BOLT EV RECALL - July 23, 2021
Today, General Motors announced a recall for the 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt. 2020 and newer vehicles are unaffected. GM will be replacing defective battery modules in these cars. As it may take awhile before they have the necessary parts to perform these recalls, they are asking owners to again limit their maximum charge level, and to park outside overnight. In addition to these steps they are now saying that owners should avoid allowing the vehicle to drop below 70 miles of range remaining, and to charge up after each trip. As an owner of one of the affected vehicles, I will be following all of the safety guidelines they have laid out for the well-being of myself and my family. Having said that, I am frustrated. I drive quite a bit daily for work, and this will definitely have an impact on my daily routine. If you own a 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt, please follow the precautions outlined below, so that we can avoid anymore battery fires.
As part of GM’s commitment to safety, experts from GM and LG have identified the simultaneous presence of two rare manufacturing defects in the same battery cell as the root cause of battery fires in certain Chevrolet Bolt EVs. As a result, GM will be conducting a new recall for the previous population of Bolt EVs (2017-2019) to address the risk of battery fires in these vehicles.
As part of this recall, GM will replace defective battery modules in the recall population. We will notify customers when replacement parts are ready. While we prepare to conduct this recall, we are asking customers to take the following steps until the new remedy has been performed:
1. Customers should, whether or not they received the current software update, return their vehicle to the 90% state of charge limitation using Hilltop Reserve mode (for 2017-2018 model years) or Target Charge Level (for 2019 model year) mode. If customers are unable to successfully make these changes, or do not feel comfortable making these changes, we are asking them to visit their dealer to have these adjustments completed.
2. Additionally, we ask that customers charge their vehicle after each use and avoid depleting their battery below approximately 70 miles of remaining range, where possible.
3. Out of an abundance of caution, customers should continue to park their vehicles outside immediately after charging and not leave their vehicles charging overnight.
In the meantime, customers who have not visited their dealer to receive the advanced diagnostics software should visit their nearest Chevrolet EV dealer to obtain the update. After obtaining the software, customers should still limit their state of charge to 90% and otherwise follow the advice above.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact our dedicated customer support team, Chevrolet EV Concierge 1-833-EVCHEVY available Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 12:00am ET; Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm – 9:00 pm ET
