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Growing pains are to be expected with new models, especially if it is the automaker’s first full electric vehicle and the Chevy Bolt is no different. In this case, some Bolts may experience a sudden drop in drive range.
We didn’t know it was a widespread problem back in April when forum member johndamour’s Bolt had to be towed to a dealership after failing to shift outside of Neutral or Park, and the indicator gauge displayed a full charge even though the estimated range was at 10 miles. At that time, GM’s solution was to replace the battery.
A few months later Brad Berman, an editor at PlugInCars, experienced a similar problem with his leased Bolt. Looking at the dash Berman initially saw approximately 100 miles of range, but once he started driving home the steering wheel shuddered before the Bolt came to a complete stop on the road. After checking the dash again, he saw a range of just 9 miles.
Speaking about this problem with Kevin Kelly, senior manager at GM Advanced Technology Communications, he was told that less than 1% of the Bolts already on the road are affected. According to AutoBlog, around 10,000 Bolts are currently roaming the streets, meaning approximately 100 vehicles will need to have its battery pack inspected and either replaced or repaired if possible.
Using OnStar diagnostics to find potentially affected car, Chevy will be contacting owners of said cars to schedule a service appointment.
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FWIW, my Nov '16 build Bolt has had a flawless battery. Only "problem" is that it constantly exeeds the EPA range!