GM expands battery recall to ALL 2017-2022 Chevy Bolt EVs including EUV, blames supplier LG

GM Friday afternoon announced it would expand its Bolt recall to ALL Chevy Bolts including ones manufactured in the US and including the 2022 EV and EUVs. It looks like LG is being thrown under the bus here.

The announcement comes as we’ve reported 2 separate incidents of 2020 models with batteries made in the US exploding.

In the short term, GM reccomends:

1. Set Bolt to a 90 percent state of charge limitation using Target Charge Level mode. Instructions on how to do this are available on chevy.com/boltevrecall. If customers are unable to successfully make these changes, or do not feel comfortable making these changes, GM is asking them to visit their dealer to have these adjustments completed.
2. Charge their vehicle more frequently and avoid depleting their battery below approximately 70 miles (113 kilometers) of remaining range, where possible.  
3. Park their vehicles outside immediately after charging and should not leave their vehicles charging indoors overnight.

This includes all Bolts ever made, including 2022 EVs and EUVs still sitting on GM lots.

Our experience has shown that older Bolts seem to be having more issues but today’s news is that LG packs made over the last 3 years could still have the defect.

After further investigation into the manufacturing processes at LG and disassembling battery packs, GM discovered manufacturing defects in certain battery cells produced at LG manufacturing facilities beyond the Ochang, Korea, plant. GM and LG are working to rectify the cause of these defects. In the meantime, GM is pursuing commitments from LG for reimbursement of this field action.

That’s a huge undertaking and means that LG and GM’s Ultium partnership could be at risk if an agreement can’t be made.

As a possible upside, batteries with these new modules will come with an 8-year/100,000-mile limited warranty (or 8-year/160,000 km limited warranty in Canada).

But when will these batteries be made? GM and LG basically have to make packs for the last 5 model years of Bolts and they have to be swapped out, a huge undertaking. GM says it is working aggressively with LG to increase production as soon as possible. Customers will be notified when replacement parts are ready

Developing…

Full press release follows:

• Supplier manufacturing defect may lead to battery fire in rare circumstances
• GM will pursue reimbursement from supplier

DETROIT – General Motors is voluntarily expanding the current Chevrolet Bolt EV recall to cover the remaining 2019 and all 2020-2022 model year vehicles, including the Bolt EUV. In rare circumstances, the batteries supplied to GM for these vehicles may have two manufacturing defects – a torn anode tab and folded separator – present in the same battery cell, which increases the risk of fire. Out of an abundance of caution, GM will replace defective battery modules in Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs with new modules, with an expected additional cost of approximately $1 billion.

“Our focus on safety and doing the right thing for our customers guides every decision we make at GM,” said Doug Parks, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. “As leaders in the transition to an all-electric future, we know that building and maintaining trust is critical. GM customers can be confident in our commitment to taking the steps to ensure the safety of these vehicles.” 

After further investigation into the manufacturing processes at LG and disassembling battery packs, GM discovered manufacturing defects in certain battery cells produced at LG manufacturing facilities beyond the Ochang, Korea, plant. GM and LG are working to rectify the cause of these defects. In the meantime, GM is pursuing commitments from LG for reimbursement of this field action.

This new recall population includes:

• 9,335 (6,989 in the U.S. and 1,212 in Canada) – 2019 model year Bolt EVs that were not included in the previous recall
• 63,683 (52,403 in the U.S. and 9,019 in Canada) – 2020–2022 model year Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs

To provide customers peace of mind, batteries with these new modules will come with an 8-year/100,000-mile limited warranty (or 8-year/160,000 km limited warranty in Canada).

GM is working aggressively with LG to increase production as soon as possible. GM will notify customers when replacement parts are ready. 

Until customers in the new recall population receive replacement modules, they should:

1. Set their vehicle to a 90 percent state of charge limitation using Target Charge Level mode. Instructions on how to do this are available on chevy.com/boltevrecall. If customers are unable to successfully make these changes, or do not feel comfortable making these changes, GM is asking them to visit their dealer to have these adjustments completed.

2. Charge their vehicle more frequently and avoid depleting their battery below approximately 70 miles (113 kilometers) of remaining range, where possible.  

3. Park their vehicles outside immediately after charging and should not leave their vehicles charging indoors overnight.

Customers can visit www.chevy.com/boltevrecall or contact the Chevrolet EV Concierge 1-833-EVCHEVY (available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–midnight ET; Saturday and Sunday from noon–9 p.m. ET) or contact their preferred Chevrolet EV dealer.

Canadian customers can visit the Chevrolet Owner’s Centre or contact their preferred dealer.

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