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Chevy Bolt EV Fire Reported In Georgia

A structure fire in Georgia has been linked to a known battery manufacturing defect in the 2019 Chevy Bolt EV.

According to the Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services Facebook page, a structure fire was reported Monday morning just after 9 a.m. local time in Canton. When firefighters arrived, they observed smoke coming from an adjoining garage, with the fire apparently originating from a 2019 Chevy Bolt EV. Firefighters pulled the vehicle from the garage, but it had already received extensive damage. A 2017 Dodge Ram pickup also parked in the garage had received smoke damage.

Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the adjoining house. No injuries were reported.

As GM Authority reported in August, General Motors recently expanded an existing vehicle recall for the Chevy Bolt EV to include all model years, as well as the all-new Chevy Bolt EUV. The vehicles are said to have two manufacturing defects present in the same battery cell – a torn anode tab and folded separator. The defects could lead to a fire.

The defects were discovered following a GM investigation into the manufacturing process at LG Energy Solution, GM’s battery cell supplier. GM is pursuing reimbursement from LG.

In response to the defects, General Motors will replace defective battery modules on all Chevy Bolt EV and Chevy Bolt EUV models. The recall includes more than 73,000 units of the Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV sold in the U.S. and Canada. The recall is expected to cost over $1 billion.

Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV customers are advised to limit charging their vehicles to under 90-percent capacity using the Target Charge Level mode. Customers should also avoid frequent charging sessions, as well as depleting their battery below 70 miles of range. GM says to park vehicles outside immediately after charging, and not to charge their vehicle indoors overnight.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. also, gm is telling owners to park 50ft from other vehicles and park on the roof if you are in a parking structure.

    these directives are slowly sliding into the comedic realm.

    no wonder gm lobbied hard for the $4K union made ev tax incentive.

    Reply
    1. Hey if GM can tell Bolt owners to park 50 ft away from other vehicles because of fires can restaurants tell hipsters to sit 50 ft. away from other customers because of the smell from not showering?

      Reply
      1. You are such a misguided fool please don’t have kids you need to be the last of your bloodline.

        Reply
        1. Totally agree.

          Reply
    2. Not in the official updates on their site. Seems more like from some of the community managers on Facebook. I think this was in response to those who want to store their Bolts, where GM has no idea of the charge level the cars will have over time.

      Reply
      1. Ah okay it was for people who park in multi level parking garages. Makes perfect sense for enclosed places to prevent spread as a precaution.

        Reply
  2. This is hilarious I hope a lawsuit comes soon these bums need to go out of business for goodnight.

    Reply
    1. This is what I, J.Titus-Chevrolet Enthusiast talked about in the other Bolt title! About “[LAWSUIT’S]!

      Reply
    2. Ya, screw the 10’s of thousands of workers who would be out of a job!

      Reply
  3. I see solar panels too. Bet this guy buys a Tesla

    Reply
    1. i see a parked emergency vehicle. i bet he doesn’t.

      Reply
  4. The way I see it they should be on the USED car lots before long. In the back roll 50 Ft. from anything. This really makes me want to own a EV. At 70+ I couldn’t get out of our Townhome fast enough. I guess it’s ICE till I pass…

    Reply
  5. I see a typical amount of sarcastic comments above. Is this a problem? Yes. But how many ICE vehicles over the years have gone up in flames? This is a different time and cars are changing. Electric is growing and will be the dominate form of power going forward. As long as GM has now identified the problem and is working with LG on this, great. If people are so scared by this, then good for me as I’ll watch for a great deal on a low miles used one to buy up.

    Reply
    1. The only sarcastic comment I see is yours. You think you are going to get a good deal on a car that will be canceled soon? I can’t tell if you are a troll or just being sarcastic?

      Reply
    2. Due to certain states already mandating no ICE vehicle sales starting in 2035, your electrifying prediction, “Electric is growing and will be the dominate form of power going forward.” will become fact mainly because of politics. Some of these states already cannot produce enough electricity to meat demand due in part because of government regulations. People will be forced to get on the electric vehicle bandwagon when the Biden Administration raises taxes on fossil fuels. Then we will see what happens to our electric bills.

      Reply
      1. These mandates are likely to be ripped up once a Republican president is elected.

        Reply
      2. If hydrogen is clean burning, why is it not promoted. My other concern about full EV’s, is when two EV’s get involved in an accident, what are the chances of big blaze. Lastly batteries that have reached their lifespan, are they not going to create another environmental disaster just like nuclear waste. Solving one problem by creating another.

        Reply
        1. Batteries that reach their usable life in an EV still hold a significant amount of charge and find other uses in Home or utility battery backup systems once these batteries are retired they get recycled. GM and other Auto manufactures are teaming up with Recyclers to create a closed loop recycling/resource system to recover 99% of materials to be reused in new batteries or other products.

          Reply
  6. Buyer beware! Unsafe at any speed. Even when not at speed. These things should all be recalled before people die. Insurance rates in these will be going up.

    Reply
  7. Just read production halt is now till mid October.

    Reply
  8. Ralph Nader would’ve had a field day with this vehicle.

    Reply
    1. Done be a hater and voter for Nader

      Reply
  9. Does anyone remember how in the late 70s/early 80s diesels were supposed to be the future? The carmaker then known as GM, now gm, pretty much killed that future singlehandedly. As is typical, they built their diesel on the cheap by converting a gasoline engine design to run on diesel fuel. The GM diesels quickly developed a reputation for suffering catastrophic failures which rendered the engines inoperable. Given that GM was the biggest carmaker back then, the failure of their diesels pretty much doomed them all nationwide even though other carmakers built quality Diesel engines with excellent longevity. Nonetheless the diesel passenger car market pretty much went away entirely in America as a result of General Motors.

    Today’s gm could doom all EVs although I suppose they’re such a bit player now, the company’s faulty EVs won’t have the same impact as their diesel fiasco had. Admittedly though, all it takes is enough events like this, and this fire happened near me, to scare off buyers from the all-EV future Mary Barra is planning. Being aware of this happening in my community certainly makes me less likely to consider any EV.

    Reply
    1. I remember those diesels. There were repair shops all over the place that would convert the diesel back to gasoline.

      My Dad had a friend who had an 84′ Cadillac coupe DeVille. He would park at a bar in downtown Detroit and leave the keys on the seat and the door unlocked in hopes someone would steal the car! The resale values of those diesels were horrible.

      Reply
  10. EVs…what a joke! No thanks! Guessing this person has tons of LiON batteries inside his house for those solar panels…good luck with those.

    Reply
  11. Yes folks, the future is electric.

    Reply
  12. this is what happens when the federal govt gets into to the automobile business and tells the auto companies what to build.

    Reply
  13. This does not go well for getting people on the EV train. Even though it probably only is a small percentage of vehicles that have had this issue I can’t see myself contemplating switching from my ICE SUV anytime soon until the smoke ( and fire ) are a thing of the past.
    Pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.

    Reply
  14. Hows this all working out for you Greenies? More carbon to make these things than for me to drive my gas car for 5 years.

    Reply
  15. I wouldn’t park ANY modern vehicle in an attached garage. Vehicles of all makes and models, and fuel systems, catch fire. Visit a larger auto storage/salvage yard to see the array of real-life examples.

    Reply
  16. While I applaud GM’s handling of this issue (finally), that of recalling every single Bolt EV and EUV (including mine), I have to wonder about the maturity of these people at the top…

    They HAD a trouble-free vehicle with a trouble-free battery (smallish 18.1 kwh, 15 kwh usable) – in the Generation Two Chevy Volt. The design intent of this vehicle was to allow 90% all electric miles, versus the 80% of the 35 mile original Volt. Epa listed at 53 miles, many people, including myself, usually get more…

    No infrastructure, nor fast charging necessary… The ubiquitous ‘110 volt’ receptacle in the carport or garage was just fine for the majority of people, but it would also charge quickly for those who opted for a ‘220 wallbox’. At least 45 mpg during the rare times when the battery was dead. Greatly cost-reduced construction. Small battery, small powertrain (much simpler than a typical automatic transmission they put in the cheap Spark) even though the operation was advanced and efficient..

    So what does GM do? They CANCEL it – something that appears to me to be totally brain dead – such as Caddy Cancelling the ELR prior to a replacement… The CT6 PHEV (arriving 2 years later) took a relatively nice CT6 and made it into a complicated mess of a plug-in hybrid – with crappy feel even at its ridiculous price.

    I realize some of these GM ‘Management Engineers’ like Ms. Barra – might have not been the sharpest tool in their toolshed, but you’d at least think Management Wise they’d make smart decisions – such as to not discontinue proven, and conceivably in time – popular products way before they had an effective replacement.

    Now these Geniuses have NOTHING for Sale. Brilliant…. I can only hope they eventually have a one-and-done fiasco, and not continue the idiocy with the ULTIUM.. Obviously they should have INSPECTED EVERY SINGLE BATTERY.

    Reply
    1. Agreed. GM should follow leadership like Honda and Toyota and gone with hybrids. I will not be buying all electric ever. I’ll keep my Sonic running. And by the way, the Spark is a good little commuter car.

      Reply
      1. hybrids do not give enough ZEV (zero emission vehicle) credits for GM to sell the PUs and large SUVs. honda and toyota don’t need as many because they don’t sell as many ICE powered big vehicles

        Reply
      2. For midgets

        Reply
  17. wonder if Wonder Woman Barra drives one of these junks, bet not ! Rename it the Chevy Barra

    Reply
  18. The GM EV’s themselves are not the problem… The problem is the outsourced battery. I own a Volt and the technology behind it is incredible. EV tech is come a long way but I prefer the Volt onboard generator design myself considering the current charging options.

    Reply
  19. GM, Should give all Bolt owners a new Cadillac Lyriq to drive until there Bolts are repaired and retured!!!

    Reply
  20. The garage is bigger than the house.🤦🏻

    Reply
  21. The Chevy Bolt is really hot right now! Probably took 30,000 gallons of water to cool it down.

    Reply
  22. They look like total P’s O S

    Reply
  23. ECC–external combustion cars

    Reply
  24. I love the auto ignition feature.

    Reply
  25. GM is giving a free fire extinguisher with each EV sold.

    Reply

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