I happen to think the Fisker Karma hybrid is one of the sleekest green cars to ever hit the streets. The car will haul four people in style – when it works.
As you may recall, there have been an apparent rash of breakdowns affecting brand-new Karma sedans. In fact, a few weeks ago we reported that the Fisker Karma purchased by Consumer Reports failed to make it through the check-in process before bricking.
Considering that the car costs over $100,000, buyers expect the Karma to work perfectly and rightly so.
And so, perhaps not unsurprisingly, Fisker has now decided to replace the battery packs on just about every single Karma that ever rolled off the assembly line – totaling a cool 640 vehicles.
As expected, Fisker insists the issue has only been spotted in a “handful” of vehicles. Nevertheless, notifications regarding battery pack replacement will be sent out to customers over the next few weeks, and cars will also get a software update that isn’t related to the recall. According to Fisker, the software will improve a number of vehicle systems, ranging from the powertrain to infotainment.
The battery pack used in the Fisker is manufactured by A123 Systems in Michigan. Apparently, the exact time frame on when the battery packs will be replaced is unknown. Fisker has noted that the battery packs will be replaced as quickly as possible once the battery supplier can produce battery packs that are not affected by the flaw. The recall is expected to cost A123 about $55 million and will be done at no cost to owners.
Fisker is also extending the warranty on the vehicles from 50 months and 50,000 miles to 60 months and 60,000 miles in North America. Meanwhile, European owners will see their warranties extended from 48 months and 100,000 km to 60 months and 100,000 km.
