Lemon law claims first Fisker Karma buyback

Plug-in hybrid maker Fisker can be forgiven for highlighting a positive if slightly stale review of its $103,000 Fisker Karma this morning, after Consumer Reports came forth with its failing grade of the Karma, calling it "well short" of competition such as the Porsche Panamera. And despite the glow from Leo DiCaprio's investment in the company, there's another bit of trouble for the Karma: its first lemon-law buyback for being broken too many times.

When we last met Vince Megna, the Wisconsin-based "King of the Lemon Laws," he was embarrassing Mercedes over a $618,000 judgment for one of his clients, the largest lemon-law award in the country. Megna says that one of his clients had Fisker buy back his Karma recently after it was in the shop for repairs for 120 days in the first seven months of ownership. Since its launch, Fisker has issued two recalls for the Karma, including one linked to fires in Texas and California, but Megna uses the opportunity to press a Fisker dealer about the car's safety -- using the prop of the most famous Karma owner, pop star Justin Bieber. Like Bieber finally getting a baritone, Fisker's first lemon-law case may be a rite of passage into the world of automaking; it's whether any more cases arise after this one that could cause trouble.