DETROIT– General Motors plans to recall certain Chevrolet Bolts for the second time in less than a year to replace defective battery modules after customers who completed a previous recall remedy continued to report battery fires.
GM did not say when the replacements would start.
“We’re working with our supplier and manufacturing teams to determine how to best expedite battery capacity for module replacement under this recall,” spokesman Dan Flores told Automotive News. “Teams are working around the clock to find ways to increase battery availability.”
As GM targets an all-electric portfolio by 2035, the automaker has touted its early EV entry, the Bolt, which launched in 2016. The automaker more than doubled Bolt sales in the first half of this year and expanded into new markets.
GM and supplier LG Chem identified two rare manufacturing defects in the same battery cell, which has led to the fires, GM said in an emailed statement.
GM believes the cause of the fires is related to manufacturing defects in the production of the battery cells by LG in South Korea, said Flores. The defect could result in a heat source or a short in a cell, which could cause a fire.
Bolts built for the 2017 and 2018 model years used the LG Chem batteries made in South Korea. For the 2019 model year, some Bolts were built with the Korean batteries, while others used LG Chem batteries made in Holland, Mich. GM said Bolts built with the Michigan batteries were not affected.