Plenty of automotive and tech journos dismissed the Ocean as nothing more than a half-baked electric vehicle with ludicruously bad infotainment software, poor driving range compared to direct competitors, and so forth. Owners were screwed at least twice by the troubled company: first by pitiful customer experience, and secondly due to pitiful resale values caused by colossal price slashes.
Emphasis on company because Fisker contracted Magna Steyr to assemble the zero-emission crossover in Austria rather than the United States of America. Expected to seek bankruptcy protection by month's end, the California-based outfit is facing its fourth safety probe in less than five months.
Back on January 11, the NHTSA started investigating the Ocean after nine complaints alleging a loss of braking performance. On February 14, four complaints alleging unintended vehicle movement prompted yet another probe. Then came April Fools' Day, the day the federal watchdog announced that it had received 14 complaints alleging intermittent failure of the door latches and handles. Fast forward to May 2024, and Fisker is now investigated over unintended automatic emergency braking activation without apparent roadway obstructions in front of the vehicle.
Sudden vehicle deceleration without any prior warning increases the risk of a crash, therefore increasing the risk of injury to the occupants of the involved vehicles. Eight complaints allege partial to full brake application, and three of the complaints alleged an injury. Headed by NHTSA general engineer Jayson Winick, preliminary investigation PE24013 could result in a recall totaling 6,813 vehicles produced for the 2023 model year.
PE in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration speak means determining the scope and severity of the problem, together with assessing the potential safety-related concerns. With Fisker currently finding itself pretty close to bankruptcy, it's not clear if a remedy will ever be offered for the inadvertent auto emergency braking condition.
Photo: Fisker
Speaking of which, Fisker's Austrian division has recently filed for reorganization. Why is that? Because Magna Steyr idled production of the Ocean earlier this week. The contract manufacturer's Q1 2024 financial report clearly states no further production is planned for the Tesla Model Y-rivaling crossover.
The root cause for the unintended AEB activation issue could be something as simple as iffy calibration. But alas, the NHTSA has yet to determine what actually makes the AEB system activate with no apparent obstacle in front of the issue-riddled vehicle.
Fisker is represented in the United States by 12 dealer partners, which is a pitiful number compared to Tesla's delivery centers. In a similar fashion to the Model Y, the Ocean comes with rear-wheel drive by default and all-wheel drive by choice. Prices kick off at $38,999 for the rear-drive Sport and $52,999 for the dual-motor Ultra, while the dual-motor Extreme is $61,499.
As of May 2024, we know that over 10,000 units of the Ocean were produced in 2023. Approximately 4,700 of them were delivered.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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