General Motors will expand its recall of the Chevy Bolt, to include all models, including the two newer versions. This is after multiple fires in electric vehicle battery packs due to defects in the LG Chem Cells.
GM has warned Bolt owners to not charge their Bolts near their homes or in their garages overnight and to leave the cars outside when they are not being used. It also asks owners to not charge Bolts at 90 percent or lower than 70 miles.
These guidelines should be followed by owners until the replacement modules for the various batteries in the pack are available. However, it is not known when this will happen. GM states that it will replace battery modules in customer vehicles only when GM or LG is confident in its safety.
Only replacement batteries will be made available if GM or LG are satisfied with the safety of LG's products
We are working hard with LG to adjust production so that replacement modules can be available as soon as we can, Daniel Flores (a spokesperson for GM) stated in an email.
After the initial fix that was supposed to prevent fires from occurring, GM had already recalled 2017-2019 Bolts twice.
After a 2020 Bolt caught on fire in the United States, the recall has been expanded. The video of the fire was posted to YouTube, but it was removed within hours. Reddit users noticed that the Bolt was newer and was not subject to the original recalls.
The Verge was informed by GM that the vehicle was a 2020 Bolt. However, GM said that it had not yet had the chance to inspect the remains. This vehicle is definitely troubling, but recall decisions are based on data, Flores stated.
GM stated in July that fires can occur when the Bolt's LG Chem batteries have two defects. The company stated that the defect is a torn tab in the anode and a folded separator within the cell. The company also stated that the defects were found in cells from multiple plants.
GM has lost nearly $2 billion due to the recall
GM released a statement after further investigating the manufacturing process at LG and disassembling the battery packs. GM found manufacturing defects in certain LG battery cells that were produced at LG manufacturing plants beyond Ochang, Korea. GM and LG are currently working together to fix the problem. GM is pursuing LG's commitments to reimburse this field action.
GM has spent approximately $800 million on the recall so far, but Friday's announcement by the company stated that an expanded recall would cost $1 billion.
GM isn't the only one having problems with LGs batteries. After a few vehicles caught on fire, Hyundai had to recall its Kona EV earlier in the year. South Korea's electric SUV was also discontinued by Hyundai after sales plummeted following the recall and subsequent fires.
But GM's relationship with LG is deep. GM and LG have spent billions of dollars to build battery factories in the US, which will supply cells for the automakers' upcoming line of electric vehicles, including Hummer EV.
