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Model file · FiskerUpdated · 9 sources

Selling a dead or junk Fisker Karma

The Karma has more recall campaigns than it has owner complaints: five recalls against six complaints filed with NHTSA. Three of them were filed between December 2011 and August 2012. If your Karma no longer starts or charges, you can sell it whole. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

A silver Fisker Karma sedan on a wet dealer lot, with dark sports cars parked in a row behind it
Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Model year
2012 (EPA data)
Powertrain
Plug-in hybrid: 2.0 turbo four + 20.1 kWh battery
Built in
Uusikaupunki, Finland (Valmet)
Production
2011-2012
Complaints to NHTSA
6
Recall campaigns
5

A one-year car with a battery story

Every Karma was built in Uusikaupunki, Finland, by Valmet Automotive, between July 2011 and 2012, says Wikipedia. EPA data lists only the 2012 model year. It is a plug-in hybrid: a 20.1 kWh lithium-ion battery paired with a 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder, driving the rear wheels through a single-speed transmission.

The battery shaped its short life. Production was suspended in November 2012 when A123 Systems, the sole battery supplier, filed for bankruptcy following two battery recalls.

Problems and recalls

Those two battery recalls are the first two below. Both concern hose clamps inside the high-voltage battery that may have been positioned wrong.

  • 11V598 covered Karmas built July 1 to November 3, 2011. NHTSA lists 239 vehicles in the campaign. Wikipedia says the risk was a battery fire caused by a coolant leak. Dealers replaced the high-voltage battery.
  • 12V241 covered cars built September 22, 2011 to January 20, 2012, with 19 vehicles in the campaign. Owners were told not to charge or drive the car and to contact an authorized Fisker dealer.
  • 12V413 replaced a low temperature cooling fan with a manufacturing defect. NHTSA lists 1,377 vehicles in the campaign. Fisker said a fault in that fan caused a Karma fire, per a source Wikipedia cites.
  • 17V004 and 19V181 came later, from Karma Automotive, and replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator. Your car's state history decides which one applies; the campaigns list 811 and 472 vehicles.

Of the six complaints, four name the electrical system, one the fuel and propulsion system, and one is unknown or other.

Model yearComplaintsRecall campaigns
201265

Owner complaints tallied through October 10, 2026. Four of six naming the electrical system is the only pattern in so small a set.

Fix it or sell it?

Run the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first, especially for the air bag inflator. Wikipedia notes that the Karma's warranty was to be extended to 60 months and 60,000 miles in North America, according to Wikipedia's Fisker Karma article.

A dead battery pack is the big question on a car like this. Our hybrid battery guide explains how to weigh it. For a Karma that hasn't moved in years, see sitting for years. Once a quote for the pack nears the value of a working Karma, the unrepaired sale makes more sense.

Selling your Karma whole

  1. Note the VIN, the mileage, and what happens when you try to start or charge it.
  2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
  3. Tell us where your Karma is parked, say a garage or storage unit, and if the wheels spin freely. A Karma that can't roll gets loaded a different way. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
  4. Leave it whole. Keep the battery, engine and wheels on the car, and mention anything already removed.
  5. Bring the title and your photo ID to the handover. After you sell covers plates and insurance by state.

Also own a newer Fisker? See the Ocean, or every Fisker we cover.

Questions people ask

Why did Fisker stop building the Karma?
Production was suspended in November 2012, when A123 Systems, Fisker's only battery supplier, filed for bankruptcy after two battery recalls, according to Wikipedia.
Does my Karma have an open air bag recall?
It may. Two campaigns replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator: 17V004 for cars originally sold, or ever registered, in AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC or TX, and 19V181 for cars registered in a long list of other states. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Will you buy a Karma that won't start or charge?
Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US. Describe what the dash shows when you press the start button, and where the Karma is parked.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

  1. NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded October 10, 2026 nhtsa.gov
  2. NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
  3. NHTSA recall 11V598: battery hose clamps, 2012 Karma nhtsa.gov
  4. NHTSA recall 12V241: battery hose clamps, 2012 Karma nhtsa.gov
  5. NHTSA recall 12V413: low temperature cooling fan, 2012 Karma nhtsa.gov
  6. NHTSA recall 17V004: passenger air bag inflator, 2012 Karma nhtsa.gov
  7. NHTSA recall 19V181: passenger air bag inflator, 2012 Karma nhtsa.gov
  8. EPA fuel economy data (model year, class, powertrain) fueleconomy.gov
  9. Wikipedia: Fisker Karma (production, engine, battery, A123 bankruptcy, recalls) en.wikipedia.org