RoadVitals

2012 Lotus Evora

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Feb 21, 2022
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Lotus Evora, most frequently naming the brakes, engine and powertrain (other) categories. 22 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Brakes120.0%
  • Engine120.0%
  • Powertrain (other)120.0%
  • Steering120.0%
  • Suspension120.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Suspension
Filed Feb 21, 2022

The rear upper control arm or wishbone developed a crack. The spherical joint in the wishbone started to slide forward and back under braking and acceleration. In my case, it was caught quickly and before there was an accident. However, this wishbone is one leg of a tripod that attaches the wheel to the car. If the crack were to develop into a break, it could cause a catastrophic failure leading to injury or death. Essentially, a rear wheel could fall off. The problem is clearly a pattern failure in these forged aluminum parts. Some have failed with relatively few miles on them. The failures have been confirmed through discussion on on-line forums Lotus Talk and The Lotus Forum. Evidently, the failed parts have been inspected by Lotus. There is a TSB out on the problem: From S.O.P, NA auto from MY12, see TSB 2011/19 - S/Charged (man & auto). No warning lamps related to this failure. Many owners have heard a clunk. I did not hear anything. I disco verde the failure during a routine inspection.

NHTSA ID
11453280
Incident
Feb 18, 2022
BrakesEnginePowertrain (other)+1 more
Filed Jul 15, 2013
Crash reported

I WAS COMING TO A STOP, APPLYING THE BRAKES AND SHIFTED THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF. THE BRAKES BECAME ROCK HARD I HAD TO USE BOTH FEET TO SLOW THE CAR STEERING LOCKED AND I REAR ENDED THE CAR I FRONT OF ME AT 2-3 MPH. THE CAR WAS DAMAGED THE CAR WAS CHECKED BY THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE CONDITION OCCURRED AGAIN AT NEARLY A COMPLETE STOP AND A THIRD TIME WITH MY WIFE IN THE CAR. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO CONTACT WITH ANOTHER CARS. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY REFLASHED THE SOFTWARE. THERE HAVE BEEN NO SUBSEQUENT INCIDENTS SINCE THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE. ONE THE LOTUSTALK BLOG NUMEROUS LOTUS EVORA OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS CONDITION. SO IT APPEARS THIS IS PREVALENT THERE ARE ONLY 1000 OF THESE CARS IN THE USA . I THINK ALL OWNERS SHOULD BE CONTACTED AND UPDATED AS TO THIS POSSIBLE CONDITION. *TR

NHTSA ID
10524802
Incident
Apr 15, 2013
Mileage
1,500 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

sb_2022_01_Lotus

POWER TRAIN

Standard information required and procedures to be followed when reporting ECU & TCU faults. There is often insufficient, or inconsistent information received from dealers when reporting ECU & TCU related faults, this can lead to unacceptable delays in repairing vehicles.

sb_2021_06_DTC

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

There is often inconsistent or insufficient information received from dealers when reporting ECU and TCU related faults. This bulletin aims to standardise the information when filing a claim to After Sales.

TSB_2020_03

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY; EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

Air conditioning compressors failing due to oil starvation. TSB reminds dealers of correct replacement and running-in procedures.

sb_2020_01

ENGINE; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Any unauthorised modifications, including fitment of non-approved after-market air filter resulting in generation of diagnostic trouble codes (DTC’s) P0101 & P1109. We have had several instances where DTC’s P0101 & P1109 had been set and the car recovered into the dealer, only for them to find that the original equipment engine air intake filter had been substituted for a non-approved after-market type (applicable to both dry and oil coated types).

2016-15

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

Procedure to recover the ECU if an ?ECU Comms Failure? message appears in the instrument panel display screen. Under certain conditions such as a discharged battery or an interrupted programming procedure, the vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) may lose communication with other engine management systems.

2015-17

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

The latest Lotus TechCentre release (V5.14.0) is now available as an online update and includes programming enhancements for Evora S and Exige S ?12MY models onwards.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Lotus Evora by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2020000—
2019000—
2018120—
2017310—
2016000—
2015000—
2014300—
2013310—
2012Viewing200—
2011130—
2010200—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.