Ocean (1st)
Reliability Overview
The Fisker Ocean is a 2023-2024 electric crossover built by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria for Fisker Inc., the second EV company founded by designer Henrik Fisker. Fisker Inc. filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 17, 2024, after delivering roughly 7,500 Oceans to US customers. American Lease, a New York City-based leasing operator, acquired the unsold inventory and limited service rights from the bankruptcy estate that November. Customers who took retail delivery before the filing now own Oceans backed by a company that no longer operates as a going concern.
The Ocean carries 881 NHTSA complaints across the 2023-2024 model years, 12 crashes, 3 fires, 7 reported injuries, and six federal recalls. Four of those six recalls involve loss of drive power or roll-away conditions: a motor control unit software fault that drops the vehicle into safe-state mode (NHTSA 24V-404), a cabin water pump communication failure that puts the high-voltage battery into limp mode (24V-499), a regenerative-braking software error (24V-623), and a transmission shift-position failure (24V-865). Two more cover instrument cluster warning-light coding (24V-405) and exterior door handles that can stick in the closed position (24V-466). Every recall was issued in calendar 2024, most of them after the bankruptcy filing.
For current owners, the practical question is whether the Ocean can be kept running, not whether it was a good car at launch. Recall remedies depend on functional service infrastructure and parts supply, and both shrank sharply after the bankruptcy. American Lease is operating ex-fleet Oceans through a service portal but availability for retail-owned vehicles is uneven across the country. Software OTA updates from Fisker's original servers stopped flowing reliably after the company ceased operations. The Fisker Owners Association has organized owner-led parts pools and software preservation efforts. Magna Steyr in Austria built the vehicle and supplied many components, which gives some technical hope for longer-term support, but no formal commitment has been announced.
The Ocean data on this page captures what NHTSA recorded through Fisker Inc.'s brief operating life. Reliability ratings should be read in that context: the Ocean was a first-year production EV from a financially distressed startup, and the complaint volume reflects both real defects and the chaotic delivery experience. Anyone considering a used Ocean should treat it as a vehicle without effective warranty support, verify every open recall before signing (using the NHTSA VIN lookup at recalls.nhtsa.dot.gov), and budget for repairs that may require independent EV specialists rather than a brand service network. Magnuson-Moss federal warranty protection exists in theory; practical recourse against a liquidated entity is limited.
Engine Reliability Ratings
Fisker Ocean Unidentified Engine
View details
Complaint Breakdown
Known Issues
Battery & Propulsion Reliability
Battery Electric (BEV)
Battery & propulsion complaint analysis for the 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean
That's roughly 20.2x the typical rate for BEVs in this dataset (median 5.5 per year). This generation has materially more battery & propulsion complaints than its peers, even after accounting for sales volume.
What kind of battery complaint?
Among the 141 battery-related complaints, here's the type mix. These percentages describe what the complaints are about — not how reliable the vehicle is overall.
Loss of power, drive unit, inverter, traction motor, DC-DC converter.
Low-voltage battery deaths, common on EVs and hybrids that use a 12V for accessories.
Propulsion battery defects, capacity loss, BMS faults, replacement claims.
Charge port, cable, mobile connector, or session failures.
Regen brake feel, one-pedal driving, B-mode complaints.
Battery & propulsion recalls (2)
Fisker Group Inc (Fisker) is recalling all 2023 Ocean vehicles. The Motor Control Unit (MCU) and Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) software may cause the vehicle to enter a safe state protection mode unexpectedly, causing a loss of drive power.
Consequence: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fisker Group Inc (Fisker) is recalling all 2023-2024 Ocean vehicles. A communication failure with the cabin electric water pump can cause the high voltage battery management system (BMS) to enter limp mode, causing a loss of drive power.
Consequence: A sudden loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Sample complaint excerpts
Electric Propulsion
- [2023] Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding a critical safety failure of my Fisker Ocean One. This incident involved a sudden and total loss of power while driving, which created a severe safety hazard for myself and other motorists. Date of Incident: [Date the incident occurred] Location of Incident: [Name of Highway, City, State, e.g., Interstate 35, Austin, TX] Detai
- [2023] Vehicle recall 24V499000 was a sudden loss of power due to a faulty water pump. Fisker or its assigned agent in the bankruptcy proceeding was supposed to replace the water pump including labor and part, free of charge to each owner affected. I had the water pump replaced through a Fisker authorized recall location, privately owned, and was not charged for the part. However, I was charged $228 f
- [2023] 24V865000 (Roll away OTA-2.0) 24V865000 (Regen Braking OTA-2.2) 24V499000 (Water pump) 24V466000 (Door Handles) 24V405000 (Warning Lights OTA-2.1) 24V404000 (MCU/VCU Loss of Power OTA-2.1)
12V Auxiliary Battery
- [2023] The contact owns a 2023 Fisker Ocean. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V499000 (Electrical System) and 24V466000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that after the manufacturer went bankrupt, the court ordered the Trustee of the manufacturer, Indigo, to complete the recall repairs; however, Indigo was co
- [2023] An over the air software update was sent and has messed up my car causing it to not sleep, run high voltage and 12v battery down. I have lost 4g connectivity after this update as well.
- [2023] As of Feb after a over the air update from OS 2.0 to a partial 2.2 software update, 2.2 ICC390047-APK-1.1.47, on my Fisker Ocean One I am having the following issues: 12v drain, most days when I go to start the car I am getting the 12v battery low, turning off climate control message incomplete home charging -The vehicle has stopped charging multiple times after only adding about 30% when there w
High-Voltage Battery
- [2023] I was scheduled for the 2.2 update (to fix various recalls) on 11/11/24, with a healthy 12V battery, connected to a tender. I left the car alone for 3 days, to be sure that there was plenty of time for the update to be pushed. When I went to drive the car on [XXX], the car would not drive. It showed to be in "N" (neutral), would not shift to park or drive, every warning light possible was lit o
- [2023] My 2023 Fisker Ocean One (VIN [XXX] ) was in the first cohort of cars to receive the Ocean OS 2.2 update during the 24 hour period starting on [XXX]. The update seemed to have completed successfully, but six days afterwards on [XXX], I stopped for lunch after driving a few errands that morning, and afterwards I came out to my car, opened it, then stepped on the brake pedal to start up the car -- u
- [2023] There was an unscheduled Over-The-Air software update sent to my car during early morning hours of 18Feb2025. The update did not get applied properly and now car is "bricked". I cannot open the doors even using the NFC reader on door handle. The HV battery was charged at 94%, so had enough power in my main HV battery. I was told that they will monitor the health of 12V battery before sending any u
Charging System
- [2023] My fisker has multiple issues. I am unable to get in my car, unable to unlock, unable to get to charge port to charge. I am unable to drive Fisker was to send vent replacement parts that were ordered for my car to fix ac vents , but did not send them before bankruptcy. I was unable to use my ac in the car in texas There is a water pump recall, but have been unable to locate someone to order part
- [2023] My car pushed required recall updates without any indication that it was coming and the next day or two the battery died and car is now showing a red light at charging port and is stuck in neutral. I only received 1/3 updates so I don’t know if that was also the issue. It was executed poorly and bricked my car. I have no idea how to unbrick it to life.
- [2023] I am still waiting on full OTA 2.2. I have been on 2.2.1 for weeks now with no communication as to when, or if, I will ever receive the mandated update. I drive my Fisker every day and experience the failed breaking when trying to stop on rough terrain, bumps, or holes in the road. This was supposed to be addressed in recall 24V865000. I am still waiting for replacement of my water pump from re
Regenerative Braking
- [2023] Component: powertrain. It is unintended braking and acceleration. It is available for inspection. This has happened on multiple occasions: when going over bumps the vehicle jerks and lurches, applying braking or acceleration without input from me. While the braking is causing stability concerns at high speed, it is the unintended acceleration that is most troubling. This happened again this morni
- [2023] As long as you are collecting information, I have had various ADAS/AEB/Brake Regen/Front Collision Warning/Front camera not functioning/side sensor not operable errors from day 2 of owning this vehicle. They have been reported to Fisker with either no response, "just do a reset", or "we know it is very buggy. It will be fixed in a future update." This is since the middle of October. The lates
Source: classified from NHTSA complaint and recall data. "Battery-related" includes high-voltage propulsion battery, charging system, hybrid drivetrain, electric propulsion, regenerative braking, 12V auxiliary battery, and thermal-event complaints. Other complaints (suspension, steering, brakes, infotainment) appear in the engine and vehicle-level sections. Rates are absolute counts, not normalized per-VIN — high-volume models naturally produce more raw complaints than low-volume ones. Self-reported death and injury counts are capped per complaint to limit form abuse.
Battery: Fisker Ocean Pack (106 kWh)
Pack overview
Known issues
How this pack ages (industry context)
Industry fleet aggregates: 2.3% average annual capacity loss across 22,700 EVs / 21 models (Geotab, 2026), and 95% range retention at 5 years on average across 30,000+ vehicles (Recurrent, 2026).
OEM warranty floor on this pack: 10 yr / 100k mi to 70% capacity.
Public per-pack degradation curves are not available for most models. Individual results vary materially with climate, charging behavior, and DC fast-charge frequency.
Vehicle-Level Issues
These issues affect the Fisker Ocean regardless of engine variant.
Buyer's Guide
Who the used Ocean still works for. Used 2023-2024 Ocean values have fallen to roughly a third of the original $40,000 to $70,000 MSRP range, which puts a 250-plus-mile crossover in territory occupied by base Chevrolet Equinox EV and entry Hyundai Kona Electric. For a price-sensitive buyer willing to accept no factory warranty, treat the vehicle as a project car, and live within reach of an independent EV specialist or American Lease service touchpoint, the math can work. Single-driver households using the Ocean for short commuting and city use will avoid the highway-charging scenarios most likely to surface software faults.
Who it does not fit. The Ocean does not work for buyers who need warranty backstop on a major-systems failure, depend on dealer-network service availability, or live more than reasonable driving distance from an independent EV specialist. Major pack work, motor-control unit replacements, and software calibration depend on tooling and codes that were never widely distributed outside Fisker's own service network. Anyone needing the vehicle to be a daily-driver replacement for a current car should look at a comparably priced used Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach-E, or Equinox EV instead. The six federal recalls are not theoretical; four of them describe failure modes with direct safety consequences (loss of drive power, roll-away).
Inspection priorities before buying any Fisker Ocean. Verify every open recall via the NHTSA VIN lookup at recalls.nhtsa.dot.gov before signing, with particular attention to campaigns 24V-404 (drive-power loss), 24V-499 (BMS limp mode), 24V-623 (regen-brake reduction), and 24V-865 (transmission roll-away). Confirm the current software version and the date of the last successful OTA update with the seller. Verify the door-handle recall (24V-466) has been completed by physically operating all four exterior handles in cold conditions. Inspect the high-voltage battery for any pack-warning indicators in the instrument cluster. Current-owner priorities. Complete any outstanding recalls while service capacity remains available, document the current software build for your records, join the Fisker Owners Association for parts-pool access, and identify an independent EV specialist in your region before a failure forces one. Treat the warranty as expired in practice, regardless of the original odometer date.
Recalls (6)
Fisker Group Inc (Fisker) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Ocean vehicles. The brake module software may cause an unexpected reduction in regenerative braking, decreasing the braking performance.
Fisker Group Inc (Fisker) is recalling all 2023-2024 Ocean vehicles. The exterior door handles can stick and fail to open.
Fisker Group Inc (Fisker) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Ocean vehicles. The transmission may not shift into the selected gear, allowing the vehicle to roll away while in Drive or Reverse.
Fisker Group Inc (Fisker) is recalling all 2023 Ocean vehicles. The instrument panel displays the incorrect font size of the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights, and displays certain warning lights in amber instead of red. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems" and 101, "Controls and Displays." Additionally, multiple warning lights fail to illuminate during the ignition cycle bulb check, failing to comply with the requirements of FMVSS 138 and 208.
Fisker Group Inc (Fisker) is recalling all 2023 Ocean vehicles. The Motor Control Unit (MCU) and Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) software may cause the vehicle to enter a safe state protection mode unexpectedly, causing a loss of drive power.
Fisker Group Inc (Fisker) is recalling all 2023-2024 Ocean vehicles. A communication failure with the cabin electric water pump can cause the high voltage battery management system (BMS) to enter limp mode, causing a loss of drive power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean problems?
The 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean has accumulated 881 NHTSA complaints. The most frequently reported problem areas are Electrical System, Brakes, Safety Systems. As with any used vehicle, an inspection before buying and a vehicle history report are recommended.
Which Fisker Ocean engine is most reliable?
The 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean was offered with 1 engine option. Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Fisker Ocean Unidentified Engine has the lowest complaint density and is considered the most reliable choice for buyers.
Is the 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean a good used car?
The 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean can be a sound used car depending on trim, mileage, and maintenance history. With 881 total NHTSA complaints on record, prospective buyers should review the known problem areas and check for open recalls before buying.
How many NHTSA complaints does the 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean have?
The 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean has 881 complaints filed with NHTSA as of our latest data pull. Complaint counts reflect owner-reported issues and do not necessarily indicate defects or safety risks on their own.
What recalls affect the 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean?
There are 6 NHTSA recalls affecting some 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean vehicles. Recall status varies by VIN — check the NHTSA recall database at recalls.nhtsa.dot.gov with your specific VIN to confirm which campaigns apply.
What should I check before buying a used Fisker Ocean?
Before buying a used Fisker Ocean, verify all open recalls are completed via the NHTSA VIN lookup tool. Pay particular attention to Electrical System, Brakes, Safety Systems, which are the most commonly reported problem areas. Request maintenance records, have an independent mechanic inspect the vehicle, and run a vehicle history report to check for prior accidents or title issues.
Does the Ocean have NHTSA crash test ratings?
NHTSA has not published crash test ratings for the 2023-2024 Fisker Ocean. Not all vehicles are tested each year. For the latest NHTSA safety information, visit nhtsa.gov/ratings.
Data from NHTSA federal complaints database. 881 complaints analyzed. Data confidence: high. Last updated: 2026-05-23.