by Sam Abuelsamid

Maserati only recently started selling the new automatic transmission version of the Quattroporte sedan and now it’s being recalled. Apparently there is a problem with the low voltage threshold for the traction control and stability control that causes it to shutdown prematurely when it thinks the battery is low. The software problem evidently doesn’t affect the anti-lock brakes, which should continue to function normally. Only 718 cars are affected by the recall that requires a replacement of the electronic control unit, though considering the Quattroporte is a six-figure car, that number likely represents a decent portion of those on the road.

[Source: NHTSA via MotorAuthority]

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DOZENS of Australian owners of one of the world’s hottest sports cars have been asked to return their vehicles after it emerged that a software glitch could cause a high-tech stability control system to shut down.

Maserati has announced that the glitch could cause problems for models in its Quattroporte range. The models are priced from $269,000 to $298,000.

A target number of 38 models, 30 of which have been sold and registered in Australia, have been recalled due to the problem which could lead to the vehicle’s Maserati Stability Program (MSP) to disable itself.

While Maserati’s website said the MSP stability control includes the car’s ABS and the “electronically controlled braking distributor”, a spokesman said those features will continue working regardless.

“It doesn’t affect the ABS brakes or any of the other safety features,” the spokesman said.

“It’s a software issue… if the battery gets down to a certain level, the traction control will trip out.”

The problem arose from a defect in the MSP caused by “a bug in the electronic software”, Australian distributor Ateco Automotive said in a statement.

The statement also said that owners of the Quattroporte 139 automatic model should contact a Maserati dealer for details.

The Maserati spokesman said it was not a “catastrophic” problem and a warning light will appear on the vehicle’s dashboard if the traction control did cut ou

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Maserati is an Italian manufacturer of racing cars and sports cars, established in 1914 in Bologna. The company’s headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. Today, Maserati is owned directly by the Italian car giant Fiat, after having been a part of Ferrari for some years. Maserati is an ultra-luxury division, competing with BMW’s Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen’s Bentley and DaimlerChrysler’s Maybach.

The Maserati brothers, Alfieri Maserati, Bindo Maserati, Carlo Maserati, Ettore Maserati, Ernesto Maserati and Mario Maserati, were all involved with automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century. Alfieri, Bindo and Ernesto built 2-litre Grand Prix cars for Diatto. In 1926, Diatto suspended the production of race cars, leading to the creation of the first Maserati and the founding of the Maserati marque. One of the first Maseratis, driven by Alfieri, won the 1926 Targa Florio. Maserati began making race cars with 4, 6, 8 and 16 cylinders (actually two straight eights mounted parallel to one another). Mario, an artist, is believed to have devised the company’s trident emblem, based on one of Bologna’s civic symbols: the statue of Neptune in one of the city’s main squares. Alfieri Maserati died in 1932 but three other brothers, Bindo, Ernesto and Ettore, kept the firm going, building cars that won races.

Source: Wikipedia

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As promised, the Detroit Auto Show marked Maseratis debut of the fully automatic transmission they’re to begin offering in the beautiful Quattroporte sedan. The sumptuous Italian four-door was previously offered exclusively with the DuoSelect manu-matic transmission, derived from Ferrari’s F1 gearbox and offered in the two-door Maserati range as Cambriocorsa. While the sequential transmission, which remains on offer alongside the new automatic, has improved greatly over the years, the bean-counters evidently thought Maserati could sell more Quattroportes if it had a smoother-shifting conventional automatic, with torque-converter and all. The transmission they fitted is a ZF-sourced six-speed unit; the high-revving Ferrari-designed V8, super-luxe interior, jaw-dropping Italian styling and everything else carry over from before.
Apparently viewing the Quattroporte as more vital to their North American sales, Maserati opted not to show the rest of their range at the Detroit show, so the GranSport and MC12 had to sit this one out to make room for three of their bigger brothers. The Quattroportes weren’t lonely, though…Maserati brought in some leggy models to keep them company.

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by Scott Davis

Maserati has announced special financing rates on the 2006 Quattroporte to help dealers clear out excess year-end inventory. Can they really be in a bind? We understand that they don’t want to have 2006 models on the lot when the upgraded 2007’s arrive, but they have sold 1950 vehicles in the US this year; a 3.4% increase over last year. What’s next? Zero percent financing for 360 months from Ferrari? We doubt it, but then maybe we could all afford one.
The special financing ends December 31, 2006 and offers 1.9% interest for 60 months or 2.9% for 72 months, saving you close to $15K over the course of your $100K+ loan. You’d better hurry though, as many dealers are already out of the 2006 and awaiting the 2007, which we’ll learn more about in Detroit a few weeks from now.

Thanks Dave T for the tip!

[Source: Kicking Tires]

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