Karma ‘a basket case’

Fisker Automotive Inc.’s Karma, the only luxury plug-in hybrid car sold in the United States, failed to win a recommendation from Consumer Reports, which said tests showed flaws in its interior design and reliability.

In a review of the $107,850 car that it bought for testing, the magazine said the Karma was “full of flaws,” including a tight cabin, poor visibility and dashboard controls that were difficult to use.

“Although we found its ride, handling and braking performance sound and it has first-class interior materials, the Karma’s problems outweighed the good,” Jake Fisher, the magazine’s director of vehicle testing, said in a statement Tuesday. Along with the Karma’s cramped cabin and complicated controls, “the gasoline engine has an unrefined roar,” and the Karma’s weight “affects agility and performance,” he said.

The review by Consumer Reports follows its initial March evaluation of the car, which shut down due to a fault with the battery pack. It adds to the challenges for Anaheim-based Fisker, which is working to boost sales of the car and raise funds after it lost access to an Energy Department loan last year.

“The car has been a basket case,” Fisher said. “When you’re paying this much, you’re expecting a car that’s going to run all the time.”

The Karma has been subject to three recalls in the past 12 months. In addition to the battery-pack recall, the company said in August it would recall all its sedans to fix a flawed cooling fan linked to a fire in one of the vehicles. Fisker has delivered more than 1,900 Karmas since last year and raised more than $1 billion in private funds.

The Karma is the most expensive car Consumer Reports has ever purchased for testing.