Fisker Automotive may officially be dead thanks to almost comically horrible mismanagement, but while it’s sorting out that whole bankruptcy thing, it also has to figure out how to handle a new recall. As it turns out, the Ocean’s doors might get stuck, trapping occupants inside. That’s not ideal in most situations, but it’s especially dangerous in an emergency, so the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is making Fisker fix it.
According to the official recall report, this issue affects 8,204 Oceans built between February 9, 2023 and May 31, 2024. Fisker estimates that only three percent of vehicles recalled actually have a problem with their doors, though, so at least there’s that. The stop sale notice that Fisker sent out claims all 11,201 2023 Oceans are affected. Meanwhile, the technical service bulletin and the NHTSA agree that it applies to all 2023 and 2024 Oceans.
It’s currently not clear if they discovered more units may have problems after the initial recall or not, but regardless of what’s going on there, if you own an Ocean, first of all, we’re sorry you have to deal with all of this. We really wanted Fisker to succeed, too. Second, take it in to have the doors checked. If there are any service centers that still have the lights on, that is.
In other Fisker news, the Wall Street Journal reports that Fisker still has about 4,300 unsold Oceans sitting around. Fisker is reportedly negotiating the sale of those cars to a company that provides leased vehicles for rideshare drivers in New York City. That may not sound like the most exciting news, but if Oceans are going to be used as taxis — and in NYC of all places — they’re going to need parts. We don’t want to get too optimistic just yet since Fisker’s got a track record of screwing over owners, but if part of that deal includes ensuring parts availability going forward, that could end up benefiting all owners.
Sure, it sucks to take a risk on a hot new car, only for the company to quickly go bankrupt, but at least if you can get parts, you may be able to get more use out of it than you initially thought. It’s not much of a consolation, but at least it’s something.