Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2012 Fisker Karma, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system4
- Fuel/propulsion system2
- Power train2
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Unknown or other1
- Exterior lighting1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2012 Fisker Karma failed the safety check 2.30% of the time — 9% less often than the average 2012 passenger car (2.52%). Median odometer at inspection: 30,973 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2012
255 new Fisker Karma cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2012; the largest markets were the Netherlands (97), Belgium (54), Germany (52).
- Average mass
- 2,505 kg
- Average power
- 170 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Petrol/electric 69% · Electric 21% · Petrol 9.8%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
In the Netherlands
57 first registered in 2012 are on Dutch roads; 18% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €116,977.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde37
- Waarschuwingsinrichting controlesysteem bandenspanning geeft11
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm10
- Band beschadigd9
- Band onvoldoende profiel9
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld9
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt8
- Zijrichtingaanwijzer(s) werkt niet (goed)6
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In Finland
6 of these cars first registered in 2012 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 76,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2012 Fisker Karma.
| 2012290 24 Aug 2012 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the low temperature cooling fans may have been manufactured incorrectly and could develop a short circuit. An electrical short could resul… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Karma Automotive (Karma) is recalling certain 2012 Fisker Karma vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Karma Automotive LLC (Karma) is recalling certain 2012 Fisker Karma vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Fisker Automotive (Fisker) is recalling certain model year 2012 Fisker Karma passenger cars manufactured from June 15, 2011, through July 9, 2012. A manufacturing defect in the low temperature cooling fan may result in a direct short.
FISKER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 FISKER KARMA PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 22, 2011, THROUGH JANUARY 20, 2012. WITHIN THE HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY, CERTAIN HOSE CLAMPS MAY HAVE BEEN POSITIONED INCORRECTLY DURING ASSEMBLY. IF POSITIONED INCORRECTLY, THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH THE HOSE CLAMPS, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A COOLANT LEAK FROM THE COOLING HOSES. THIS RECALL IS AN EXPANSION OF SAFETY RECALL 11V-598.
FISKER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 FISKER KARMA PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 1, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 3, 2011. WITHIN THE HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY, CERTAIN HOSE CLAMPS MAY HAVE BEEN POSITIONED INCORRECTLY DURING ASSEMBLY. IF POSITIONED INCORRECTLY, THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH THE HOSE CLAMPS, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A COOLANT LEAK FROM THE COOLING HOSES.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Fisker told its dealers about the 2012 Fisker Karma: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10191491 | Traction Motor and Inverter Location and Nomenclature |
| 10051599 | FISKER: ON THE END OF RELEASE CABLE IS ORIGINAL DOOR PULL RING WHICH CAN SLIP OFF BALL. A DOOR PULL RINGS, THAT FULLY CAPTURE AND ENGAGE CABLE RELEASE BALL, WAS REDESIGN AND REPLACES PULL RING ON THE FOUR DOORS AND CABLE RELEASE FOR THE TRUNK. MODELS 2012-2013 KARMA. *PE |
| 10051501 | FISKER: AFTER AN EXTENDED DRIVE, WITH HEATER ON, IN STEALTH MODE, A FLASHING OR SOLID CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (CEL) ILLUMINATES, WITH ROUGH IDLE, WHEN ENGINE/GENERATOR IS TURNED ON. MODELS 2012-2013 KARMA. *PE |
| 10044423 | FISKER: BATTERY CHARGER CONTROL MODULE LOSES COMMUNICATION DUE TO A POTENTIAL FALSE SETTING. *PE |
| 10044422 | FISKER: INFORMATION PROVIDED ON STANDARD GOODYEAR TIRES FITTED TO KARMA, WITH WEAR INDICATOR BARS, STILL HAVE USABLE TREAD RUBBER ON SHOULDER RIBS, THOUGH APPEARING WORN. *PE |
| 10044421 | FISKER: INFORMATION FOR CORRECTLY FORMATTING, DOWNLOADING, AND LOADING SOFTWARE AND FILES ON USB FLASH DRIVE IS BEING PROVIDED AS A SERVICE TIP. *PE |
| 10044138 | FISKER: EXPLANATION REGARDING COMMAND CENTER TIPS FOR THE TOUCH PANEL ON COMPUTER SCREEN ON VEHICLE. *PE |
| 10044137 | FISKER: BASELINE 611 SOFTWARE IS BEING UPDATED IN SOME VEHICLES. THE ECU IS NOT BEING REPLACED. *PE |
| 10044136 | FISKER: EXPLANATION PROVIDED REGARDING THE 3 DIFFERENT DRIVING MODES OF VEHICLE. *PE |
| 10044135 | FISKER: INFORMATION IS BEING PROVIDED REGARDING CHARGING PROCEDURE FOR VEHICLE. *PE |
| 10044134 | FISKER: INFORMATION REGARDING IMPROVED ENHANCEMENT TO HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY, DUE TO UNDERPERFORMANCE AND DECREASED DURABILITY CAUSED BY A LATENT DEFECT IN THE PRISMATIC CELLS. *PE UPDATED 5/15/12. *PE |
| 10044133 | FISKER: SOFTWARE UPDATE WITHOUT REPLACING ECU. *PE |
| 10044131 | FISKER: WITHOUT REPLACING THE ECU, THE SOFTWARE IS ALLOWED, BY FLASH REPROGRAMMING, TO BE UPDATED TO BASELINE 612. *PE |
| 10044123 | FISKER: WITHOUT REPLACING THE ECU, THE ECU SOFTWARE IS ALLOWED, BY THE FLASH REPROGRAMMING, TO BE UPDATED. *PE UPDATED 5/14/2012. *PE |
| 10044122 | FISKER: TEST PROCEDURE FOR 12 VOLT BATTERY ALREADY INSTALLED AND REPLACE, IF NECESSARY, WITHOUT REQUIRING DIRECT ACCESS TO 12 VOLT BATTERY. *PE |
| 10044121 | FISKER: WITHOUT REPLACING THE ECU, THE FLASH REPROGRAMMING ALLOWS SOFTWARE FOR ECU TO BE UPDATED. *PE |
| 10044120 | FISKER: INFORMATION REGARDING THE DAMAGED WIRES, UNDERNEATH THE GROMMET OF VEHICLE CONTROL MODULE (VCM) LOW VOLTAGE WIRE HARNESS, NEEDS TO BE INSPECTED AND REPAIRED. *PE |
| 10044111 | FISKER: DUE TO INSULATION PROPERTIES OF INSTALLED HARDWARE, INFORMATION IS PROVIDED TO ADDRESS 14 GROUND POINTS IN 12 VOLT SYSTEM WITH HIGH ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE. *PE |
| 10044110 | FISKER: AFTER EVERY TIRE ROTATION, VCM (VEHICLE CONTROL MODULE) REPLACEMENT, OR SENSOR REPLACEMENT, A PROCEDURE, TPMS (TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM) LEARN FUNCTION, MUST BE PERFORMED. *PE |
| 10044095 | FISKER: FRONT INVERTER HAS INCORRECT GROUND LOCATIONS AND PAINT ON MATING SURFACE OF BULKHEAD CAUSES INSUFFICIENT GROUND CONNECTIONS. *PE |
| 10043645 | FISKER: INFORMATION PROVIDED REGARDING UPDATING, WITHOUT REPLACING, ECU SOFTWARE FLASH REPROGRAMMING. *PE |
| 10043626 | FISKER: UPON INSPECTION, HV DC GENERATOR POWER CABLE CONNECTOR MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED INCORRECTLY OR DAMAGED. *PE |
| 10043606 | FISKER: INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED FOR REPLACING ENTIRE EXTERIOR SIDE MIRROR ASSEMBLY COMPONENTS AFTER REBUILDING A DIFFERENT MIRROR. *PE |
| 10042834 | FISKER: INFORMATION PERTAINING TO INSTRUCTIONS OF UPDATING THE ECU SOFTWARE WITHOUT REPLACING THE ECU, WITH NEW NAVIGATION BOOT SUPPORT PATCH. INDIVIDUAL BULLETINS HAVE FIELD FIX PROCEDURES FOR FLASH CALIBRATION UPDATES FOR SPECIFIC MODELS/ECU. *PE |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation