GM Is Buying Back Dozens of Chevy Bolt EVs That Pose Fire Risk Due to ‘Rare Manufacturing Defect’
Electric vehicles are catching on quickly but even with battery tech advancing at a rapid pace, some of the massive packs built into the floors of these cars have been prone to fire risk. Tesla has had its share of battery fires; BMW has issued at least one recall citing a risk of fire; and Chevy's Bolt has been suffering from mysterious issues for some time. Nearly 51,000 Chevy Bolt EVs built between July 26, 2016 and September 10, 2019 have been recalled as a result.
Early on, GM limited the charge of these vehicles to 90 percent in an attempt to curtail the fires, but it evidently had little effect. Earlier this month it claimed it had a fix for the issue, but now it's buying back dozens of Bolts from owners in an attempt to stop any further damage.
The exact cause is still being debated according to InsideEVs, who has covered the topic extensively. The outlet speculates it may be an issue similar to the "folded anode tabs" problem that plagued Hyundai's Kona EV. The fix in Hyundai's case was to replace the entire pack, though GM is taking a different route.
