— A Chevy Bolt recall update has been announced, one that will only frustrate electric vehicle owners even more than they already are.
General Motors is now advising Chevy Bolt owners to park on the top floors of parking garages or open decks, and park at least 50-feet away from other vehicles.
However, GM's instructions for parking garages may not be necessary in some facilities because Chevy Bolt owners have reported some parking garages are warning Bolt drivers not to park in the garages at all.
The Chevy Bolt recall includes every 2017-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Bolt EUV, and the cost figures have increased in the last GM recall update. General Motors says it's looking at coughing up $1.8 billion for the recall, with battery manufacturer LG Chem expected to pay some if not all of the cost.
GM also says it has investigated 13 Chevrolet Bolt fires possibly related to the battery defects, and those fires have allegedly caused three injuries.
According to the Bolt recall update, the Bolt assembly plant will remain shuttered until mid-October as GM and LG work toward equipping the Bolts with safe batteries. The automaker says replacement batteries may be available for some cars by the middle of October, but LG must prove the replacements are safe and free from defects.
"GM will only begin replacing battery modules in customer vehicles when GM and LG are confident in the safety of LG's product." — General Motors
General Motors says the replacement Bolt EV batteries will be covered by 8-year/100,000-mile warranties (8 years/160,000 km warranty in Canada).
Additionally, within the next two months, GM will begin launching a new advanced diagnostic software package that will allegedly monitor specific battery abnormalities. GM says this will allegedly allow the cars to be charged to full 100% capacity.
All Bolt cars will receive the new software and dealerships must perform the installation.
Chevy Bolt Recall Update: 2 Battery Defects
Following an investigation by General Motors and battery manufacturer LG Chem, engineers determined the battery can catch fire in "rare circumstances" from two different battery defects.
A single battery cell in the LG module allegedly may suffer from a torn anode tab and also a folded separator, and it's the combination of these two problems that cause battery fires.
The automaker had already warned Bolt owners not to charge the cars overnight if the car is indoors, and owners are warned to park outside immediately after charging.
Bolt owners should not leave their cars charging unattended but should charge their cars more frequently and don't drain the Bolt batteries below 70 miles (113 kilometers) of remaining range.
A 2017-2018 Chevy Bolt owner should set their car to a 90% state-of-charge limitation using Hilltop Reserve mode, and every 2019-2022 Bolt owner should switch the car to Target Charge Level mode.
These changes should remain until the battery is replaced, and any customer who has problems making the changes should let a dealer do the work.
Chevrolet Bolt owners in the U.S. may visit www.chevy.com/boltevrecall or call 1-833-EVCHEVY.
Canadian Bolt owners may visit www.chevrolet.ca/boltevrecall (English) or www.chevrolet.ca/rappelboltev (French).
CarComplaints.com will update our website with future Bolt recall updates. Check out more of what is happening due to Chevy Bolt battery defects.
- All 2017-2022 Chevy Bolts Recalled Over Battery Fires
- Chevrolet Bolt Class Action Lawsuit Says Battery Defective
- Chevy Bolt Battery Recall Too Late, Alleges Lawsuit
- Chevy Bolt Fire Recall Decreases Battery Range: Lawsuit
- Chevy Bolt Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Range
- Chevy Bolt Fire Hazard Warning: Park Outside
- Chevy Bolt Fire Recall Issued After Repairs Failed
- Chevy Bolt Recall Fix Announced
