The 2023 McLaren Artura has already been recalled for potentially loose nuts that could cause a fuel leak, although the problem only affects a small number of cars in the U.S.
High pressure fuel pipes on the recalled vehicles are equipped with cold formed nuts with rolled threads, which can loosen from the connection with the fuel pump and as a result cause a fuel leak, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall report. The joint where nuts could loosen is situated close to engine components, which get hot and could thus form an ignition source, the report noted.
The issue is due to the type of nut used, according to McLaren. The cold formed nut with rolled threads used on the affected vehicles may have a coefficient of friction too low to ensure a reliable connection, which is a result of the manufacturing process of the affected nuts, according to the automaker. Some cars were equipped with fully machined nuts, and are not affected by the recall.
The recall report said 164 cars are potentially affected, but McLaren spokesperson Roger Ormisher told Motor Authority that less than 50 cars in customer hands are likely affected, as the rest were either in transit or part of McLaren’s internal fleet.
2023 McLaren Artura
Dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pipe free of charge. McLaren is using its production records to determine which cars are affected by the issue, but hasn’t discussed a timeline for notifying owners of when to take their cars in for this fix.
The plug-in hybrid Artura was first shown in 2021, though customer deliveries only started in the middle of this year. McLaren earlier this month confirmed that it sold some historic cars from its heritage collection to pay for the development of “certain technical upgrades” for the Artura, which is the first McLaren designed completely from scratch since the MP4-12C supercar nearly a decade ago.