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2013 McLaren MP4-12C Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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 Mar 1, 2023
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
1
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.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2013 McLaren MP4-12C, 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

  • Exterior lighting2100.0%

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

Exterior lighting

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The contact owns a 2013 McLaren MP4-12C. The contact stated that mold was developing in the lens covering the headlights, causing the headlights to be foggy. The contact stated that the failure was affecting his vision of the roadway while driving and was causing a glare for oncoming drivers. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the headlight housings needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and covered the replacement of the headlights housing; however, the failure persisted, and the headlight housings were replaced with the same model of headlight housings. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 4,900.

NHTSA ID 11509758 · filed Mar 1, 2023

THE HEADLIGHT LENSES ON BOTH SIDES ARE GROWING A MOLD AND FOGGING. THE FOGGING IS GRADUALLY WORSENING, AND, AT SOME POINT, WILL COMPROMISE THE LIGHT EMITTED AND RESULT IN GLARE. IT IS A WELL-KNOWN ISSUE IN THESE CARS, AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT MCLAREN REFUSES TO REPLACE THE LENSES FOR ANYONE WHO HAS TRIED TO GET THIS DONE BY THEIR DEALERS, MYSELF INCLUDED. IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS IN VIOLATION OF YOUR REGULATIONS S5.1.2 (B) AND (C): HTTPS://WWW.GPO.GOV/FDSYS/PKG/CFR-2004-TITLE49-VOL5/XML/CFR-2004-TITLE49-VOL5-SEC571-108.XML IT IS ESTIMATED THAT, OF THE 3400 MP4-12C CARS IN THE US ALONE, ABOUT 40% OF THEM HAVE THE PROBLEM. I CAN NOT VOUCH FOR THIS NUMBER, BUT ON A MCLAREN FORUM, THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN NOTED BY MANY OWNERS AND THEIR DEALERSHIPS WERE UNABLE TO GET MCLAREN TO AUTHORIZE REPLACEMENT OR REPAIR. IT IS ALSO NOTED THAT KOENIGSEGG CARS HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, AND THAT NHTSA DID TAKE ACTION. PHOTOS ARE ATTACHED, BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO SHOW HOW BAD IT REALLY IS WITH THE PHOTOS. APPROXIMATELY 30% OF THE LENS SURFACE IS INVOLVED ON THE RIGHT, AND 20% ON THE LEFT SIDE, AND IT IS PROGRESSING. THE HEADLIGHT DESIGN FAILED TO MEET THE STANDARD THAT IT WOULD NOT HAVE SUCH ISSUES WHEN EXPOSED TO THE ENVIRONMENT. MY CAR HAS HAD NO ACCIDENTS OR ANY SPECIFIC INJURY TO THE HEADLIGHTS.

NHTSA ID 11067214 · filed Feb 6, 2018

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

Data on this page last refreshed .