Consumer Reports Fisker Karma Gets New Battery Pack
The Fisker Karma that broke down shortly after Consumer Reports took delivery is up and running again, thanks to a new battery pack replaced under warranty.
While calibrating the Karma’s speedometer (a routine procedure at CR), the car triggered a warning light. After coming to a stop, the car shifted would only shift from Neutral to Park and would not go into gear. The problem disappeared after an hour, only to reappear, necessitating a flatbed truck and a trip to the dealer.
As for the fix? Here’s CR’s explanation.
The dealer’s repair invoice says the problem was “duplicated repeatedly.” A “fault was found in the battery and inverter cable. Both were replaced as a unit.” In other words, we now have a brand-new lithium-ion drive battery pack provided under warranty, though likely costing as much as a small, fuel-efficient car. Throughout the process, the dealer’s service department kept us up to date on the progress. And they were courteous enough to wash the car and charge it up before shipping the luxury sedan back to us.
Yes, emphasis is mine there. It’s nice that Fisker replaced the battery in a hassle-free manner but we can only wonder what went so wrong that such a drastic replacement was necessary.
More by Derek Kreindler
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It's a good thing Tesla and Fisker had nothing to do with the space program
Would Tesla have replaced the battery or blamed the customer for not charging it properly? Has Tesla ever replaced a battery for free under warranty:? I'm not making an argument, I really don't know the answer and I think it's a good question to ask, especially if you're a Tesla customer.
all said its still a beautiful car! And with BMW`s and such selling for over 100 grand I can see a niche for it.
As if this were the first boutique,100k+ automobile to break down while barely off the lot.How many other vehicles in this price range have emulated this behavior whilst employing a long-established technology of the V8-12 variety,with maybe only a turbo or supercharger to tech it up? Still,I'm left to wonder how many owners will manage to rack up the miles,or make a point of trying,on this sled. What with most of this demographic already juggling the burdens of both convertible(For trips up the coast.),and luxury SUV ownership(Custody of the kids on weekends.),durability issues might not ever be properly addressed.These people are busy enough as it is,and now to burden them further...I think a properly vetted,volunteer program should be in place to properly evaluate this new E-bucket,under real world conditions.Unlimited AAA towing included,of course.