Los Angeles-based Fisker Inc. a new safety probe into the Ocean electric sport utility vehicle. As per documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Office of Defects Investigation has received 14 complaints alleging door latch and handle problems.
Prior to preliminary evaluation 24-010, the NHTSA received 9 complaints over the loss of braking performance, of which one complaint alleged a crash and an injury. As if that wasn't bad enough, Fisker is also investigated for unintended vehicle movement. All 4 complaints alleged the inability to shift into park or the vehicle refusing to shift into the intended gear (figuratively speaking). One complaint alleged an injury.
PE24010 was opened to assess the safety issues resulting from the intermittent failure of the door latches and handles. Both the front and rear latches and handles are said to give up the ghost, and some reports allege the inability to open the door from either the interior or exterior handle. Owners have also complained about the emergency override mechanism failing to open the door.
Said preliminary evaluation may result in a safety recall, with ODI estimating the potentially affected population at 6,813 vehicles produced for the 2023 model year. Back on March 18, the company paused series production of the Ocean amid tremendous financial woes. Fisker intends to restart production at the tail end of April, but only time will tell if Fisker will file for bankruptcy by then.
To make ends meet, the automaker founded by Danish automotive designer Henrik Fisker slashed prices by up to $24,000. Rather than producing the Ocean stateside, Fisker contracted Magna Steyr for the job. The contract manufacturer assembles the zero-emission crossover at a facility in Graz, Austria.
Photo: Fisker Inc.
The 60-year-old Fisker became a household name in the late '90s by penning the BMW Z8 roadster. He also worked on the first-gen X5 together with Frank Stephenson. Other notable designs include the gorgeous Aston Martin DB9 and even prettier Vantage, and Fisker is also credited with providing initial design work for the Tesla Model S.
Fisker Inc. published the preliminary full year 2023 results on February 29, reporting a grand total of 10,193 vehicles produced in the 12-month period. Of those, only 4,929 were delivered to their rightful owners by the end of the year. The most important detail of the press release, however, is the flabbergasting net loss of $761.9 million.
Even though Fisker hasn't produced any vehicles since the week starting March 18, the automaker still allows prospective customers to configure their ideal spec. The build & price tool lists the entry-level Sport grade at $38,999, the mid-range Ultra at $52,999, and the performance-oriented Extreme at $61,499 before options and taxes.
Highlight numbers further include 3.7 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) and 360 miles (580 kilometers) of range for the Extreme. The only true rival for the Ocean is – of course – Tesla's Model Y, which moved in the ballpark of 400,000 units in the United States last year.
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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