An almost imperceptible detail went unnoticed at the Italian factory and now the brand will have to replace entire parts of dozens of cars in the US
Ferrari has announced an unusual call-up for the recently launched 12Cilindri model in the United States. This time, the reason for the recall has nothing to do with the imposing naturally aspirated V12 engine, mechanical failures or risk of fire. The problem is purely regulatory: about 80 examples of the super sports car were manufactured with too dark windows, in violation of strict North American traffic legislation.
According to NHTSA, the U.S. federal road safety agency, the failure compromises FMVSS No. 205, which requires automotive windows to allow at least 70% of external light to pass through. The affected units of the Italian automaker were equipped with the so-called “privacy glass”, a type of smoked glass whose light transmission index is below the legal limit established in the country.
SEE ALSO:
The regulatory agency warns that excessively tinted windows can impair the driver’s perception, increasing the risk of collisions, especially in adverse weather conditions or during night driving. The defect, however, is not in the quality of the component itself, but in a logistical mistake at the renowned assembly line in Maranello, Italy.
The models produced for the 2025 and 2026 lines destined for the American market ended up receiving the European transparency specification, where the use of more opaque glass is tolerated by the authorities. The failure was only identified now, in March 2026, during the rigorous pre-delivery inspections carried out when the vehicles had already landed on American soil.
As the degree of browning is an intrinsic physical characteristic of the material manufactured by the supplier Saint-Gobain Sekurit Italia, there is no palliative solution. Ferrari will physically replace the side and rear windows of all affected sports cars free of charge. The brand has until May 15 to formally notify the owners and confirmed that the adaptation for the next units exported to the US has already been implemented in the production process.
