A settlement that would see some people receive $700 to $2,000 each, while the lawyers representing them would receive in excess of $52 million, received preliminary approval last September in a class action lawsuit related to defective battery modules used in certain 2017 through 2022 Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV units. However, final approval has been delayed due to cars that were initially missed and claims that were deemed invalid.
CarComplaints reports that the class action suit Altobelli v. GM, Eastern District of Michigan got extended deadlines for Bolt EV owners to either opt out of the class action suit or file claims. Some owners want to opt out so they can keep their legal right to file an individual lawsuit against GM, possibly for higher compensation. Also, some owners who have already had their battery packs replaced want to opt out to ensure they’re not barred from seeking additional compensation.
There was some drama around whether Chevy Bolt owners can opt out of the class action suit electronically. Some attempted to do so, but only mail-in opt-out requests were accepted. This deemed some 1,100 opt-out requests invalid. Further, some 3,800 Bolt EVs were mistakenly left out of the initial class list. These factors motivated the court to extend the deadlines to August 22nd, 2025 to object and September 22nd, 2025 to either opt out or file a claim. Owners must file a claim if they want cash compensation from this particular class action suit.
The affected Chevy Bolt units had a tendency to catch fire because the South Korean partner of GM, battery maker LG Energy Solution, manufactured defective Bolt batteries. This led to recalls and a variety of fixes in an effort to correct the problem. The lawsuit was filed by the Miller Law Firm, which is also one of the major recipients of the $52 million windfall that it will share with several other law offices.
This Michigan lawsuit was consolidated from the eight individual lawsuits and allowed to proceed back in October 2022, almost exactly two years ago. A fairness hearing will be held on March 25th of next year, after which the suit will likely proceed to settlement as described.
Comments
“ a tendency to catch fire “ …. You can’t make this stuff up.
btw , keep up the good work, Mary .
Actually, you CAN make stuff up. While the inartful use of “tendency” was used in the article, the facts are there were very few fires, 18 total out of 141,000 vehicles, and 16 of these happened after the recall…which was based on 2 fires. ICE cars are 60 TIMES more likely to catch fire than an EV–admittedly the likelihood increases with age. I’m a former owner, and yes, it was inconvenient to park in the street instead of the garage for months, and to make 5 appointments with the dealer, not to mention the worry. The screening out of corporate employees in favor of part-time “EV Consierges” was also maddening. And the drop in resale value wasn’t appreciated. But I’m now driving the Equinox EV and am very satisfied.
electr(ZERO)25″”” btw. Is that like a BLT.??? Get some “SHOCKING THERAPY. You is not making any sense.
Accidentally my butt
How many 1st generation cars have YOU ever designed and then built that had NO bugs???? I’d say, give GM a break, at least they have stood behind their product.
Excellant Richard. Something may have ” BUGS ” in it . And tendensies to catch fire too. Lier lier pants on fire TOO ??? Y SUTONY YUK YUK YUK . Who is a STOOGE??? Just asking???