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The Ghibli's sleek Italian styling won almost everyone over, but its reliability issues and defective parts left much to be desired.

Difficult to imagine a sports car that has such a bad reputation like the Maserati Ghibli. Since 2013, when the Italian luxury automaker unveiled the new generation of the sports car to the public, the brand’s fans, who were initially quite impressed with its sleek Italian styling later became infuriated by its reliability issues and defective parts. To add fuel to the fire, the Ghibli brand also had to overcome various recalls and consumer scandals. For example, in 2018, Ghibli had two recalls, both being extremely serious. One was because of the subframe welds which could fracture and cause serious accidents, and the other was a fuel pipe that could leak in the engine compartment and cause fire.

Notably, in subsequent years, Maserati didn’t learn too much from its past mistakes and failed to improve its vehicles. Therefore, 2021 came with other recalls and reliability issues. In April of last year, Maserati North America announced it was recalling certain Ghibli Trofeo cars equipped with 21-inch tires because the tire placard might have imprecise tire pressure info. During the same year, other recalls were issued for certain Ghibli vehicles because of seat belt issues and problems with the fuel line sensor housing, which could crack and leak fuel. Overall, the Maserati team still needs to tackle reliability, and improve the quality of their cars. Hence, here's why gearheads should steer clear of the Ghibli.

Related: A Look Back At 55 Years Of The Maserati Ghibli

Without a doubt, 2021 and 2022 were stellar years for most used vehicles as their market value surged to a new height because of the chip shortage, trade issues and the supply chain crisis. However, some cars still depreciated really fast and not even the ongoing problems could save them. Unfortunately, the Maserati Ghibli Model V8 Trofeo was one of those vehicles whose value depreciated by $78,188 over three years, according to WhatCar? Accordingly, the retained value dropped to $49,045 after 3 years from $127,257.

Maserati’s depreciation problem has become so famous in the automotive industry that the Italian automaker was forced to address it.

Maserati says that its cars have “developed a poor reputation for high depreciation costs in addition to their more positive reputation for high performance.” But according to the Italian luxury automaker, “this reputation isn’t completely undeserved. Maserati's vehicles have indeed struggled with high depreciation in the past – in some cases, the recent past – but the tide is beginning to turn.”

If there’s one thing that car buyers don’t need during a period of excessive inflation is expensive car repairs and high maintenance costs. Maserati Ghibli has both.

Often, users have highlighted how air filters required changing every second or third service. Through forums, there have also been claims by some owners that the car “chews through brakes” and “chews through tires.” Furthermore, it was also reported by some that the car requires a brake flush and cabin filter every other service. Spark plugs recommended every third service, belt every 3-4 services.

On several other forums and online communities, owners constantly debate how maintenance-intensive the Ghibli is and most agree that the costs associated with maintaining the model in top shape is quite high.

There was a time when the name Maserati was associated with the craftsmanship and heritage that defines the “Made in Italy” brand. Nevertheless, this is no longer the case. Take, for example, the Maserati Ghibli - a mass-produced car that doesn’t excite with its features, reliability, and performance.

Moreover, Ghibli’s steep price positions the model in the luxury class, but the reality is far more complex than that, and can’t be reduced just to pricing. To be fair, the 2023 Trofeo has a starting price of $118,500, which is far more expensive than the base 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera, the 2022 Jaguar F-Type R, and 2022 Porsche Taycan 4S. And it could be argued that these cars have a more sophisticated design and impressive performance than the Ghibli.

Related: The 2022 Maserati Ghibli Is An Awesome Italian Sports Sedan

The Maserati Ghibli is a beautiful vehicle, but it is clearly not one of the most reliable cars in the midsize sedan category. In fact, more affordable cars fare much better than the Ghibli in the reliability department. Even Consumer Reports stated “We expect the 2022 Ghibli to be less reliable than other new cars. This prediction is based on Maserati's brand history.”

A similar viewpoint was expressed even by OSV, which highlights that since 2015, there have been 28 Maserati recalls in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Reliability Index rated Maserati vehicles with an average point score of 774.00 for 2019, which is a “Poor” rating.

Eugenia Akhim is a luxury car aficionado. She naturally gravitates towards the legendary 911 and the classic Ferrari because they are fun to drive and have a killer aesthetic. In her column, expect to read more about turbo-powered vehicles.