According to Jalopnik, 16 Fisker Karma models waiting to be shipped off to dealers at Port Newark were flooded during the storm surge, and while it isn’t clear how it happened, some of the cars ended up catching on fire.
This isn’t the first (or second) time a Fisker Karma has caught fire, but it is a different scenario that led to the fires. While the first two instances may have been related to a hot engine compartment, the storm-damaged Karmas were sitting in a lot full of other cars when they were flooded with sea water. Since none of the vehicles were being charged and it’s unlikely that any had recently been driven, the best guess of a cause for these fires is some sort of short caused by the batteries coming in contact with salt water.
Fisker has released an official statement about the fires (read it below) saying the company will investigate the situation, but as of yet, there is no additional information.
It was reported today that several Fisker Karmas were damaged by fire at the Port of Newark after being submerged in sea water during Superstorm Sandy. We can report that there were no injuries and none of the cars were being charged at the time.
We have confidence in the Fisker Karma and safety is our primary concern. While we intend to find the cause as quickly as possible, storm damage has restricted access to the port.
We will issue a further statement once the root cause has been determined.
