General Motors Has Already Replaced the Batteries in 62% of 2017-2019 Bolt EVs as Part of Recall, NHTSA Report Shows

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

After multiple reports of fires, U.S. automaker General Motors issued a recall for every single Bolt EV and Bolt EUV ever made last year. The company even halted production of the electric vehicles and issued a stop-sale order while GM and LG Energy Solution, the battery supplier that manufactures the batteries for the Bolt models, worked on a fix. Earlier this month, production of the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV models started up again. And now, we're hearing that the automaker is past the halfway mark for battery replacements for older Bolt EV models.

Chevy Focusing On Older Bolt Evs

The new information comes from InsideEVs, who claims that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a report on Chevrolet's progress for battery replacement for the all-electric Bolt EVs. A forum user found the report, but the outlet didn't post a direct link to it. The report states that Chevy has replaced the battery pack in 62 percent of Bolt EVs from 2017 to 2019 model years. The automaker replaced affected battery packs in 26,952 Bolt EVs last quarter.

If Chevrolet manages to keep the same pace going, the automaker will get through all Bolt EVs built through the 2019 model year by the next quarter. There are approximately 50,413 Bolt EV models that fall between that range that have the affected battery packs. That's a great pace for Chevrolet and good news for owners of older Bolt EVs.

Battery Replacement For Newer Models Coming Later

The outlet claims that there's a separate document for affected Chevrolet Bolt EVs from 2021 through 2022. The document shows that the majority of vehicles from these model years haven't received new battery packs yet. Out of the affected pool of 52,414 Bolt EVs and Bolt EUVs from these model years, only 701 battery replacements have been made. Clearly, it looks like Chevrolet has prioritized fixing older models before newer ones.

The issue with the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV boils down to two defects. Some electric vehicles have a torn anode tab, while others have a folded separator. There are some rare cases where a battery pack has both issues. Either defect can lead to a fire within the affected cells of a battery pack. GM's fix for the problems is to replace affected battery modules in all Bolt EV and Bolt EUVs ever made. The recall is expected to cost General Motors approximately $1.8 billion.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods