Fisker Recalling Karma Plug-in Hybrids to Fix Cooling Fan

Fisker Automotive is recalling Karma plug-in hybrid luxury cars to fix cooling fan cited as the cause of a recent California fire.

The recall comes after Fisker engineers, working with an independent fire expert from Pacific Rim Investigative Services Group, has identified the root cause of the fire incident in a Karma in Woodside, Calif., on Aug. 10.

About 2,400 Karma plug-in hybrids are involved in the recall. Of those, about 1,400 are in customers' hands, said Roger Ormisher, a company spokesman.

The investigation located the ignition source to the left front of the Karma, forward of the wheel, where the low temperature cooling fan is located. The final conclusion was that this sealed component had an internal fault that caused it to fail, overheat and start a slow burning fire.

Fisker has already contacted its retailer network. Customers are expected to be contacted by retailers, ahead of their receiving formal notice from the company by mail, to have the cooling fan replaced with a unit that meets the required specifications. At the same time an additional fuse will be installed for added protection.

In their investigation, independent experts established that the incident was not caused by the Lithium-ion battery pack, new technology components, engine component packaging or unique exhaust routing of the Fisker Karma.

“We are committed to responding swiftly and decisively to events such as this to ensure total customer satisfaction,” says Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, Henrik Fisker. “This incident resulted from a single, faulty component, not our unique EVer powertrain or the engineering of the Karma. As this situation demonstrates, Fisker Automotive is dedicated to doing whatever is necessary to address safety and quality concerns.”