Chevrolet Bolt Recall and Fire Issues
Buying a car is a major investment and you have to go through a lot of hard work and deliberation before you decide to get your first car, or upgrade to a better car. However, it can really break your heart when your car suddenly catches fire in front of your eyes. Not only is it hazardous for you, but you can also get severely traumatized by it.
When it comes to popular car manufacturers, Chevrolet is among the top names and it is also synonymous with quality and reliability. One of its popular and best-selling models in recent times is the Chevrolet Bolt, a compact electric hatchback with five doors and a sleek design that puts its competitors to shame.
However, the car has also become a source of inconvenience for most owners, due to numerous incidents in which its battery pack caught fire and smoldered the entire car in flames. Due to these incidents, all models of the Bolt ever made were recalled by General Motors, which owns Chevrolet as a division.
When did it happen first?
Last month, General Motors issued a statement in which it advised Chevy Bolt owners to park their cars in open spaces rather than their garages, and their cars should also be at least 50 feet away from others, as there is a high chance of the battery catching fire. However, this only happened after a few fires were reported throughout the world.
The first-ever instance of a Chevy Bolt catching fire was reported in Kyiv, Ukraine in September 2019. According to its owner, he charged the car fully and drove it for ten minutes as he reached home, and the car was on for another 15 minutes while he was inside it. A few hours after he went inside the house, there were sparks under the hood, and some eyewitnesses observed grey and white smoke protruding from the rear wheel wells.
Soon after, the entire car caught fire and a passerby called the fire brigade, who put out the fire and reported that a short circuit is what had caused it. Some observers also claimed they could hear explosions from inside the car even while it was burning.
When did GM take action?
In November 2020, General Motors started recalling 68,000 models of the Chevrolet Bolt that were manufactured between 2017 and 2019. This happened after reports of five cars that caught fire, even though they hadn’t encountered any accident or impact. Even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started their investigation following these incidents.
After the recall, GM’s first action was to introduce a new piece of software that limited the charging capabilities of the Chevy Bolt to 90%, so that it eliminates the likelihood of the battery catching fire due to overcharging. Although this controlled the incidents for a while, some owners were irked by this fix.
In May 2021, GM introduced another diagnostic software that would alert the user in case there was a chance of the battery catching fire. Even after this, the NHTSA reported that two more cars had caught fire in July, which GM claimed was due to another defect. In the same month, the carmaker recalled a second batch of Chevy Bolts to address both of the known defects. In August, General Motors has expanded its recall to include all models of the Bolt EV and EUV cars. So far, more than 140,000 Bolts have been recalled and this also includes the 2020 to 2022 models of the Bolt EV and EUV vehicles from all over the world.
The root of the problem
Everywhere in the world, Bolt owners are waiting to get the call from GM, telling them that they can bring their car to the nearest Chevrolet franchise or workshop. Till then, their car continues to stand some fifty feet away from their homes, as they are too afraid to even go near it. Ever since the first Bolt caught fire, it was identified that a battery defect causes a spark in the engine, and the erupting fire spreads to the rest of the car quickly.
After it was established that the battery pack is the root cause of the fires, the battery manufacturer for the Chevy Bolt was also involved into the investigation. This is LG Chem, which is located in Ochang, South Korea, and the battery maker has been working with GM since 2008. The battery pack that is specially installed into the Bolt consists of ingredients like nickel, manganese, and cobalt.
GM and LG Chem deduced that the modules in the battery pack were faulty, and featured a folded separator with a torn anode tab, which combined and created a spark, thus increasing the likelihood of a fire erupting from the engine room. Experts also suggest that batteries with a high amount of nickel are more prone to cause a fire.
What’s next?
Currently, General Motors is gradually recalling all Chevrolet Bolt vehicles from all over the world, while it is also working closely with LG Chem to develop replacement modules for the battery cells. Once they are ready, owners will be able to take their cars into a dealership or workshop to get the module installed and software updated.
Undoubtedly, this move will be a very steep uphill battle for GM, and it will set the corporation back $1.8 billion. The company is also negotiating with LG Chem to get them to foot the bill as well. While the move is a step in the right direction and will help people regain their trust in GM and Chevrolet, it may take an entire year before all of the Bolt models can be recalled and their battery modules replaced. As expected, production of the new models of the Bolt EV and EUV has been halted by the company.
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