A friend of mine was thinking about buying a Chevy Bolt. This from USA Today and MSN news and PSA item that maybe new news to some. Although fun don't shoot the messenger.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/its-unnerving-chevy-bolt-owners-want-buybacks-after-141000-vehicles-recalled-for-fire-risk/ar-AAOkOMc?ocid=BingNews
Nathan Gardner loved his 2019 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle when he bought it three years ago, but now it sits outside his home "like a firebomb," he said.
a man standing in a parking lot next to a car: Durham Smith and Cyndie Smith stand with their new 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV on August 5, 2021 at the dealership after buying it. But 15 days later, GM recalled all model year Bolts including their new one. They want GM to buy it back.ยฉ So do Bolt owners Wendy Fong, Stan Goldberg and Durham Smith. They find it unsettling to own a vehicle even GM has warned could catch on fire.
โItโs unnerving at the very least," said Smith of Lake Wylie, South Carolina. He owns a 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV. "How can we possibly put a car in our garage that might catch on fire? I donโt feel secure parking a car outside given our tree coverage.โ
Last month, GM expanded its second recall on Bolts to include all model years through 2022 โ that means Smith's Bolt too, which he'd bought just 15 days earlier. The recall, which affects about 141,000 vehicles globally, is due to battery defects that could start a fire. There have been a dozen Bolts that have caught fire while parked, although GM has not confirmed that each of those fires was caused by defective batteries.
GM has apologized to its Bolt owners for the inconvenience, saying it and its battery maker, LG Chem, have "hundreds of people" working around the clock to find the cause of the problem and correct it to ensure defect-free products will be made going forward.
As of Friday, GM spokesman Kevin Kelly said the automaker is "still working with LG on manufacturing process updates."
GM has said that when it is confident that LG Chem can produce defect-free battery modules, GM will notify Bolt owners in writing and repairs will begin. Once a repair is made, GM will provide an eight-year/100,000 mile warranty on it. In the meantime, GM has assured Bolt owners that if they follow three steps, the cars should be safe:
Keep the car charged to only 90%.
Avoid depleting the battery below a range of at least 70 miles.
Do not park the car in a garage or charge it overnight.
โHow is that realistic? If itโs your only vehicle how are people getting by?" said Nathan Gardner, the Bolt owner who lives in Sonora, California. "There are people like myself in fire-prone areas putting their families and homes at risk because thereโs nowhere to charge and you canโt stay up all night to watch it charge. I am not sure why these cars are even on the road?โ
