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Federal safety regulators have opened an investigation into Fisker\u2019s first electric vehicle over braking problems.<\/p>\n
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u2019s (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) issued a notice<\/a> that it\u2019s probing Fisker\u2019s Ocean SUV for loss of braking performance<\/a>. The agency is focusing on nine complaints about the issue thus far, including one incident involving a crash and an unspecified injury.<\/p>\n A Fisker spokesperson declined to comment.<\/p>\n The probe comes as the company grapples with lower-than-expected demand and a failure to meet internal sales goals<\/a>, which TechCrunch exclusively reported earlier this month.<\/p>\n Fisker reported last month it delivered roughly 4,700 SUVs worldwide in 2023. The EV startup, which went public in 2020 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, began shipping the first Ocean SUVs in June, about six months after contract manufacturing partner Magna Steyr began building the vehicles. The SUV\u2019s launch was delayed in part because its software was not ready at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since hitting the roads, owners have lodged 19 complaints with NHTSA on issues ranging from brake loss and problems with the gear shifter to a driver door failing to open from the interior and two instances of the vehicle\u2019s hood suddenly flying up on the highway.<\/p>\n NHTSA says the Ocean can experience \u201cpartial loss of braking over low traction surfaces, without alerting the driver,\u201d which \u201cresults in a sudden increase in stopping distance,\u201d according to the braking complaints referenced by ODI, which were submitted between October and December 2023. The complaints also reference problems with the Ocean\u2019s regenerative braking.<\/p>\n The complaint involving a crash was submitted in November. The owner reported they were driving from Washington, DC to Richmond, Virginia in slightly rainy conditions when another car swerved into their lane, according to the complaint. The owner said in the complaint the Ocean\u2019s brake \u201cvibrated and felt more plastic than elastic,\u201d and that the car slid \u201cas if the tires seized up.\u201d The low-speed crash was mild enough that neither driver filed a police report, but the complaint states that the other driver has since filed an injury claim with the owner\u2019s insurance agency.<\/p>\n