McLaren MP4-12C quality issues prompt letter from Ron Dennis: Recall imminent
McLaren boss Ron Dennis has written a letter to customers of the all-new McLaren MP4-12C apologising for the supercar’s technical glitches and foreshadowing a global recall.
Earlier this month, reports started circulating about quality issues affecting the circa-$500,000 hand-built MP4-12C.
Owners experienced headlamp condensation, issues with the doors, oversensitive warning lights, battery drainage and performance issues with the vehicle’s IRIS infotainment system.
The issues forced McLaren to slow production at its Woking, UK plant.
McLaren has now confirmed it is working on solutions for a number of problems and regrets that the first round of customers will have to take their car back to their dealership to “upgrade the software” on their cars – effectively a recall. McLaren insists the issues are not safety related.
The first 15 McLaren MP4-12C supercars are scheduled to arrive in Australia later this year.
Dennis personally signed each letter and sweetened the deal with a free McLaren coffee table book.
You can read Dennis’s full letter to MP4-12C customers here:
"It is with both pleasure and frustration that I am writing to you at this early stage in your ownership of the McLaren MP4-12C. Pleasure because you are now part of our McLaren family and have bought into what I believe to be both the best car in its class, and the most exciting automotive adventure in decades; but frustration on a personal level because we have not yet been able to deliver on the high standards that we have promised and that should come as given with the McLaren brand. We have built up our McLaren businesses over the past decades based on our determination to be the best, and that is no different for the MP4-12C and all of our future cars.
“When we began working on the MP4-12C, we were determined to deliver not only the best car in its class, but also the best ownership experience. We believe that the performance and driving experience of the MP4-12C is world class. However, along the road to achieving our goals, we will experience challenges. As you will have already heard from my staff, we are experiencing some early software bugs resulting in unnecessarily sensitive warning lights, battery drainage in certain conditions and IRIS performance issues. My team and the McLaren retailers are working with the pace and intensity that the McLaren brand demands to fully resolve these bugs rapidly and effectively to ensure that any inconvenience to you is kept to a minimum. It will however require your 12C to come back to your dealer at some point so that we can upgrade the software on your car. I hope that the way we deal with these issues sets us apart and is to the standard you would expect from McLaren.
“We know you share our passion for racing, therefore as a token of my appreciation for your support during this time, your retailer will be giving you a pre-release copy of the new 'McLaren: The Wins' coffee table book. I hope that you enjoy the stories behind what makes McLaren winners and that this, in some small way, reminds you how much we appreciate your faith in us. We want to win on the road as well as the track, and we will work tirelessly to achieve this goal.
“I would like to extend my personal thanks for your support and patience at this time. Should you have any questions, please contact your retailer in the first instance. Alternatively, please call my staff at McLaren Assistance on 0800 975 8285."
Are you impressed with McLaren’s reaction to its early quality issues? Let us know in the comments section below.
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