The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began a second inquiry into Fisker’s Ocean SUV after four complaints about it rolling away suddenly, including one injury.
The corporation told Eltrys it is “fully cooperating” with the safety department.
One month after NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation started examining abrupt braking performance concerns, the current inquiry began. Fisker believes a December software upgrade fixed the issue.
Fisker has had ocean issues since releasing the SUV last year. Last week, Eltrys reported that owners had complained to the firm for months about the SUV losing power, having issues getting in and out, changing gears, and the hood flying up.
Four NHTSA reports detail owners having problems shifting into or out of parks. An Ocean owner in Pennsylvania says it occasionally shifts into neutral instead of park, rolling the SUV rearward. After the SUV began rolling away in December, this owner alleges the open driver’s side door pushed them down. The owner claims they “get up, jump in the car, and stop it before it hits another car.”
NHTSA’s ODI may open defect petitions, preliminary evaluations, recall queries, and engineering analysis investigations. Like the brake inquiry, this rollaway complaint investigation is a preliminary examination that the government aims to finish in eight months. NHTSA said the preliminary investigation will “determine the scope and severity of the potential problem and fully assess the potential safety-related issues.”
