Fisker recalls thousands of Ocean EVs for safety and compliance issues

Electric vehicle startup Fisker announced on Wednesday that it is recalling thousands of Ocean SUVs in North America and Europe due to issues with vehicle software and failure to comply with federal safety standards.

The company recalled 11,201 Oceans across the U.S., Canada, and Europe due to safety issues. The affected vehicles potentially had issues with the Motor Control Unit and Vehicle Control Unit software, which could make the vehicle lose motor power, the company said in a press release.

Fisker also recalled 6,864 Oceans in the U.S. and 281 in Canada for compliance reasons. The company said the vehicles do not currently comply with federal vehicle safety standards related to gauges and telltale icons in the cluster display.

The company said it plans to fix all of these issues through an over-the-air update process. Fisker said that vehicles updated to OS 2.1 are not impacted by the recall. Fisker anticipates completing the software update process by June 30, 2024. 

The recalls come after months of setbacks for Fisker. Reuters reported in February that the company may not be able to continue as a going concern due to high interest rates causing a slowdown in demand. 

Fisker’s struggles continued into March as talks for a potential deal with an unnamed large automaker collapsed, and the New York Stock Exchange announced plans to delist the startup’s shares due to “abnormally low” price levels. 

In April, Reuters reported that the U.S. auto safety regulator opened an investigation into the 2023 Ocean due to complaints over the vehicles’ doors failing to open. This marked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s third probe into Fisker — additional investigations are open due to issues with the 2023 Ocean’s brakes and unintended vehicle movement.

Fisker delivered 4,929 Oceans in 2023, the company said in February when announcing its full-year financial results, the most recent report available. The company said it expected to deliver between 20,000 and 22,000 vehicles in 2024.

The company said it informed its dealers of the recalls on May 30 and will notify owners by June 30.