The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a notice stating that it’s investigating Fisker’s Ocean SUV for a lack of braking performance.
The organization is currently concentrating on nine complaints regarding the matter, one of which had a collision with an unidentified injury. Additionally, the probe comes at a challenging time for Fisker, as the company is already grappling with lower-than-anticipated demand and struggling to meet its internal sales targets.
Fisker announced last month that it will supply about 4,700 SUVs globally in 2023. June saw the first Ocean SUVs shipped by the EV firm, which went public in 2020 through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, Magna Steyr.
Since hitting the roads, owners have lodged 19 complaints with NHTSA on concerns ranging from brake failure and problems with the gear lever to a driver door failing to open from the inside and two incidents of the vehicle’s hood abruptly lifting on the highway.
The ODI has highlighted the brake complaints filed between October and December 2023, indicating a possibility of “Partial loss of braking over low traction surfaces, without alerting the driver,” which may result in a sudden increase in stopping distance for the SUV. The complaints also mention problems with the Ocean’s regenerative braking system.
Moreover, the ODI has the ability to conduct four different types of investigations:
- Defect Petition, which the agency aims to complete within four months.
- Preliminary Evaluation, the agency aspires to complete within eight months.
- Recall Query, the agency strives to complete within eight months.
- Engineering Analysis, the agency seeks to complete within 18 months.
