Assembled by Magna Steyr in Austria, the Fisker Ocean has been hit with a massive recall. Massive by Fisker standards, that is, because all 2023 models produced through December 31 of last year are included in said recall. Thankfully, the remedy comes in the form of updated software.
According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety, the federal watchdog contacted the ailing company on February 12 in regard to incorrectly displayed warning lights. The agency identified no fewer than four problems, beginning with the font sizing for the brake and parking telltales. The NHTSA further determined that the brake malfunction and error telltales don't meet US homologation requirements due to their amber color instead of the mandatory red color.
The bulb check is – believe it or not – missing, and the brake lining telltale doesn't light up on the digital instrument cluster's display. Given the aforementioned, all recalled vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of two federal motor vehicle safety standards, those being 101 for control and displays and 135 for light vehicle brake systems.
Fisker started looking into this matter two days after the NHTSA got in touch with the California-based automaker, and that same day, the homologation team completed a full audit. Design changes were finalized on April 2, yet Fisker waited until April 17 to bench test said changes.
Nearly a month later, the company and the agency reached an agreement on said changes. In the contract manufacturer's financial report for the first quarter of 2024, the folks at Magna Steyr highlighted that no further production is planned. Ocean production was idled at the beginning of May 2024, yet a certain document published on the NHTSA's website reads the following: "Improved software was installed on vehicles starting May 30, 2024 at the vehicle assembly plant in Austria."
Photo: Fisker
Henrik Fisker's financially troubled business might rebound, but looking at the bigger picture, it's unlikely that Fisker will survive past 2024. To understand how dire things are, Fisker secured a $3.5-million lifeline at the beginning of May 2024, a loan that it defaulted on at the beginning of June 2024. If they're not capable of repaying a short-term loan, do you really think that Fisker is capable of paying Magna Steyr to keep making the Ocean?
From a high point of $28.50 per share in February 2021, the automaker is currently trading for just under $0.050 per share. Pretty much worthless at press time, Fisker is listed with a market capitalization of $23.4 million at the moment of reporting. By comparison, Tesla and General Motors are worth $563 billion and $55.6 billion.
Dealers have already been informed about recall number 24V-405, which – for some reason or another – is dubbed TSB70062404 in Fisker jargon. TSB stands for technical service bulletin, which is a completely different affair from a safety recall.
Owners will be notified via first-class mail no later than June 30, but owners aren't required to get in touch with a dealership for the remedy. Similar to most Tesla recalls, an over-the-air software update will fix the four noncompliant cluster telltales.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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