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Ferrari recalling 814 models from 2015 for airbag problem

Recalls from small-volume, high-end automakers like Ferrari are fairly rare, but the Prancing Horse issued a safety campaign to repair 814 vehicles in the United States due to a potential problem with the driver's side airbag module. The issue covers the 2015 editions of the 458 Italia, 458 Spider, 458 Speciale, 458 Speciale A, California T, FF, F12 Berlinetta, and LaFerrari. The affected examples have build dates from Dec. 19, 2014, to April 29, 2015, but this isn't every MY2015 vehicle in the country. According to the announcement by the National Highway Safety Administration (here as a PDF), these Italian supercars might have a "relevant combination of insufficient gluing of the leather on the driver's side airbag cover and the possible rotated installation of the driver's airbag cushion in the airbag module." In the event of a deployment, the safety devices might come out turned from where they are supposed to be. This issue could cause an increased risk of injury in a collision. In the NHTSA documents, Ferrari reports that it believes the chances of these rotated deployments are low. For drivers' safety, dealers will still replace the affected airbag module with a new one. Owners will start having their supercars fixed around July 30. RECALL Subject : Improperly Assembled Drivers Air Bag Report Receipt Date: JUL 07, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V433000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 814 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) FERRARI 458 2015 FERRARI CALIFORNIA T 2015 FERRARI F12 BERLINETTA 2015 FERRARI FF 2015 FERRARI LAFERRARI 2015 Details Manufacturer: Ferrari North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Ferrari North America, Inc. (FNA) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ferrari 458 Italia, 458 Spider, 458 Speciale, 458 Speciale A, California T, FF, F12 Berlinetta, and LaFerrari vehicles manufactured December 19, 2014, to April 29, 2015. The affected vehicles may be equipped with a driver side air bag module that was improperly assembled. This can cause the air bag to deploy in a rotated orientation. CONSEQUENCE: In the event of a crash, the deployment of the driver's air bag in a rotated orientation increases the risk of injury. REMEDY: FNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front Driver's Side Air Bag Module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on July 30, 2015. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-866-551-2828. Ferrari's number for this recall is 57.

2014 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

Most cardiologists and physiologists maintain that a human's maximum heart rate is calculated with a mathematical formula: subtract a person's age from 220. But some leading doctors are now questioning the established academics, which trace their origins back to 1970, claiming that a simple formula isn't accurate for people of all ages, in particular those who are older. Rather than endorse the time accepted calculation, this progressive group argues that maximum heart rate equals 208 minus 0.7 times age.
While medical science continues its debate, I recently discovered a more elementary approach that disregards age and physical condition, and it requires no math.
To reveal a human's true maximum heart rate, I propose strapping test subjects into the driver's seat of a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta and then firing up its ferocious V12.

Track lapping in Ferrari's new 488 GTB

With the floodgates opening on impressions about Ferrari's latest 488 GTB, Chris Harris is the latest person to climb into the driver's seat and give his initial opinions on the Prancing Horse's latest turbocharged effort. The 488 GTB is a hard vehicle to pin down, though. It looks vaguely like the naturally aspirated 458 but practically every component is thoroughly revised. While the headline-grabber is the 660-horsepower, 3.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 that's positioned behind the driver, the coupe also benefits from new adjustable dampers, upgraded brakes, and more. To figure things out, Harris laps the Prancing Horse around the track and eventually moves to some tight, Italian backroads. Of course being a video from Chris Harris on Cars, you can expect some big, smoky slides in addition to erudite thoughts on this Ferrari with forced induction.