It’s been a long time since Fisker was discussed in a positive light, and unfortunately that doesn’t change today. The bankrupt EV startup issued a recall for 8,026 Oceans in the U.S. and Canada due to a regenerative braking failure when regen is active while driving over a bump. Apparently when drivers have regenerative braking active and they drive over a bump while off the throttle, the regen deceleration pauses for about three-quarters of a second before resuming as normal. When the regen pauses, the vehicle stops decelerating without warning, which despite lasting for a very short moment still poses obvious safety risks for drivers who aren’t expecting it.
Fortunately, despite the pause in brake regeneration, owners have reported that normal brake functionality isn’t impeded by the issue, so when regen cuts out they can still use the brake pedal to slow their Ocean’s roll. In another lucky break for the otherwise rather unlucky owners of Fisker Oceans, the fix to this brake regen bug will be issued in an over-the-air software update. Fisker plans to notify owners by mail no later than October 14, but Ocean owners can always check to see if the OS 2.2 software update is available for their vehicle.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration actually started looking into this particular vehicle behavior in 2023 when a wave of vehicle owners filed questionnaires with the NHTSA explaining their experience with the issue. The NHTSA then opened a preliminary investigation of the allegations in January, 2024, and Fisker just issued the recall. The future looks grim for EV startup Fisker, but it’s encouraging to know that the company hasn’t totally turned its back on early adopters of its only car.