The Lemon Index
Ferrari's 4.5 L and 4.3 L naturally aspirated 90° V8 in the F430, California and 458 Italia, model years 2005–2015. YouTube likes the 2011 best.
Middle of the pack: YouTube owner tone 52/100, #61 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the middle third); 2 engine-related recalls on record.
Reliability by year
Not enough complaints to chart. Owners filed 23 complaints with the government that we can tie to this engine's cars, 2005–2015, about any part of the car. Supercars sell in small numbers, so we show YouTube, recalls and the automaker's repair notes instead.
YouTube videos are most positive about the 2011 (53) and least about the 2012 (51); neighboring years share many of the same videos, so small gaps mean little.
How we count: owner complaints only where the car's name and year leave no doubt; YouTube tone from videos that name this engine or its cars. How we count
Owner complaints (NHTSA) are filed by model and year, not engine. We count one for this engine only when the model name and year had no other engine (e.g. "488 GTB", "GT-R"), or when the owner's own words name a version that had only this engine that year (Z06, ZR1, Hellcat, GT500 ...). They cover the whole car (wheels, air bags, electrics ...), not only the engine, and none of them is a failure rate. We chart them only for engines with 30 or more, over 3 or more years. YouTube tone = how positive the videos are, 0–100, from titles and transcripts (praise vs trouble words, the title counts 3 times), weighted by views; a year needs at least 3 videos' worth. A video counts for this engine when its title names the engine or a car that only had this engine in the years it names; a video whose title names no model year counts toward every year of that car, so neighboring years share most of their videos.
All the numbers, year by year
| Year | Cars | Owner complaints | YouTube says | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | F430 | 1 | not enough videos yet | 2 |
| 2006 | F430 | 1 | not enough videos yet | 2 |
| 2007 | F430 | 3 | not enough videos yet | 1 |
| 2008 | F430 | 0 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2009 | F430 | 1 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2010 | California, 458 Italia | 4 | 52 (177 videos) | 5 |
| 2011 | 458 Italia, California | 2 | 53 (177 videos) | 5 |
| 2012 | 458 Italia, California | 6 | 51 (174 videos) | 2 |
| 2013 | California, 458 Italia | 1 | 52 (176 videos) | 3 |
| 2014 | 458 Italia, California | 3 | 52 (176 videos) | 3 |
| 2015 | 458 Italia | 1 | 51 (130 videos) | 2 |
Recalls on cars with this engine 10
2 of them are about the engine, fuel, cooling or powertrain. They come first.
09V048000 Engine And Engine Cooling · Ferrari F430 2005–07
FERRARI IS RECALLING 1,950 MY 2005-2007 F40 SPIDER VEHICLES.
06V478000 Power Train · Ferrari F430 2005–06
ON CERTAIN COUPE AND SPIDER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL SIX-SPEED TRANSMISSION, THERE IS A NON-CONFORMING RIGHT-ANGLE UNION IN THE CLUTCH PUMP.
22V536000 Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Ferrari California 2010–14
21V833000 Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Ferrari 458 Italia 2010–15
The brake system may leak brake fluid, resulting in a loss of braking ability.
20V007000 Air Bags · Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari California 2010–11
Show all 10
19V006000 Air Bags · Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari California 2014–15
18V040000 Air Bags · Ferrari California 2013
On January 9, 2018 Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) recalled 1,073 model year 2013 California, 458 Italia, 458 Spider, FF, and F12 Berlinetta vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, F…
18V188000 Air Bags · Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari California 2010–11
These passenger frontal air bag modules have air bag inflators that may explode in the event of a crash due.
18V381000 Air Bags · Ferrari California 2012
These passenger frontal air bag modules have air bag inflators that may explode in the event of a crash due.
16V341000 Air Bags · Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari California 2010–11
These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators.
NHTSA recalls by model and year. A recall counts here when every confirmed version of that model-year had this engine, or the recall names it. Check a car's VIN for its own open recalls.
Engine problems Ferrari told dealers about
Ferrari sent dealers 2 repair notes about the engine on these cars.
NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins), matched by model name and year like the complaints, engine-related ones only. A repair note is not a recall: ask a seller whether it was done.
Every US version with this engine
| Car and versions | Years |
|---|---|
| Ferrari F430 F430 | 2005–09 |
| Ferrari California California | 2010–14 |
| Ferrari 458 Italia 458 Italia, 458 Italia Coupe, 458 Italia Spider, 458 Speciale, 458 Speciale Spider, 458 Spider | 2010–15 |
Engine codes: F136 FB (458), F136 FL (458 Speciale), F136 IB / IH (California). Built by Ferrari, developed with Maserati. Power: 454–597 hp, factory figures. Versions and years: EPA (fueleconomy.gov). Sources: Ferrari F136 engine.
Quick answers
What cars have the Ferrari F136 engine?
In the US: the Ferrari F430, Ferrari California, Ferrari 458 Italia, model years 2005–2015. See the version table for each one.
Is the Ferrari F136 reliable?
Mostly, with known issues to check. YouTube owner tone 52/100, #61 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the middle third); 2 engine-related recalls on record. Not enough owner complaints to judge it per car: supercars sell in small numbers. Its cars had 10 recalls (2 about the engine, fuel or powertrain). Have any used car inspected.
How much horsepower does the Ferrari F136 make?
454–597 hp in factory figures, depending on the car.