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#BS-2012-FISKAR-39F6

2012 Fisker Karma

Based on reports from 12 owners and 5 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Recalls

TSBs

🟢

Preliminary Verdict

Proceed with Caution

Based on 12 complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, and 5 recalls. This is the worst model year for this vehicle.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the ElectricalHIGH

4 owners reported electrical issues — failures commonly reported around 10K miles.

!Inspect the Fuel SystemMED

Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure

+ 5 more items in full checklistUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Electrical (4 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Electrical4 (33%)

Fuel System2 (17%)

Drivetrain2 (17%)

Engine1 (8%)

Brakes1 (8%)

Lights1 (8%)

Other1 (8%)

2012 Fisker Karma: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Electrical Issues

Electrical complaints account for 33% of all reports filed for the 2012 Fisker Karma, with 4 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 10,059 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 10K-mile mark.

Fuel System Issues

Fuel System complaints account for 17% of all reports filed for the 2012 Fisker Karma, with 2 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to fuel system-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Drivetrain Issues

Drivetrain complaints account for 17% of all reports filed for the 2012 Fisker Karma, with 2 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to drivetrain-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2012 Fisker Karma, with 1 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2012 Fisker Karma. Recent trend: decreasing.

Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own

Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (5 recalls)

11V598000Jan 2012

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

FISKER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 FISKER KARMA PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 1, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 3, 2011. WITHIN THE HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY, CERTAIN HOSE CLAMPS MAY HAVE BEEN POSITIONED INCORRECTLY DURING ASSEMBLY. IF POSITIONED INCORRECTLY, THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH THE HOSE CLAMPS, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A COOLANT LEAK FROM THE COOLING HOSES.

12V241000May 2012

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

FISKER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 FISKER KARMA PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 22, 2011, THROUGH JANUARY 20, 2012. WITHIN THE HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY, CERTAIN HOSE CLAMPS MAY HAVE BEEN POSITIONED INCORRECTLY DURING ASSEMBLY. IF POSITIONED INCORRECTLY, THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH THE HOSE CLAMPS, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A COOLANT LEAK FROM THE COOLING HOSES. THIS RECALL IS AN EXPANSION OF SAFETY RECALL 11V-598.

12V413000Aug 2012

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN

Fisker Automotive (Fisker) is recalling certain model year 2012 Fisker Karma passenger cars manufactured from June 15, 2011, through July 9, 2012. A manufacturing defect in the low temperature cooling fan may result in a direct short.

17V004000Sep 2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Karma Automotive LLC (Karma) is recalling certain 2012 Fisker Karma vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

19V181000Mar 2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Karma Automotive (Karma) is recalling certain 2012 Fisker Karma vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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This is the worst model year for the Fisker Karma according to owner complaint data. The biggest problem area is steering.

2012 Fisker Karma vs. Class Average (Subcompact Cars)

This vehicle

Class avg

Below the class average — fewer complaints than typical subcompact cars vehicles. A good sign.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 12 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 5 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Fisker Karma Model Years

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

View all Fisker Karma years →

2012 Fisker Karma: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2012 Fisker Karma?

The most commonly reported issue with the 2012 Fisker Karma is related to the electrical, with 4 complaints filed with NHTSA.

Is the 2012 Fisker Karma reliable?

The 2012 Fisker Karma has 12 complaints, 0 crash reports, and 0 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is below the class average — a positive sign for reliability.

How much does it cost to fix 2012 Fisker Karma problems?

Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.

Does the 2012 Fisker Karma have any recalls?

Yes, the 2012 Fisker Karma has 5 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

What mileage do Fisker Karma problems start?

Based on 8 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 10,059 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 0–30K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.

What’s in the full report?

10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.

How is this different from free NHTSA data?

NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.

How is this different from Carfax?

Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.

What if the report isn’t useful?

100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.