General Motors will replace the battery modules in certain Chevy Bolt EV units involved in the battery fire recall campaign.
GM issued a recall for certain 2017 to 2019 model year Chevy Bolt EV units last month due to fire risks. Vehicles involved in the campaign were repaired under an earlier recall issued late last year, however GM was forced to recall the vehicles again after it received at least two more reports of fires in vehicles that had already been fixed.
According to Reuters, GM has now decided vehicles involved in the second recall campaign will receive new battery modules. While there were about 69,000 vehicles involved in the first recall, this second campaign affects roughly 50,000 vehicles.
GM is still recommending owners of affected Chevy Bolt EV models park their vehicles outside and not leave them charging overnight. The automaker is also advising owners to revert to the temporary battery management software it issued last year, which limits battery capacity to about 90 percent. Owners are advised to not let their vehicle’s range dip below 70 miles, as well, which will further reduce the chance of battery module fires.
GM spent $800 million on the Chevy Bolt EV battery pack recall in the second quarter of 2021, the automaker’s financial records indicate. In addition to paying to repair or replace the expensive battery modules in some vehicles, the automaker has also offered to buy back vehicles from customers in certain states.
Chevy Bolt Executive Chief Engineer Jesse Ortega told GM Authority previously that the battery fires can be traced back to defective cells manufactured by GM supplier LG Energy Solution (formerly LG Chem) in South Korea between May 2016 and May 2019.
LG Energy Solution will be involved in manufacturing cells in future GM EVs like the GMC Hummer via its joint venture partnership with GM, Ultium Cells LLC.
The battery module replacements are expected to begin later this month.
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Comments
“Owners are advised to not let their vehicle’s range dip below 70 miles”
Missed a key word here. GM says “If Possible” meaning they still can but if they do they need to plug in immediately to charge the vehicle. They just don’t want the cars to sit for extended periods of time under the 30% battery charge without charging.
A misnomer here…
“LG Energy Solution will also manufacture cells in future GM EVs like the GMC Hummer via its joint venture partnership with GM, Ultium Cells LLC.”
LG isn’t producing the cells here… the JV is, they will be produced in brand new plants by a brand new JV under GM QC in the US.
But but but! EV’s are supposed to be cheaper! These recalls are going to be expensive! Any battery recalll will be more expensive than an entire driveline replacement on an ICE. The unmasking begins on the EV utopia we’ve been sold. Also 70 miles range! Seriously? That’s 1/4 the range in an already range limited vehicle. Build back better everyone! Cause the world we lived in before totally sucked!
This blunder is only going to cost lowercase gm 750 million dollars plus labor. Mary Barra is more than happy to flush a billion dollars down the drain in her delusional vision of a future that <5% of the population actually want… Meanwhile the Fed punishes the advancement of low emission economic 4 cylinder ICE motors with its broken CAFE standards… If the future of the United States is anything like the one Biden secured for the women and children of Afghanistan things are looking pretty bleak./
gm will pay for the recall by decontenting the trucks some more. You think they have a cheap, crappy interior now, just wait a few weeks for more news of removal of door panels,carpeting andheadliners!
Always on message aren’t you.
Hehehe, you betcha!
Hopefully GM will sue LG Chem and recoup alot of this money. LG products in general are pretty awful, I’m surprised GM would get into bed with them.
Contractually all suppliers are responsible for warranty issues like this.
What do you think it’s going to do ev adoption when an ev lights on fire charging in the garage and kills everyone inside the house and the fire department spends 2 days trying to put out the fire. I believe it’s inevitable. Hell their isn’t that many teslas made worldwide and I’ve heard of many of them catching on fire while charging. Same as cell phones, electric skateboards etc.
I wonder how far you have to tear apart the car to replace that battery? Glad I don’t work at a Chevy dealer anymore. By the way LG makes some really crap appliances so I’m sure the batteries follow suit.
Just lift the car and remove several bolts to lower the Battery from under the car. Not much different from removing a transmission.
Hope the second generation battery development and release works out for everybody.
Now that a 2020 with an American made battery has also burst into flames they do not have good batteries to continue with this.
I’m very curious what GM plans to do with ALL those bad batteries, seems like they have some serious recycle value.