Summary
The Fisker Karma has 6 recalls, all affecting the 2012 model year, with the most serious being a passenger-side frontal airbag inflator that can rupture explosively and send metal fragments into the cabin, causing serious injury or death to occupants.
The airbag inflator issue is covered across two separate recalls by registration state, but the hazard is the same regardless of where the vehicle was originally sold or registered. There are also two fire-related risks tied to the high-voltage battery system: on vehicles built between July and November 2011, and again on those built from September 2011 through January 2012, coolant hose clamps inside the battery pack can be positioned incorrectly so that the battery cover presses against them, causing a coolant leak. If that coolant reaches the battery compartment, it can cause an electrical short and start a fire. A separate cooling fan defect affects the low-temperature fans, which can develop an internal short circuit that ignites the fan housing and surrounding components, again resulting in a vehicle fire.