[SoCalGuy]

So tonight I went to fill up since I was down to about 10 miles EV range and 30 miles on gas - at the gas station, the cap would not unlock! I let car fully shut down, power up again, and still no luck. Anyone have this problem?

 

[ct-fiskerbuzz]

So tonight I went to fill up since I was down to about 10 miles EV range and 30 miles on gas - at the gas station, the cap would not unlock! I let car fully shut down, power up again, and still no luck. Anyone have this problem?

Not on my Karma but I have seen this before on other cars, it's often a bent or kinked cable release. Given that the Karma uses a solenoid (well, I think it does anyway...) I'd look for a blown fuse first, failed solenoid or mechanical problem next.

 

[8AVGMPG]

if you're in a pinch I found out that there is a manual release but it requires a little disassembly.

Open the trunk & remove the closeout panels on the passenger side of the trunk. Behind the panels you'll see a ~5x5" square vent. Give it a good tug and it'll pop right out.

Shine a flashlight in in there and you'll see a red lever and can be moved. That is the release for the gas door. You might need someone to open the door while you move the lever.

The tech @ my dealer once told me that the karma has an intricate emission system & that when you hit the fuel door button it triggers a series of events (along with opening the fuel door).

Because of this I would hit the fuel door release button before you actually attempt to put gas in the car....or just take it to the dealer?

 

[TexasDavid]

We're getting into voodoo here because I've had the same problem but I have not invested too much into figuring it out.

I've had this problem many times. I thought it was at first, but realized later if I can gently get my fingers under it opens easily. I think the button might be a spring which pushes the door open. I've also noticed it works better when the car is off.

 

[SoCalGuy]

Thanks all - luckily I had enough juice to make it home (though I had to cut my night short). Talk about tame anxiety! Anyhow, will call Fisker support this morning and see what they have to say about this.

 

[SoCalGuy]

if you're in a pinch I found out that there is a manual release but it requires a little disassembly.

Open the trunk & remove the closeout panels on the passenger side of the trunk. Behind the panels you'll see a ~5x5" square vent. Give it a good tug and it'll pop right out.

Shine a flashlight in in there and you'll see a red lever and can be moved. That is the release for the gas door. You might need someone to open the door while you move the lever.

The tech @ my dealer once told me that the karma has an intricate emission system & that when you hit the fuel door button it triggers a series of events (along with opening the fuel door).

Because of this I would hit the fuel door release button before you actually attempt to put gas in the car....or just take it to the dealer?

Does this require all of the cloth lining on the right side to come out? Looks like their are plastic screw caps holding that liner in

 

[8AVGMPG]

Does this require all of the cloth lining on the right side to come out? Looks like their are plastic screw caps holding that liner in

yeah sorry thats what I meant by the panels.

 

[Lormax]

Still working on this SoCalGuy? If so, the panels just need to be bent down/shifted a bit out of the way to access that vent panel that was described. The vent panel has 4 tabs that get pushed in (your fingers will work fine for this). Push the vent into the body of the car. Once you have the gas door open, push the plunger for the solenoid in with something (a small screwdriver works), then spray in a bit of silicone lubricant (the wet type will work best). Should solve your problem in the future.

 

[SoCalGuy]

Thanks all for the advice. Went to dealer this morning and it worked after a few tries. So I left the dealer and went to gas station. Didn't work - then it occurred to me this was likely a software problem since I never heard the mechanical release sound when I would push the button. But I had tried all permutations of powering car down, putting car in ACC mode, Stealth, Sport, off etc. and it still didn't work before. So before I went back to the dealer I remembered all the issues people had with USB accessories etc. I have a car adapter for my iPhone 5 that is plugged into the 12V in the arm rest. So I unplugged it, let car go to sleep, and turned car back on and hit gas button - and it worked! Haven't tested this again but I will later today. Wouldn't have thought that the 12V power plug would have any effect on the gas cap release but looks like it does. Will try it a few more times later today to see if that is the culprit!

 

[Antonin]

I have two adapters for iPhone and Ipod Classic constantly working and never had problem opening the gas cap. I guess somewhere in error log of the car should be noted what the problem is, but this is visible only to the dealer. It seems to me that the fuel management on Fisker is unnecessarily complicated. Today I had about 8 liters of fuel in the tank and during the whole trip (on electric power) car reminded me about 20 times that I am low on fuel. All of my other cars beep only once, because they assume that driver is not an absent minded idiot.

 

[Lormax]

Yeah that constant low fuel reminder every few minutes is definitely annoying.

 

[TexasDavid]

Yes, this is why I made the Voodoo comment earlier.

 

[Sigurd]

I also have two similar issues:
1. I have had problems opening my fuel filler door. I also have problems having the button pop back out without a gentle pry.
2. I find the repeated low fuel reminder annoying.

But, since I only fill gas or hear the low fuel reminder every couple of months or so, I keep forgetting to mention these issues to the dealer upon service.

 

[Dr.GJD]

The non-opening fuel door happened to me a number of times. The problem was the solenoid actuated switch assembly that opens the fuel door comes loose and door will not open at times (or lock for that matter). At worse it can drop into the the space between the quater panel and the trunk and cause the ICE to run continuously and a CEL.
The fix is simple. It can be accessed via the trunk as stated above. Bend the plastic retaining clips so that the assembly is on tight and apply silicone glue so that it does not loosen again or have dealer do it.

 

[Harleyguy]

To reinstall the lock motor correctly it should be done gaining access from inside the wheel well. If you live close enough to the dealer have them repair it.It looks a lot easier then it is also a two part epoxy should be used . Fisker has a bulletin out for the repair

 

[Nin ja]

To reinstall the lock motor correctly it should be done gaining access from inside the wheel well. If you live close enough to the dealer have them repair it.It looks a lot easier then it is also a two part epoxy should be used . Fisker has a bulletin out for the repair

is this a known problem for all fisker or just some?

 

[Lormax]

Do all Karma's have a gas door problem? No, not all.

 

[Harleyguy]

It actually depends how hard you push on the gas door when you push it in to lock it.If you push it pretty hard you risk dislodging the motor

 

[EVer1]

It actually depends how hard you push on the gas door when you push it in to lock it.If you push it pretty hard you risk dislodging the motor

Good to know. Not that I've developed a habit of pushing the gas door in, I've only opened it 6 times for gas, and once or twice before I had the trunk button location fixed in my mind.

 

[Nin ja]

Good to know. Not that I've developed a habit of pushing the gas door in, I've only opened it 6 times for gas, and once or twice before I had the trunk button location fixed in my mind.

I opened my twice since march 2012 for a total of 15 gallons. I don't remember where the button is and had to pull out the manual to follow this thread