McLaren recalls just launched Artura in U.S. for faulty nuts

McLaren Automotive is recalling 164 of its new Artura plug-in hybrid supercars in the U.S. for faulty nuts on high-pressure fuel pipes that can lead to a fuel leak.

According to a safety recall report posted on the NHTSA website, if the nut becomes loose, “the seal between the end flare of the fuel pipe and the sealing cone of the pump outlet may be disrupted,” resulting in a fuel leak.

The end flare is located near engine components, the report said. A fuel leak in the presence of heat, such as hot engine components, can increase the risk of fire, NHTSA said.

The report said the cold formed nuts can potentially loosen from the threaded outlet connection of the fuel pump “in particular during dynamic driving manoeuvres commonly associated with track running.”

McLaren identified 15-millimeter cold formed nuts with rolled threads as the cause of the issue. The automaker will replace the high-pressure fuel pipes that have cold formed nuts with rolled threads with new high-pressure fuel pipes that have 16.5-millimeter fully machined nuts with cut threads.

There have been no crashes or injuries related to the issue.

U.S. deliveries of the Artura, which suffered software and supply chain delays, first began in October but are set to ramp up in January.

McLaren spokesperson Roger Ormisher told Automotive News fewer than 50 impacted vehicles were in customer hands. A majority are either dealership demo vehicles or from the automaker’s press and marketing fleets.

“McLaren takes safety and quality very seriously and has, therefore, chosen to launch a safety recall to replace a fuel-line nut on the McLaren Artura,” the automaker said in an emailed statement. “While the number of affected vehicles in customer ownership is relatively small, McLaren has acted in an abundance of caution in order to immediately eliminate any potential safety risk associated with this issue.”