A recent report on Electrek stated that GM has already contacted some Chevrolet Bolt EV owners to replace all the modules in their battery packs. GM has been working on fixes for the Bolt EV for some time, as a handful of fires have caused concern. Now, the automaker has issued a third, and hopefully final, recall.
GM issued two recalls over the past year. The most recent recall, prior to the efforts highlighted by this article, seemed to offer a more permanent fix for the Bolt, but reports have stated that "fixed" cars have still caught fire.
Autoblog notes that GM recalled nearly 70,000 Bolt EVs in November of 2020. The fix simply limited the car's charging capacity to 90%, which certainly made owners unhappy, though at least they had peace of mind that it might keep their cars from spontaneously combusting. In April 2021, GM issued the second recall to apply the final software fix.
Come July 2021, it was clear the problem hadn't been solved, and the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) advised 2017 to 2019 Bolt owners to park their cars outside and not leave them charging unattended overnight. Since then, the automaker has been working on another fix since cars have still caught fire after the "final" fix.
The Electrek article points to August 23 as the beginning of Chevy Bolt EV battery module replacement. It also notes that owners who have their battery modules replaced will get a new 8-year/100,000-mile warranty.
GM will only replace modules in some Bolt EVs. More specifically, the fix will apply to 2017 to 2019 models since those are the vehicles that have caught fire. The automaker will reportedly focus on 2019 models first and then work its way back. Interestingly, the report claims that GM will also replace battery modules for Bolt owners who often do deep discharges.
GM has made it clear that it is applying this fix to be overly cautious. While over a dozen fires are not that many in the grand scheme of things, no Chevy Bolt owner, or the owner of any car, should have to worry about burning their house down. Moreover, these owners shouldn't be continuously inconvenienced by being unable to charge at home, having to park their car outside, and not being able to sleep at night.
Once GM removes the old battery modules, it should be able to figure out precisely what the issue is.
Read More About The Chevy Bolt Battery Fire Issue:
GM has published an official recall notice on the Chevrolet page. You can click here to check out all the details direct from the automaker.
