Last year, General Motors issued a Chevy Bolt EV recall after it received numerous reports of fires that could be traced back to the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery pack.
At the time, GM said it had not yet identified the cause of the fires and said its engineers were working to diagnose the issue and find a solution. The automaker also issued a software update that limits the battery to 90 percent capacity as a temporary stop-gap measure.
Now GM Authority has received an update on the Bolt EV recall situation from GM’s Senior Manager for Product and Brand Communications, Kevin M. Kelly, who told us that Chevy is working diligently towards a fix for the problem and that it expects to have a more permanent solution in the coming months.
“We have hundreds of engineers working around the clock on the issue and we have made progress on identifying the cause and potential remedies,” Kelly said. “We are in the process of validating state-of-the-art software that can diagnose potential issues early and restore 100% charge capability. We expect to roll out the remedy in April.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also launched its own separate investigation into the Chevy Bolt EV fires after it received three fire-related complaints from vehicle owners. The federal safety watchdog says the fires started under the rear seats of the vehicles while they were parked.
Two people have also suffered medical emergencies related to smoke inhalation due to the Bolt EV fires.
A class-action lawsuit was filed against GM over the Bolt EV recall in December of last year, which accuses GM of violating the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, as well as committing fraudulent concealment/fraud by omission.
We’ll provide continuous updates on the Chevy Bolt EV recall situation as GM prepares to roll out its permanent fix in April. In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Bolt EV news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Glad they’re making progress toward a permanent fix. Seems like really good news that the solution is software-related.
Don’t want a software update to detect a problem. I want the problem fixed. If it means replacing the batteries then do it. Don’t want a smoke detector. Gym is just trying to get the batteries out of warranty. Can’t wait for the Tesla model 2. If Gm doesn’t do the right thing I will never buy Gm again
If you read GM history for the past 60 years, this should in no way surprise you. GM is all promotion and little engineering. Their build quality is abysmal. The Corvair, Vega, Citation, Diesel from the gasoline 350,Saturn SUV, Cobalt , Fiero et Al were all disasters. The Impalas from the past 20 years are horrible.. Their new pickups are junk. I would rather throw my money on the table in Vegas than put it in new technology from GM. In addition, they are making much of their crap in China.
When was the last time that GM did the “right thing?” If you are waiting for GM to come through with a dependable, marketable technology solution, you have a very long wait ahead of you.
Hyundai, which also uses the same LG batteries, decided last week that it would replace all affected batteries in the vehicles that use them. This does not appear to be a simple software issue. GM should replace batteries rather than face a nightmare scenario just as they plan future electric vehicles. The good PR from a battery replacement could be chalked up to “early batteries” rather than no replacement endangering future product launches.
People who know anything about battery banks saw the storm coming. The BMS needs to be as robust if not more than anything we’ve seen thus far. With thousands of units made and only 5 or so incidents, the failure rate doesn’t seem to warrant a recall of the banks when better battery management works just as well. An education on how to use electric cars would solve a lot of issues too but people don’t like to admit they had anything to do with battery degradation.
Sophiep the problem is people forget that this is somewhat new technology…it’s going to take time to work out all the bugs, look at Telsa there cars have been known to die for no reason expect that the car needed a software update from Telsa…I also guarantee that there are people out there over charging there cars as well which can be bad for a battery. My point is this is new ground for an auto maker that has been building ICE cars for the past 100 years they have to learn what software works with which battery I am sure that if the batteries where at fault they would replace them.
Yeah I agree, but the bolt uses conservative tech that’s existed for over a century. It’s with mass acceptance that we’ll see these problems arise. It only highlights the need for education. But in the meantime a robust foolproofing is what’s needed. BMS software updates are a part of that.
They tore down a 10yo Tesla bank and found it only lost about 9% of it’s capacity. Although different technologies this shows that battery tech is mature enough and user errors are the main culprit. Like with ICE cars your foot determines the majority of your mileage. Not battery degradation. You don’t see the same complaint with ICE cars but expectations are soaring for EVs with similar issues. The user base needs to be better informed. It would help if they were a little less presumptuous too.
I’ll still enjoy my bolt and still run it as I always have. If it blows up, I’ll buy a lottery ticket.
Here is what will happen, I have written down and taken a picture of what the full charge of my Bolt was before I put it on the hilltop. They will do a bogus software fix, their fix. not the real fix! My Bolt will show full on the battery, but the miles I use to get before the Bogus fix will not give me the same miles as I have had. because you are putting a bandage on the problem. lowering how high the battery will charge, but making the gauge of the battery read full. So over 3 and a half years of charging my car to full will have already damaged the battery pack. Your fix is a bogus software fix. GM is doing just what they did with the start switch problem they just had to payout. They never learn. It’s a LG problem! So pay now Our pay more later. Because it’s flat-out BOGUS!
Anyone who is not embarrassed to be seen in a Bolt has the sentience of Mr. Biden.
Dear GM, I love my Bolt. It drives well, is reliable and only looks moderately dorky.
It is stable in corners, accelerates well and has had no problems in over 3 years.
Then came the threat of battery fires and the need to keep the car away from flammable objects – like my house.
I was very upset to see that the range has gone down significantly and I now have to park it outside where it will deteriorate more quickly.
That changes it from a car that I am pleased (and proud) to own to one that is less useful and one which is an embarassment to me.
If you, GM are going to produce more electric cars in the future, as you say you will do, you would be smart (and also honorable) to remedy the battery problem by replacing the faulty battery packs you installed.
GM, own up to your mistakes. You need people like me to tell future customers to buy your cars.
If you read GM history for the past 60 years, this should in no way surprise you. GM is all promotion and little engineering. Their build quality is abysmal. The Corvair, Vega, Citation, Diesel from the gasoline 350,Saturn SUV, Cobalt , Fiero et Al were all disasters. The Impalas from the past 20 years are horrible.. Their new pickups are junk. I would rather throw my money on the table in Vegas than put it in new technology from GM. In addition, they are making much of their crap in China.
If you read GM history for the past 60 years, this should in no way surprise you. GM is all promotion and little engineering. Their build quality is abysmal. The Corvair, Vega, Citation, Diesel from the gasoline 350,Saturn SUV, Cobalt , Fiero et Al were all disasters. The Impalas from the past 20 years are horrible.. Their new pickups are junk. I would rather throw my money on the table in Vegas than put it in new technology from GM. In addition, they are making much of their crap in China.
I drove my beloved Bolt last 2 years with high pride, but the shortened distance coverage is not comfortable for my work distance, so have to get a Tesla. I have a 2019 Bolt with 32000 miles if anyone wants to buy!
The temporary fix from the dealer reduces my available full charge miles quite a bit less than the 90% they advertise.
I should get over 200 miles at 90% but am only getting 170 miles at most.