Chevy Bolt EV Recall Over Potential Fire Risk

Image Source Guide Auto Web

The Chevy Bolt EV models from 2017 – 2019 are being recalled over a potential fire risk within the vehicles batteries! GM said they will replace and repair the faulty units and have given new charging instructions as the car batteries now pose as a fire risk even when stationary, parked & even when not charging. It is estimate the recall will be over 50,000 units in US.

The problem comes from the high voltage battery pack, until the repairs have taken place GM is instructing owners to park their Chevy Bolts outdoors & away from their homes

The instructions from GM is as follows, first on the 14th of July this statement was made:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a “Consumer Alert” today. The safety agency is telling 2017–2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV owners to park their vehicles outside “until further notice” because of the potential of an unattended fire in the high-voltage battery pack, located under the bottom cushion of the car’s back seat. This notification applies to the more than 50,000 vehicles originally recalled in November 2020, as detailed in the story below. NHTSA’s notice says, “Owners of these vehicles should park their vehicles outside away from homes and other structures immediately after charging and should not leave their vehicles charging overnight, according to General Motors.”

NHTSA said it is aware of two “recent” fires in Bolt EVs that had already received recall service for the issue, so this warning applies to vehicles whether or not they have been in for recall service.

Then the follow up statement issues on 23/07/2021:

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.

if you have a chevy bolt and are looking for more information you can visit the following link:

https://my.chevrolet.com/how-to-support/safety/boltevrecall

Consumer Thoughts

Brainstorming in our office we discussed what type of emotions must be going through the minds of those that purchased the Chevy bolt. It must be infuriating to be punished for wanted to buy a car that is environmentally friendly. Like all technology it will have set backs and things that need working out, but when the safety of consumers and the general public is at stake it’s time to re-evaluate. The horror of your car randomly combusting at any moment is terrifying. In the grand scheme of things safety is paramount. You must place safety above all else. In this case especially above profits.

The company seem to understand this. The recalls have been issued and no doubt this will be a huge hit to Chevy. Their reputations and profits will likely suffer. With that in mind, they are doing the right thing by immediately acknowledging the problems. Clear instructions on what to do and a total recall is the best possible outcome. That’s exactly what we got. If any other companies faces similar difficulties in the pursuit of going green we hope they can take note of the way Chevy has handled the situation. Despite this not being something that should happen at all. Chevy made the best of a bad situation.