the car, the transmission dont shifted correctly jurking the car almost causing the car behind to crash into my car. Sometimes in the highway the car goes into neutral or wont shift correctly, this starts creating traffic and almos accidents. This is well know by the factory and they never addressed a big issue with their cars. Look up ODI 11761219 at NHTSA ↗
Vehicle Speed Control	0	0	1 ODI 11761219 While driving the car, the transmission dont shifted correctly jurking the car almost causing the car behind to crash into my car. Sometimes in the highway the car goes into neutral or wont shift correctly, this starts creating traffic and almos accidents. This is well know by the factory and they never addressed a big issue with their cars. Look up ODI 11761219 at NHTSA ↗	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

0 patterns with matching reports.

No narratives match the published patterns.