Fisker Ocean's Woes Multiply As Feds Investigate Stuck Door Complaints

NHTSA is looking into problem after 14 complaints were received about doors that wouldn’t open, some remaining stuck even when the emergency backup mechanism was used

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by Chris Chilton

April 3, 2024 at 10:05

As one door closes, another one opens, the old saying goes. It’s a maxim Henrik Fisker will be telling himself right now to stay positive as his company circles the drain, but for some Fisker Ocean owners those doors are staying firmly shut, and the NHTSA has been forced to investigate.

In the latest blow for the beleaguered EV startup, the NHTSA has announced that it will look into the effectiveness of the door latch system on the 2023 Fisker Ocean SUV after the Office of Defects Investigation received 14 complaints of failure.

Drivers reported that they couldn’t open either the front or rear doors, and some even claimed that the doors still wouldn’t open when the emergency backup mechanism was used.

Related: 40,000 Fisker Ocean Reservations Canceled As EV Startup’s Troubles Deepen

The door debacle brings the number of NHTSA open investigations involving Fisker to three. A safety probe into a loss of braking performance was opened in January of this year after drivers alleged that their Oceans would lose braking power on low-traction surfaces or bumpy ground. The fault leads to longer braking distances, and in one case is blamed for an Ocean crashing and causing injury to one of its occupants.

That was followed in February by an investigation into unintended vehicle movement. This time users told regulators that their Oceans wouldn’t shift into Park or the intended gear, potentially resulting in the SUV rolling away. NHTSA files say one injury has been related to the defect.

Will the Fisker brand even live long enough to see the outcome of these investigations? The situation is looking dire after talks between Fisker and a major automaker believed to be Nissan broke down. Fisker had been looking for investment cash, plus access to a U.S. production site and the opportunity to share future development costs, but for unknown reasons the big OEM backed out of the deal.

Fisker also failed to secure $150 million of funding from other investors that it had provisionally announced while the talks with the automaker were still ongoing. It has been delisted from the New York stock exchange after its share price fell too low and recently appointed advisors to prepare for bankruptcy.

But the sad tale has a silver lining for drivers willing to taker a gamble on an EV bargain. Fisker last week slashed prices of its unsold 2023 Ocean’s by up to 39 percent, dropping the cost of an entry-level model to just $25k.