Fisker Making Ocean Owners Pay For Recalls Is A Slap In The Face
The disenchanting saga of Fisker Inc. continues, and the latest development is particularly pitiful. Last month, things seemed to be improving as Fisker managed to avoid Chapter 7 bankruptcy (although it is still under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, leaving the current management in place), but now the automaker has issued an update on its five active recalls. The barely-hanging-on automaker’s FAQ recall page has a particularly heartbreaking answer to question #9, “Will I be charged for the recall-related inspections or repairs?” As if the pain of seeing a car that was finally revealed in 2021 (two years after the initial prototype was unveiled) have its sticker price reduced from $38,999 to as little as $2,500 wasn’t heartbreaking enough, the answer to that question is, in a nutshell, a downright disappointing yes – Fisker Ocean owners are being forced to absorb at least some of the cost, and it pertains to the considerably more expensive issues. What a surprise. For this, the company says it’s really, really sorry.
Fisker Recalls And The Law
Three of the five recalls can be addressed with over-the-air updates, but the recall for occupant-trapping sticky door handles and the one for the electric water pump failure that could cause the EV to lose all propulsion obviously require physical labor, and although “Fisker will provide the necessary [replacement] parts at no cost” to the customer, said customer is on the hook for the rest. The following statements are impossible to deliver with much of a sugarcoating for the unfortunate owners of this once-promising EV.
“Due to Fisker’s current financial situation under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Fisker is only able to cover the cost of the parts required to address these issues. Please note that the labor costs associated with the inspection and repair process will need to be covered by you, the vehicle owner. We understand that this may be an additional burden, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
– Excerpt from
Fisker FAQ
answer
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Tell it like it is, Fisker. This is not merely an “additional burden,” it’s a catastrophic financial blow to everyone who committed to Ocean ownership. And an “inconvenience” is when you take the wrong turn down a side street, not when your almost worthless EV becomes even less attractive on the used market and costs you money to fix manufacturing defects – defects that could cause the EV to trap occupants inside, leave them stranded on the highway, or both. We can’t fathom how this can be allowed when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration clearly says that owners of a car 15 years old or newer have the following rights:
“Once a safety-defect determination is made, the law gives the manufacturer three options for correcting the defect: repair, replacement, or refund. In the case of a vehicle recall, the manufacturer may choose to repair the vehicle at no charge; replace the vehicle with an identical or similar vehicle; or refund the purchase price in full, minus a reasonable allowance for depreciation.”
Loving Fisker Has Become Masochism
Fisker says that its priority remains “your safety and the continued reliability of your vehicle,” but this leaves Ocean owners with few choices. If they don’t get their cars repaired, they could become dangerous. Fisker’s response to this is to “proceed with caution and monitor your vehicle for any unusual behavior,” and if any is noticed, to contact an authorized service provider. But wait, there’s more. Fisker doesn’t list the authorized repairers, doesn’t know when the parts will be available, and provides no estimate or projection of potential labor costs.
There is a phone number, but it tells you to visit the website. Wow, Fisker. This is a new low in the customer service experience. If an owner chooses not to drive the thing, it becomes a good-looking but unseeable paperweight on the driveway. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Henrik Fisker has been involved in a legal quagmire after fires contributed to the downfall of his first attempt at founding an automaking enterprise, and it’s hard to see a way back, particularly in light of how former employees describe the workplace. As always, we’ve reached out to Fisker for comment, but our last few emails have gone unanswered.
At the time of Fisker’s first failure with the Karma, we wrote a few follow-up articles with titles like Famous for Catching Fire: Fisker Karma and Fisker Karma Gathering Is The World’s Biggest Fire Hazard, but Mr. Fisker’s resumé convinced the world to give him another shot. Personally, I have always admired the unique sensuality of the BMW Z8, the enduring elegance of the Aston Martin DB9, the proportional perfection of the V8 Vantage, and the unexpected finesse of the Tesla Model S – it’s clear that Henrik Fisker knows how to draw a car. Sure, Gaydon’s head designer at the time of the DB9 and Vantage, Ian Callum, disputes Fisker’s involvement with both projects, and the Z8 was the refinement of a preexisting concept car, but regardless, he has design pedigree, and his solo attempts have been pretty good-looking, too – the Karma was attractive enough for Leonardo di Caprio to take to the red carpet and convince other Hollywood celebrities to invest in Mr. Fisker’s dream. Sadly, such star-studded ambitions have long evaporated along with our trust, and if Fisker somehow survives this time, or has a third go at an automaker – eponymous or otherwise – it would be difficult to convince the buying public to believe in him yet again.
