Maserati Recalls 135 GranTurismo Cars Over Door Latch Fault
A manufacturing defect in the passenger side door latch assembly prompts Maserati to recall 135 GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertible models built in summer 2015.
Maserati has issued a recall for 135 of its 2016 GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertible cars in North America after discovering a manufacturing defect in the passenger side door latch assembly. The affected vehicles were built between 24 June and 2 September 2015 and may have passenger door latches that were not properly heat treated during production.
Nature of the defect and safety risk
According to Maserati, the passenger side door latch on the recalled vehicles may fail to remain closed in the event of a collision. The root cause is a batch of latch components that did not undergo the required heat treatment process. As a result, the latch may not meet strength standards and could allow the door to open during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to occupants.
No injuries or accidents have been reported as a result of this defect. Maserati is notifying owners and instructing its dealers to replace the affected latch assemblies at no cost to customers. The recall is scheduled to begin in November 2015.
Recall scope and context
The recall covers only a small fraction of Maserati’s output. In 2014, the company delivered 36,500 vehicles globally, with the GranTurismo accounting for around 3,500 of those sales. The 135 cars affected by this recall represent a narrow production window and a single model line. By comparison, other recent recalls in the luxury segment have involved much larger numbers. For example, Aston Martin recalled over 6,000 cars in the US for a door lock safety issue in the same period (see Aston Martin to Recall Over 6,000 Cars in US Over Door Lock Safety Issue).
Owners of affected GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertible cars will be contacted by Maserati or their dealer. The company has stated that the replacement part will be fitted free of charge, with work carried out at authorised service centres. This approach follows standard industry practice for safety-related recalls.
Recent Maserati recalls and production context
The GranTurismo recall follows another Maserati action just two months earlier, when certain 2014 Quattroporte models were recalled over an electrical issue that posed a fire risk. The company has also faced production cuts in its Italian plants, with unions reporting up to 2,000 workers temporarily laid off and output expected to fall by 25 percent in 2015. Maserati’s sales targets for 2016 and 2018 may be affected by these disruptions.
Maserati’s prompt response to the door latch issue aligns with broader industry efforts to address safety defects quickly, particularly as regulatory scrutiny of recalls remains high. For owners, the main impact is the need to schedule a visit to their dealer for the replacement part, but the fix is straightforward and provided at no cost.
