Fisker Ocean Totaled After Tiny Door Ding Souring EV Dream

Door dings and minor auto body damage occur frequently in daily driving. Typically, insurance companies manage the repairs without much fuss. However, when the vehicle in question is a Fisker Ocean, things can go very bad, very quickly, and that’s exactly what happened in this instance.

After someone hit Joy Wanner’s Ocean while the door was open, the damage appeared to be minor. But lo and behold, less than a month later, the insurance company deemed the electric SUV from the struggling startup teetering on the brink of bankruptcy a total loss.

More: Fisker Faces Bankruptcy After Missing $8.4M Payment, Hires Restructuring Officer

Warner truly believed in Fisker. She opted to purchase the Ocean, her second electric vehicle, outright. However, her excitement soured almost immediately. “It was an emotional roller coaster,” she told Carscoops. “One day it would run fine, and the next, a new warning light would blink or ding. It was so frustrating to pay that much money for a car only to get annoyed every time you used it,” she shared.

When the accident with the door occurred on March 15th, there was no telling what would happen when the damage adjuster arrived four days later. Upon inspection, they identified two main issues. First, there was superficial damage to a crease in the door itself. Second, a hinge was also broken.

Initial damage estimate was only $910

Photos Joy Wanner

The damage adjuster initially estimated that it would cost $910 to fix, but he also admitted that, in reality, it would be much higher as he was unfamiliar with the vehicle. He had no idea how right he would end up being.

Those two damaged components proved insurmountable due to a lack of available parts, according to Wanner. She also notes that Fisker itself hasn’t been really helpful during this process. “[I] Still haven’t even received a title from Fisker. Getting any answers or help from them is impossible,” she says.

Just over 30 days after the accident, the insurance company cut her a check for $53,303. Still, that payout has far from made Wanner whole.

“We lost over $20,000 investing in this startup EV and I cannot say goodbye fast enough,” Joe told a group of Fisker Ocean fans on Facebook. “The delivery delays, mismanagement of paperwork, reporting issues, and getting case numbers that disappear into thin air, the mysterious warning lights and maddening warning sounds, being trapped inside the vehicle, an unreliable outdated navigation system, one cheaply made barely operational key fob… This vehicle fell very, very short of our expectations and well below my high standards. I hope Henrik Fisker loses every dime he has and I wish the rest of you the best of luck.”

Beyond the financial impact, this experience has soured her view of other startup brands. In her search for a replacement for the Ocean, she explored various options, including considering a Rivian, but ultimately decided against purchasing one.

“No way we’re investing in another startup EV company… learned our lesson,” she told us. In the end, she ended up in a Tesla Model Y for a variety of reasons including range, performance, charging network, and overall value. Her final message to other prospective buyers is a clear one.

“We are not out to get vengeance. We really believed in this company, ordered the vehicle and waited over 2 years to receive it, and invested in the stock. When we ordered it, it was the best-performing EV available. That changed, quickly. Overall, the machine is great. Drove/handled really well. The software was a nightmare and the company was a joke. Just sad all around.”