The Fisker Ocean is Under Investigation for Doors that Won't Open
Oh, to be a fly on the wall at Fisker’s headquarters right about now. The struggling electric automaker is facing bankruptcy, accounting issues, and shaky reviews, but its troubles are far from over. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently said it opened a preliminary investigation into the company’s Ocean SUV after receiving reports that the latch handles prevented opening the EV’s doors.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has received 14 complaints from owners who say that they were unable to open the doors. Some said the doors wouldn’t open from either direction, which is obviously less than ideal if there’s an emergency. There were also reports that the Ocean’s emergency override mechanism failed to remedy the issue.
This is bad news for Fisker, but it’s just another log on the fire at this point. The company’s stock has been delisted, and its talks with Nissan regarding a potentially life-saving investment have fallen through. In regulatory filings, it noted significant doubts that it would stay afloat without new investments, though it’s currently unclear where that could come from.
Fisker has also struggled to sell its existing Ocean inventory, as spotty reviews have left a bad taste in potential buyers’ mouths. It recently slashed prices on entry-level Ocean variants, dropping the cost of entry to the mid-$20,000 range. The move tanked the values of the SUVs already in owners’ driveways and likely won’t do much to bolster sales, as buyers recognize the risks of purchasing a vehicle from a company that could go under at almost any moment.
[Image: Fisker]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Had the same problem with our 2002 Jaguar X-Type. Passenger door could not be opened from inside when car was being delivered. Salesman tried to say that was normal, but it obviously was not, and they fixed it in a few days; that car had many problems, but we have been happy with a number of Jaguars since then.
I actually met Henrik Fisker at a dealership during the rollout of the original Fisker Karma. They had a prototype there that they were driving around to potential dealers in the northeast. Gorgeous car. He is a great designer but has certainly had a run of bad luck as a manufacturer/businessman.
Well, that's Slightly Better than an Investigation of a Fisker being Under the Ocean with doors that won't open..