2013 McLaren MP4-12C Spider Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2013 McLaren MP4-12C Spider, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags150.0%
- Exterior lighting150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
I SENT MY 2013 MC LAREN IN FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG RECALL. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED IT WAS IN DEFAULT WITH A MESSAGE THAT SAID "AIR BAG" AND "TRANSMISSION" WAS IN DEFAULT. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG THAT WAS IN DEFAULT. THEY SAID IT WAS PROBABLY CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE CLOCK SPRING. THE CAR DID NOT HAVE THESE ISSUES WHEN I SENT IT TO THEM. I BELIEVE THAT THEY MIGHT BE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RECALL PROCESS BY FIXING ONE SAFETY ISSUE AND CAUSING ANOTHER. THE CAR HAS 7359 MILES ON IT SO I FIND IT SURPRISING THAT THE CLOCK SPRING WOULD GO BAD UNLESS THERE IS A DEFECT THAT PERHAPS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. THEY ALSO FOUND MANY OTHER ISSUES WITH THE CAR BUT NONE THAT I WAS CONSIDER SAFETY CONCERNS. THE TOTAL ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS WAS $11318.86. I WOULD HOPE THAT THE RECALL WOULD NOT BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINANCIAL GAIN FOR THE DEALERS. .
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE FRONT HEADLAMPS HAVE DEVELOPED CONDENSATION AND MOLD INSIDE THE CLEAR HOUSING. A CLOUDY SUBSTANCE HAS FORMED INSIDE THE HEADLAMPS AND CAN NOT BE REMOVED. THE CONDENSATION HAS SPREAD AND BECOME WORSE OVER TIME PROBABLY DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE HEADLAMPS AND NOT BEING PROPERLY SEALED. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE DESIGN WHICH MCLAREN IS WELL AWARE OF AND HAS BEEN REPORTED BY ALMOST ALL OF THE MP4-12C OWNERS. MY HEADLAMPS WERE REPLACED ONCE ALREADY AND THIS SAME PROBLEM HAS RE-OCCURRED WITH THE 2ND SET OF HEADLAMPS AND NOW MCLAREN HAS REFUSED TO REPLACE ANY OF THE CUSTOMER'S HEADLAMPS. HOPEFULLY, YOU CAN PERSUADE MCLAREN TO ISSUE A RECALL TO REPLACE ALL THE HEADLAMPS WITH A BETTER FIX. THANK YOU.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .