Fisker has issued a recall for 7,745 Ocean SUVs from model years 2023 and 2024 because they can roll when parked. However, in paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the company appears to claim the problem was fixed before customers identified it.
Fisker Recalls Are Complicated
Fisker, an electric-only automaker, declared bankruptcy in June after selling less than 10,000 cars.
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act requires automakers to provide free repairs for safety issues for 15 years after sale. Fisker didn’t last 15 years. That has left recalls a point of contention in the bankruptcy process.
In September, Fisker announced plans to charge for recall repairs. NHTSA immediately objected, telling Kelley Blue Book it was “aware of Fisker’s statement,” and “working to ensure vehicle owners receive recall remedies without charge, as required by federal law.”
Now, Fisker appears to be taking a novel tactic with this latest recall. It calls the problem “alleged,” and insists it was fixed before anyone discovered it.
Rollaway Fixed in March, Discovered in October
In recall paperwork an automaker is required to file with NHTSA, the company says “Certain customer complaints alleged the inability to shift into park and/or the vehicle not shifting into the intended gear. In some situations, the customer may have experienced vehicle movement in both directions when the vehicle is at zero speed and in Drive or Reverse.”
It then lists a “chronology” that shows Fisker agreeing to a recall in October 2024, and releasing a software upgrade that could fix it in March 2024.
Yes, the company claims the problem was fixed before the recall. The software installed an auto-hold feature that “is activated when the brake pedal is depressed while stopped and in gear. The vehicle brakes will automatically hold the vehicle in place even after the brake pedal is released. AVH disengages when the accelerator pedal is pressed.”
If that’s accurate, owners may not be at risk. But we’ll keep an eye on this. In our own testing of the Fisker Ocean earlier this year, we noted how the vehicle rolled back when driving up an incline and then taking our foot off the accelerator.
Fisker’s recall dramas serve as a cautionary tale – buying from a startup automaker involves unusual risks.
We’re fans of some startup automakers’ products, but we urge shoppers to examine carefully not just the car they want to buy but also the company that builds it.
Automakers recall many cars to fix safety defects, sometimes more than once. While automakers try to reach every owner to ask them to bring the vehicle in for repair, they rarely get them all. Millions of cars on American roads need free recall repairs. Check the easy VIN tool at our recall center to determine if your car is one of them.
