Previously recalled over high-pressure fuel pipe nuts prone to loosening at the outlet connection due to vehicle loads, the McLaren Artura has been hit with another fuel leak recall. On this occasion, a pipe within the low-pressure fuel pump assembly could become disconnected from an end fitting and – obviously enough – leak gas onto hot components.
2023 to 2024 model year vehicles produced for the US market are called back to the tune of 362 units with build dates ranging between July 17, 2022 and November 15, 2023. The suspect pipe within the low-pressure fuel pipe assembly is especially prone to disconnecting when starting up the engine.
What seems to be the problem with said pipe, though? According to documents filed with the federal watchdog, a defect in the manufacture of the low-pressure fuel pipe assembly is the root cause. McLaren further notes that the defect is limited to a particular batch of pipes, which seems a bit strange.
If the defect concerns a single batch, how come potentially affected vehicles were produced between July 2022 and November 2023? It's too large of a timeframe for a single batch, although we might be wrong because the Artura is a low-production vehicle.
It's not clear how many were delivered in 2022, but we do know from McLaren's media center that the British automaker sold a grand total of 2,038 vehicles (from all model lines) in 2022. Another reason why the Artura is a low-production car is poor quality.
Photo: McLaren
Wholesales commenced in August 2022, but come the fourth quarter of 2022, a number of technical upgrades were implemented to ensure long-term performance. Wholesales restarted in the first quarter of 2023 with an emphasis on testing and quality control procedures, therefore slowing down customer deliveries through the fall of 2023. McLaren Group's latest annual report states that sales would increase from the fourth quarter of 2023, yet following this recall, the cited statement may be wishful thinking.
Regarding the suspect pipes, the Woking-based automaker observed a level of variability in their performance in burst resistance tests. All suspect pipes were quarantined on November 16, and further analysis is taking place in order to determine what actually happened. For the time being, McLaren is aware of lower-than-normal pipe thickness, resulting in lower strength against radial and hoop stresses.
The company is aware of a grand total of nine fuel leaks originating from the pipe within the low-pressure fuel pipe assembly, of which the first was reported by a retailer on September 16. The Artura in question was completing a pre-delivery inspection. Right after starting the engine, a warning light came on, and the dealer observed gasoline on the floor.
16FC437CP is the part number of the low-pressure fuel pump assembly. Replacement assemblies carry the same part number. McLaren didn't name the pipe manufacturer responsible for this blunder, yet did mention that it's working with said manufacturer to ensure that similar issues would not happen again.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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