Fisker Inc. went bankrupt back in June, but not before selling over 3,000 Fisker Oceans to customers who have since been marooned by the defunct EV manufacturer. In July, my colleague Ryan told you about the 3,000 frustrated Ocean owners who banded together to form the Fisker Owners Association (FOA) to fight for the resources needed to support their cars in the wake of the company’s collapse. Now, the FOA said on Tuesday that it helped establish a network of 21 approved Fisker service centers in the U.S. and three in Canada, with European and more North American centers still coming.
As a startup formed independent of any pre-existing carmaker, Fisker had a proprietary diagnostic software called a Fisker Aftersales Service Tool, or FAST, that was necessary for anyone to be able to diagnose issues and install fixes on a Fisker vehicle. Prior to this announcement, the lack of service center access to this proprietary software was inhibiting repairs and leaving owners dead in the water. Now, Ocean owners from coast to coast have more service centers with the tools necessary to service their buggy and even bricked vehicles. InsideEVs said,
The FOA now says it was able to negotiate with Fisker to facilitate FAST access for repair shops. And that may change the game for frustrated owners. It was not immediately clear on Wednesday whether all of the locations listed are taking customers yet, but at least some say they are.
Kristina Fisk, the service manager at Fisker Jacksonville, told InsideEVs on Tuesday that the dealership’s FAST access went dark around the time of Fisker’s bankruptcy. Last week, it was able to regain access and start servicing Oceans again, thanks in part to efforts by the FOA.
“It has been a huge, huge help,” she said. Since announcing that it had reopened for service visits, the dealership has gotten calls from at least 70 Ocean owners trying to get in line for software updates or repairs, Fisk said.
Despite this small win, Ocean owners are still left in murky waters. Since Fisker’s bankruptcy, the company looks to be headed for liquidation which poses a new set of challenges; manufacturer support will end soon. Many owners are still left in the deep end as they await parts availability to address several open recalls that face their Fiskers. The additional service centers will make it more convenient for owners to have their Oceans serviced, including having recalls addressed, but only as long as parts are available. Through teamwork and advocacy, the FOA made progress, and here’s hoping they find a reasonable parts sourcing solution because I’d be irate if I was in their position.