The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration has opened a third investigation into EV startup Fisker’s Ocean SUV, this time centered on issues getting the doorways to open.
NHTSA’s Workplace of Defects Investigation (ODI) says in a brand new discover that it has obtained 14 complaints from house owners who haven’t been in a position to open the doorways to their Fisker Oceans, both from the within or the skin. The company says the complaints level to a an “intermittent failure” of the door latch and deal with system. The complaints additionally increase the chance that the emergency override mechanism additionally doesn’t work.
The Ocean SUV is already being investigated by ODI over issues with its braking system, and for complaints in regards to the car rolling away on uneven surfaces. The corporate has not issued any remembers for the Ocean. The corporate didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The third probe is being opened as Fisker is on the brink. It paused manufacturing of the Ocean in March and reported simply $121 million within the financial institution. Fisker remains to be sitting on hundreds of Ocean SUVs in stock that it’s struggling to promote, both immediately or by its nascent dealership mannequin, and not too long ago slashed costs by as much as 39% in a determined try to generate gross sales. It was not too long ago eliminated from the New York Inventory Trade. A potential partnership with Nissan fell by, endangering an try at securing $150 million in rescue funding.
Prospects have reported getting caught in or out of their automobile to Fisker for months, based on inner paperwork that TechCrunch solely reported on in February. A few of these incidents have been associated to the Ocean’s troublesome key fob. However the brand new security probe suggests a deeper downside with the SUV’s doorways. The investigation is designated as a “preliminary analysis,” which ODI usually resolves inside eight months.
