The Vermont State Police launched this image of the 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV that ignited on July 1, 2021 in the driveway of state Rep. Timothy Briglin, a Democrat.
Vermont State Police
General Motors has actually provided a 2nd recall of its 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt EVs after a minimum of 2 of the electrical lorries that were fixed for a previous issue appeared into flames.
The car manufacturer stated Friday that authorities with GM and LG Energy Solution, which provides the car’s battery cells, have actually determined a 2nd “rare manufacturing defect” in the EVs that increases the danger of fire. The recall covers about 69,000 of the cars and trucks worldwide, consisting of almost 51,000 in the U.S.
To repair the issue, GM stated it will change malfunctioning battery modules in the lorries, which can be expensive however will be totally free to owners. The car manufacturer states the repair work is various than the previous repair, which mostly depended on software application and, sometimes, replacement modules.
“We’re working with our supplier and manufacturing teams to determine how to best expedite battery capacity for module replacement under the recall,” GM representative Dan Flores stated in an e-mail. “These teams are working around the clock on this issue.”
The business “will notify customers when replacement parts are ready,” Flores stated.
In the meantime, GM is asking impacted Bolt EV owners to set their lorries to a 90% state of charge constraint utilizing Hilltop Reserve mode (for 2017-2018 design years) or Target Charge Level (for 2019 design year) mode.
GM likewise is asking owners to prevent diminishing their battery listed below roughly 70 miles of staying variety, and as recommended recently, continue to not park their lorries inside or charge them ignored over night “out of an abundance of caution.”
The fist recall of the Bolt EVs due to fires was revealed in November by GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The car manufacturer presented what it thought was a long-term repair for the issue previously this year.
One of the current fires took place while the car was charging at the house of a Vermont state legislator previously this month. GM stated it has actually verified 9 battery-related fires in Bolt EVs in the U.S.
The NHTSA recently stated battery cell packs in the affected lorries have the prospective to smoke and spark internally, which might infect the remainder of the car and trigger a structure fire if the car is parked inside a garage or near a home.
GM has actually redeemed a few of the remembered lorries however has actually decreased to state the number of. Automakers typically redeem remembered lorries to calm dissatisfied consumers and prevent activating state lemon laws and lawsuits.
GM states owners with concerns must visit www.chevy.com/boltevrecall or call its Chevrolet EV customer service at 1-833-EVCHEVY or call their chosen Chevrolet EV dealership.
