Federal safety officials are investigating Fisker’s first electric vehicle’s braking issues.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is investigating Fisker’s Ocean SUV for braking issues. Nine complaints have been filed with the agency, including one involving an accident and an unidentified injury.
A Fisker rep denied comment.
As Eltrys exclusively revealed earlier this month, the firm faces lower-than-expected demand and missed internal sales objectives.
Fisker delivered 4,700 SUVs globally in 2023, it said this month. The EV firm, which went public in 2020 after merging with a special purpose acquisition company, shipped its first Ocean SUVs in June, six months after contract manufacturer Magna Steyr started constructing them. Software issues caused a delay in the SUV’s release.
Since hitting the road, owners have filed 19 complaints with NHTSA for brake loss, gear shifting troubles, a driver door that won’t open, and two incidents of the hood blowing up on the highway.
NHTSA claims the Ocean may encounter “partial loss of braking over low-traction surfaces without alerting the driver,” which “results in a sudden increase in stopping distance,” according to ODI’s October–December 2023 braking complaints. Ocean regeneration braking issues have also been reported.
The accident complaint was filed in November. According to the complaint, another automobile swerved into the owner’s lane when they were traveling from Washington, DC, to Richmond, Virginia, in light rain. The owner complained that the Ocean’s brake “vibrated and felt more plastic than elastic” and that the vehicle slipped “as if the tires seized up.” The lawsuit alleges that the other motorist submitted an injury claim with the owner’s insurance agency after the low-speed incident, which neither driver reported.
The ODI may open defect petitions, preliminary evaluations, recall queries, and engineering analysis investigations. NHTSA claims to finish problem petitions in four months, preliminary assessments and recall questions in eight, and engineering analysis investigations in 18 months. The agency considered the Fisker inquiry preliminary.
