So, you get the good fortune to purchase an exotic Ferrari – the kind of car that gives you status. It’s the kind of car that makes everyone in the world jealous of you because you’re driving it and they’re not.

You spend the money on a new 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia. You feel good about life. How could it go wrong at this point?

Well, over 1,000 of these cars could potentially have a defect in it that causes the car to burst in to flames and with it goes your happiness, your status and about $250,000.  Could that get you a little hot under the collar?  Ferrari recalled the 2010 458 Italia after several reports surfaced of the car simply burning into flames after a few months of driving it.

The problem is allegedly linked to an adhesive of the wheelhouse and heat shield assemblies. The adhesive can ignite under intense heat causing the car to produce smoke and overheat. A vehicle fire can make the car basically worthless or cause a car accident.

There is a remedy, and it involves the complete removal of the heat shield and adhesive from the wheelhouses which is done free of charge. Several celebrities have already had to take their cars in for the switch including musician Eric Clapton and Louis Saha, a forward for Everton in the Barclay’s Premier League.

No matter how much an exotic car costs, there’s always the possibility that little structural glitches like these can take the joy of owning a Ferrari and make it disappear in a puff of grey smoke.