Mar

9

Consumer Reports Tests Fisker Karma; Car Breaks Down

Filed Under Business, Environment, Global Warming | 33 Comments

The Fisker Karma is an over $100,000 “green” car that Al Gore, Leo DiCaprio and Colin Powell love to which the Obama Energy Department gave a $529 million loan only to have the company move their operation overseas and lay off US workers. I know… it all sounds too good to be true. But wait, it gets better.

The car more than makes up for all that downside in performance. Or maybe not.

From Consumer Reports:

Our Fisker Karma cost us $107,850. It is super sleek, high-tech—and now it’s broken.

We have owned our car for just a few days; it has less than 200 miles on its odometer. While doing speedometer calibration runs on our test track (a procedure we do for every test car before putting it in service by driving the car at a constant 65 mph between two measured points), the dashboard flashed a message and sounded a “bing“ showing a major fault. Our technician got the car off the track and put it into Park to go through the owner’s manual to interpret the warning. At that point, the transmission went into Neutral and wouldn’t engage any gear through its electronic shifter except Park and Neutral.

We let the car sit for about an hour and restarted it. We could now engage Drive and the same error message disappeared. After moving it only a few feet the error message reappeared and when we tried to engage Reverse the transmission went straight to Park and again no motion gear could be engaged. After calling the dealer, which is about 100 miles away, they promptly sent a flatbed tow truck to haul away the disabled Fisker.

We buy about 80 cars a year and this is the first time in memory that we have had a car that is undriveable before it has finished our check-in process.

The government’s reaction will be “clearly we didn’t throw enough taxpayer money at the project.”

Well done, Gorebots. These fools would be hilarious if they weren’t dragging down the US economy with them.

Comments

33 Responses to “Consumer Reports Tests Fisker Karma; Car Breaks Down”

  1. Dexter_Alarius on March 9th, 2012 2:40 pm

    An Obama-subsidized 'green energy' car that breaks down almost immediately.
    That's… karma.

  2. Joe Redfield on March 9th, 2012 2:47 pm

    Is this the same one that becomes a "brick" if you let the battery run down? Or is it the one that, every now and then, bursts into flames for no apparent reason? Or is it a completely different electromobile that goes through taxpayer dollars faster than a wind turbine can shred a flock of birds?

  3. SignPainterGuy on March 9th, 2012 2:52 pm

    I believe we may now conclusively conclude that karma is indeed a b!tch !

  4. SignPainterGuy on March 9th, 2012 2:54 pm

    POS from top to bottom ! And front to back and side to side and innards n outards !

    BUT, it sure looks nice !

  5. Marshall_Will on March 9th, 2012 3:15 pm

    "faster than a wind turbine can shred a flock of birds?"

    Poetry friends. Pure poetry.

    ( Why isn't Joe rated!? )

  6. Marshall_Will on March 9th, 2012 3:19 pm

    "My oldest son is taking his road test to get his driver's license tomorrow. Godspeed, insurance premium."

    Hey Doug.., back up that tow truck! I know where he should be able to pick up a chick magnet on the cheap! Just a few decades of cutting lawns and raking leaves and..?

    "and when we tried to engage Reverse the transmission went straight to Park and again no motion gear could be engaged."

    I used to have a car like that. 1962 Pontiac StarChief, although it was slightly less expensive.

  7. Doug on March 9th, 2012 3:19 pm

    The world's most approriately named "green" car.

  8. clu seatoe on March 9th, 2012 3:21 pm

    One wonders why an electric vehicle would need a grill in front and dual rear exhaust ports.

    I’m betting the manufacturing went to Finland because that’s the cheapest place where they could buy the “off the shelf” body and frame and make the minimal changes, if any at all, to drop in the Chinese batteries and a pot metal drive train.

    It’s almost impossible now to buy anything in America anymore that’s not made in China, but beware if it comes with batteries.

  9. SignPainterGuy on March 9th, 2012 3:23 pm

    Same reason you aren`t; you and he haven`t signed up / created an account with Intense Debate !

  10. SignPainterGuy on March 9th, 2012 3:38 pm

    "….. grill in front and dual rear exhaust ports."

    Remember in the `50s when it was believed that the next big thing would be turbine powered cars, so the designers put 3 or 4 exhaust ports on the side of the hood or fenders (Buick for example) ? Well, some people think we must be "eased" into the new ! I remember in the early `60s when color TVs were new. Some people were suckered into buying multi-colored film to put over their b/w screens to"prepare their eyes" for all that unusual color. What ? The WORLD is in color, only the TVs are in black and white. Ding bats !!

    Or maybe it has a real use. For all that hot Gorebull gas you have to have intake, cooling and exhaust !

  11. Marshall_Will on March 9th, 2012 3:57 pm

    Clu,

    The styling 'appointments' aren't the only thing faux about this GB. We had a company in Oregon that very adeptly retro-fitted EXISTING Pontiac Fiero's w/ a battery powered electric motor!

    The cost to the end user was about 5 to 10k, less cost of the vehicle which we'll assume to already have a blown engine/trans. etc. So, like $1,500 bucks.

    With a range of 45 miles, even Mr. Powers couldn't say NO to the new driver in the family? How's that 'going' btw Doug?

  12. backwoodsconsr on March 9th, 2012 5:45 pm

    The ultimate green car–one that doesn't make it onto the road at all. What could use less energy than that?

  13. clu seatoe on March 9th, 2012 7:37 pm

    Now the winning bulb is on the market.
    The price is $50.

    A $50, 60W, diode light bulb!?
    http://michellemalkin.com/2012/03/09/government-s…

    I can get a swarm of ‘em for my Maglight for a couple of bucks. This puppy better still be on and running to light the New Jerusalem!

  14. Pasadena Phil on March 9th, 2012 8:49 pm

    It always comes back to Monty Python doesn't it Doug? The Karma is the new machine that goes "Bing!"

  15. backwoodsconsr on March 9th, 2012 9:47 pm

    Karmageddon.

  16. SignPainterGuy on March 9th, 2012 9:54 pm

    I like that ! It looks like the Karma got stopped by the Goracle`s Greenie Dogma !

  17. backwoodsconsr on March 9th, 2012 10:06 pm

    I'm disappointed that it took me all day to think of it. I'm off my game.

  18. Marshall_Will on March 9th, 2012 10:23 pm

    If it took 20 posts to turn up, we're ALL off our game. ( What are the chances of -that- going viral in the Right blogoshpere? )

    Sox got trounced today by the Cubbies. Live it up NorthSiders!

  19. backwoodsconsr on March 9th, 2012 10:33 pm

    Feel free to use it wherever you choose. It would tickle me to see a word I coined gain widespread usage.

  20. Doug on March 9th, 2012 11:59 pm

    At least my son will be able to remember back to those carefree days when he started driving when gas was only $4 a gallon.

  21. Doug on March 10th, 2012 12:00 am

    "And turn on all the Fiskers in case the administrator comes!"

  22. Marshall_Will on March 10th, 2012 12:18 am

    As Michelle would say; "So stealing that!"

    This would've been a debacle assuming the vehicle performed flawlessly. It's a curious situation because unlike the bal. of the steaming pile media, Consumer Reports can't survive as a publication if the reviews and data they share are anything less than brutally honest.

    Not they haven't been subjected to brow beating from some of our largest corporations. Kind of how I've come to view Doug and Michelle. Go ahead and buy an Oblemon, just don't say we didn't WARN you!

  23. SignPainterGuy on March 10th, 2012 2:56 pm

    Boy, it`s been a long time since I first got my license. Gas was 32 cents a gal. and diesel was a whopping 9 cents ! And my first job paid $1.70 an hour …… mmmmm, good times !

  24. Robert Brian on April 2nd, 2012 4:36 am

    I’ll write Fiskers press release for this.
    We tried but could not reproduce the error. We believe it was an unfortunate mishap and we stand behind out cars. We respect Consumers Reports but they can go fuck themselves because Leonardo DiCaprio owns one of our cars and he loves it..

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    EV's really popular now a days..

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