It’s hard not to feel bad for Fisker’s early customers. They bought the hype of Henrik Fisker’s automotive revival, put money down to reserve a build slot, and then paid for a brand-new upstart electric vehicle. Then, in what felt like five minutes later, the company went bankrupt and customers lost all of their maintenance support. Now, Fisker seems to be doubling down on Ocean customers’ pain by forcing them to pay for their own recall fees.
There are currently five recalls for 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean models: an unexpected reduction in regenerative braking, electric water pump failure, door handles that can fail to open from the inside in case of an emergency, incorrectly displayed warning lights, and a potential total loss of drive power. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), all five recalls increase the risk of a crash or injury. OK, recalls happen and Fisker is far from the only company to have potentially dangerous ones. The problem is that customers not only have to pay to fix them, but they aren’t even sure how to.
After Fisker went bankrupt, all of the remaining unsold Ocean SUVs were bought by American Lease, which was supposed to handle software updates and recalls for existing and future customers. However, Fisker just issued a statement to customers, explaining the nature of the recalls and how they’ll be handled. According to Fisker, the company will issue a list of authorized service centers to customers by the end of September 2024. Customers will have to take their cars to those service centers for physical inspections and, if necessary, have any problematic parts replaced. But Fisker only covers the cost of the parts themselves—customers will have to pay for the inspections and labor. And for that inconvenience, Fisker says it’s super sorry.
“We understand that this may be an additional burden, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Our priority remains your safety and the continued reliability of your vehicle, and we are working diligently to make the process as smooth as possible despite the current challenges,” Fisker wrote in an FAQ.
Some of these potential issues can be dangerous, but customers are stuck waiting for more information on how to get their cars fixed. In the meantime, Fisker is telling customers to just keep an eye on their cars and, if they experience any issues with the door handles or water pumps, to contact an authorized service center immediately. Which service centers should they contact? Fisker didn’t provide the list yet. However, there’s a contact phone number in the recall notice that customers can call. When you call the number, though, it tells you to visit the website’s contact page. Helpful!
A quick browse through the Fisker subreddit shows that customers are mad—really mad. And who can blame them? They paid good money for an EV built by a startup founded by a famous industry designer, only to be abandoned. Shortly after Fisker’s stock went public, the company was worth nearly $3 billion. Now, customers are stuck footing the bill for the brand’s own incompetence.
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