Fisker has announced another safety recall for the Ocean. As it happens, the iffy brake module software could cause a sudden reduction in regenerative braking, thus increasing the risk of a crash. The affected population is 7,745 crossovers in the United States and 281 in Canada, for a total of 8,026 electric vehicles.
Fisker began looking into the issue in late 2023, following a meeting with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on vehicle owner questionnaires submitted by owners who experienced the recall condition. The federal regulator began a preliminary assessment of these allegations in January 2024. Seven months later, the California-based company finally relented and decided to conduct a recall.
According to Technical Service Bulletin 10062408, the reduction of negative engine torque occurs when braking on bumps. It takes 740 milliseconds, or three-quarters of a second, to return to normal operation. In those 740 milliseconds, the driver has access to 100 percent of the friction brake's deceleration power.
The aforementioned technical support bulletin reveals that a software update called OS 2.2 will address the described issue. Affected owners will, of course, be able to update over the air. Fisker intends to notify customers by mail no later than October 14, 2024. In the meantime, anyone driving an Ocean should check back regularly for a software update to see if OS 2.2 is available for download.
Both the 2023 and 2024 models have been recalled, with production dates starting on February 9, 2023, and ending on March 13, 2024. The Ocean, a rival to the Model Y, was built by a contract manufacturer in Austria. That manufacturer, Magna Steyr, said there would be no further production of the Fisker Ocean in its first-quarter 2024 financial report.
Photo: Fisker
The world’s largest contract vehicle manufacturer also produces the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, BMW Z4 and mechanically similar Toyota GR Supra at its Graz assembly plant in Austria. In December 2024, the folks at Magna Steyr will end production of the Jaguar I-Pace and E-Pace as Leaping Cat reinvents itself as an all-electric brand.
Back to Fisker, the automaker founded by designer Henrik Fisker in 2016 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 17, 2024. A month later, the bankruptcy judge allowed Fisker to sell its remaining shares of Ocean EVs to American Lease for a cool $46.25 million, or about $14,000 per vehicle.
While Fisker is pretty much dead, it continues to advertise the Ocean with savings of up to $24,000 on 2023 models. The configurator is also online, showcasing three distinct flavors in the form of the Sport, Ultra, and Extreme.
The Sport is a single-motor car, while the Ultra and Extreme elevate to dual-motor configurations. Driving range and acceleration performance favor the Ocean Extreme, which is listed at 360 miles (580 kilometers) and takes 3.7 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). By comparison, the Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive tops out at 320 miles (515 kilometers), while the Model Y Performance All-Wheel Drive takes 3.5 seconds to reach 60.