Fisker Responds to Breakdown of Karma Bought by Consumer Reports March 16, 2012, 1:10 pm The start-up said it was developing software to patch a flaw that caused its Karma model to break down shortly after it was delivered to the headquarters of Consumer Reports. The automaker also replaced the sedan's lithium-ion battery pack, manufactured by A123 systems, because of a fault involving the unit and an inverter cable, the magazine said. Fisker recently denounced a report from a former employee who alleged that the Karma, a plug-in hybrid, was rushed to market to comply with a stipulation of the company's $529 million loan from the Energy Department.