New Details on Chevy’s Bolt EV Battery Fire Recall

After a few months of waiting Chevrolet finally came to the public to report via Facebook about a recall on its electric Bolt.

“We wanted to comment here to address some of the common questions in this thread about the Bolt EV recall. While our engineers continue to work around the clock to make progress on a permanent fix, it’s important that impacted owners take steps to mitigate any risk. To learn if your Bolt EV is impacted, please visit: my.gm.com/recalls”

In November 2020, some owners of these vehicles were contacted because of fires that occurred due to the battery of the electric car which was probably charged more than 90 percent of its capacity. LG also had problems related to fire in the batteries of the Hyundai Kona. Below is a list of FAQs published by GM to assist owners with some precautions.

Q: Do I need to visit my dealer for the software update or can I just charge to hilltop or 90%? Why?

A: We strongly encourage all owners affected visit their dealer to obtain the software update. This automatically sets the maximum charge to 90% and will provide peace of mind for the customer and prevent them from having to routinely verify the car is set to hilltop reserve.

Q: If I have not taken my car to the dealer for the software update, are there implications for my vehicle warranty?

A: No. The vehicle warranty would not be affected. We strongly encourage all owners affected visit their dealer to obtain the software update.

Q: Is the car safe to drive & have in my garage?

A: Based on our investigation to date and available data from verified incidents, our analysis indicates that reducing the state of charge to 90% will provide a safety margin and mitigate the risks of further incidents.

Q: Will the 90% charge limit be permanent? If so, what do you plan to do to make customers whole who expected a return to full range?

A: We’re continuing to investigate the root cause and our intention is to remove the 90% charge limit once the investigation has been completed and defective battery packs have been identified and replaced or repaired.

Leave a Reply