Chevy Bolt EV Forum banner
Cancel
  • Hey Guest, welcome to ChevyBolt.org. We encourage you to register to engage in conversations about your Bolt.

Fire recalls summary and timeline - Updated 2/15/22

28063 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  MichBolt, 
B
Timeline from the following:

www.nhtsa.gov

2017 CHEVROLET BOLT 4 DR FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov

List of known Chevy Bolt Fires – All EV Info

allev.info allev.info
www.nhtsa.gov

2020 CHEVROLET BOLT EV 5 HB FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov
2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV Defect Notice 573 Report for 21V650000

Sean Graham's Electrek article:
Everything we know about the Chevy Bolt EV fires
Summarized in table form
MY 2022 fires: 0
MY 2021 fires: 0
MY 2020 fires: 1
MY 2019 fires: 12 (11 Korea-made battery, 1 US-made battery)
MY 2018 fires: 1
MY 2017 fires: 5

TLDR Recall summary:
  1. First fire recall. Announced November 13, 2020. NHTSA 20V701000, GM N202311730 and N202311731. Covered 2017-2018 cars and 2019 cars with Korea-made batteries. Interim remedy of November 17, 2020 limited charging to 94%. Final remedy of April 29, 2021 (2019 cars) or May 26, 2021 (2017-2018 cars) was for cell voltage inspection, replacement of cells with voltage 0.08V lower than average, and installation of software with extra diagnostics and horn fire alarm. The final remedy procedure was also made available for then-non-recalled 2019 cars (campaign numbered GM N202323690).

  2. Second fire recall. Announced July 23, 2021. NHTSA 21V560000, GM N212343880 and N212343881. Initially covered 2017-2018 cars and 2019 cars with Korea-made batteries. Extended to cover all 2019 cars on August 20, 2021. First interim procedure is to set target charge to 90% or hilltop reserve mode, and perform the first fire recall final remedy if not already done. Second interim procedure is a new software update (released 11/19/2021 for 2019 cars) that limits target charge to 80%. Final remedy will be replacing all battery modules with new ones (also resulting in 8% increase in capacity). Overall time frame is unknown, but will be done in stages, with groups of customers being invited to get the remedy based on GM's assessment of fire risk of their cars. Replacements have begun with 2019 cars with Korean-made battery packs and a small number of other 2017-2019 cars around 10/8/2021.

  3. Extended second fire recall. Announced August 20, 2021. NHTSA 21V650000, GM N212345940. Covers 2020-2022 cars. First interim procedure is to set target charge to 90% and avoid driving below 70 miles remaining. Second interim procedure is a new software update expected mid-December 2021 that limits target charge to 80% without a lower limit. Final remedy will be replacing defective battery modules.

  4. Battery replacements begin. Announced October 8, 2021. GM begins notifying customers of eligibility to receive a battery replacement. See post #4 in this thread for issues and suggestions that customers have reported with the battery replacement process.
Historical updates:
  • March 17, 2019 to October 21, 2020: Fires (12 or 13) reported that are verified or suspected to be battery-caused (model years: 6 or 7 in 2019 cars, 1 in a 2018 car, 3 in 2017 cars, 1 either 2018 or 2017 Ampera-e, 1 unknown to the public model year). Some (5 at the time the first fire recall was announced) of them were verified by GM as having battery-caused fires. GM had information about the state-of-charge of some (4) of them; all were at high states-of-charge.
  • November 13, 2020: First fire recall announced (NHTSA 20V701000, GM N202311730 and N202311731). Recall applies to all 2017 and 2018 cars, and 2019 cars with Korea-made batteries (some 2019 cars have US-made batteries and were not recalled -- no fires occurred in cars with US-made batteries). GM issues stop-sale order to GM dealers (with financing compensation to dealers). Stop-sale for a given car lasts until the final recall procedure is completed and software installed.
  • November 17, 2020: Interim software available to limit charging to 94% (as displayed). Advisory to use hilltop reserve or target charge to 90% or lower before interim software is installed. Advisory to park outside if not limiting charging. Stop-sale still applies to cars at GM dealers which have had the interim software installed.
  • April 29, 2021: "Final" recall procedure and software available for 2019 cars (GM N202311731). The same procedure and software is also offered at no charge for non-recalled 2019 cars (GM N202323690).
  • May 1, 2021: Fire (1) reported in a 2019 car with interim software. Car had a history of frequent deep discharging.
  • May 26, 2021: "Final" recall procedure and software available for 2017 and 2018 cars (GM N202311730).
  • July 1, 2021 and July 2, 2021: Fires (2) reported in 2019 cars with final recall procedure completed and software installed (GM says that it became aware of these fires on July 2, 2021 and July 13, 2021). One car was verified by GM as having a battery-caused fire, while the other was not available for inspection. Both of these cars reported as having a history of frequent deep discharging.
  • July 14, 2021: Advisory to park outside and avoid charging unattended.
  • July 17, 2021: GM decides to have the second fire recall (which was announced on July 23, 2021).
  • July 19, 2021: GM reports that 18,823 (about 37%) of the 50,932 cars subject to the first fire recall have gotten that recall's final procedure and software. GM reports that 3 owners were unreachable, and 14 cars were removed as scrapped, stolen, or exported.
  • July 21, 2021: GM and LG identify the root cause of the fires.
  • July 23, 2021: Second fire recall announced (NHTSA 21V560000, GM N212343880). Additional advisory (in addition to previous advisory to park outside and avoid charging unattended) to use hilltop reserve or target charge to 90% or lower, and avoid going below 70 miles of remaining range (about 29% if based on EPA range of 238 miles).
  • July 25, 2021: Fires (2) reported. Both cars were 2019 model year, according to partial VINs shown. One fire occurred while charging (presumably L1 or L2 since it was at a home). The horn honking was heard, suggesting that the latest software for the first fire recall was installed. There are no details on state-of-charge or charging history. The other fire occurred while driving. There are no details on state-of-charge or charging history. However, this car had a US-made battery. This is probably the car described in recall documentation with the following: "On July 26, 2021, GM became aware, through its Customer Assistance Center, of an alleged battery fire in a vehicle outside of the recall population. GM conducted an inspection on this vehicle on August 6, 2021. Based on the physical evidence, GM determined that the probable origin of the fire was the vehicle’s high-voltage battery pack, and GM shipped the vehicle’s Hybrid Propulsion Control Module 2 (HPCM2) to its Milford Proving Grounds for further analysis."
  • July 26, 2021: Some customers receive email from GM describing the second fire recall and advisories.
  • July 2021: GM dealer service departments are notified to set hilltop reserve mode (2017, 2018) or target charge 90% (2019) as an interim recall service procedure for cars coming in for service (0.2 hours labor). This procedure must also be applied to cars in GM dealer inventory, which are also subject to a stop-sale order.
  • July 30, 2021: GM informs dealers that "Bolt EV & Bolt EUV lithium ion batteries for all model years for service are temporarily on hold."
  • August 3 and 12, 2021: According to recall documentation, "LG provided GM with updated teardown data and analysis indicating that both defects could be present in cells installed into vehicles outside of the original recall population."
  • August 4, 2021: GM 10-Q quarterly financial report states that GM "recorded a warranty accrual of $812 million" for the costs of the second fire recall. It also notes that the cost of the (diagnostic and software) remedy for the first fire recall was "not material".
  • August 6, 2021: GM inspects a car that caught fire on July 25, 2021. GM informs GM dealers of a Working Capital Assistance Program (basically a financing subsidy) for recalled cars which are under a stop-sale order.
  • August 9, 2021: LG revises second quarter operating profit from KRW 1.11 trillion (USD $992.08 million at the time of the original report) to KRW 878 billion (USD $763.56 million at the time of the revision) for Bolt recall costs. Difference is about KRW 232 billion (USD $201 million at the time of revision). The converted-to-USD amounts are subject to exchange rate fluctuations.
  • August 13, 2021: Dealers received advisory bulletin to expect "Advisory" and "Remedy" letters to be sent to Bolt owners "late this month". Some recalled cars are marked as high priority based on manufacturing records and will be moved from GM recall number N212343880 to N212343881. Customers with these cars will receive the "Remedy" letter and can begin scheduling appointments on or after August 23, 2021 for service on August 30, 2021 or after. Other customers will receive the "Advisory" letter stating that parts are not yet available. Both letters continue to state that customers should continue to limit charging to 90% or hilltop reserve, avoid discharging below 70 miles or remaining range, and park outside until the remedy is done. See attached PDFs.
  • August 16, 2021: Fire (1) reported. Car was 2020 model year. Car was charged to 100% and was parked (still plugged in) for about 14 hours before it caught fire. Car had about 6,000 miles and was commonly discharged to about 30% before being recharged. According to recall documentation, "after GM’s safety engineering team conducted a detailed analysis of this new data, GM’s Safety and Field Action Decision Authority decided to expand NHTSA recall 21V560 to include all 2019 model year Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles not covered by the prior recall, plus all 2020 – 2022 model year Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles and all 2022 model year Chevrolet Bolt EUV vehicles." This recall was announced on August 20, 2021.
  • August 18, 2021: Some customers get "Remedy" (or "881") letters (they can make appointments starting August 23, 2021 for repair starting August 30, 2021) or "Advisory" (or "880") letters (parts are not available yet for their cars). See attached PDFs for the letter templates. In addition, those receiving "Advisory" letters have reported receiving additional letters saying that lithium-ion battery modules will (eventually) be replaced by "all-new lithium-ion battery modules" providing "8% additional battery capacity" with a "new 8-year/100,000 mile Limited Parts Warranty for your lithium-ion battery upon completion of the battery module replacement".
  • August 20, 2021: General Motors on Friday said it is expanding its recent recall of Chevrolet Bolt EVs to newer models (through 2022) of the electric car due to potential fire risks. The recall expansion is expected to cost the automaker an additional $1 billion, bringing the recall’s total to $1.8 billion to replace potentially defective battery modules in the vehicles. The GM press release identifies specific defects as a "torn anode tab" and a "folded separator." 2019 cars not previously included in the existing recall numbered NHTSA 21V560000 / GM N212343880 have been added to to that recall. The recall numbers for 2020-2022 cars are NHTSA 21V650000 / GM N212345940.
  • August 20, 2021: GM announces that Bolt production will pause starting August 23, 2021, intending to resume August 30, 2021. The stated reason is the chip shortage.
  • August 23, 2021: A customer who received the "Remedy" (or "881") letter reported calling a dealer who then informed them that parts will be delayed until early September.
  • August 30, 2021: Fire (1) reported. Car was 2017 model year "after getting recalls done". Was parked and not charging with 34 miles of estimated remaining range (about 14% state-of-charge by EPA mileage) at the time of the fire. Charged only occasionally, usually to "about 85%" at a level 2 station at work.
  • August 30, 2021: GM announces that Bolt production will remain paused until "LG can supply defect-free battery cells".
  • September 2, 2021: GM announces that most other North American factories will shut down (or extend existing shutdowns) due to the chip shortage. Some intend to resume September 13, 2021 or September 20, 2021.
  • September 6, 2021: Planned 2017-2019 owner interim notification date. The letters received by customers around August 18, 2021 may be these planned notifications sent ahead of the original schedule.
  • September 8, 2021: Owners of 2020-22 Bolts receive an email notification about the recall, providing charging / parking guidance, module replacement, and warranty extension. Note that target date for owner notification was/is October 4.
  • September 9, 2021: Bolt production reported to remain suspended until at least September 24, 2021, pending decisions by GM and LG on how to produce batteries without the recall defects.
  • September 13, 2021: Fire reported in Cherokee County, Georgia, MY 2019. Probable VIN appears to be sequentially between 2 Oct 2018 build date known fires. No other details available yet.
  • September 15, 2021: GM spokesperson Dan Flores says that "In an effort to reduce potential damage to structures and nearby vehicles in the rare event of a potential fire, we recommend parking on the top floor or on an open-air deck and park 50 feet or more away from another vehicle." This recommendation is not added to GM web sites or other documents regarding the recall, but is widely reported in news media.
  • September 16, 2021: GM says that the Orion plant that makes Bolts will remain shut down until at least October 15, 2021.
  • September 20, 2021: GM announces battery production has resumed, and battery replacements for the second fire recall will begin in October 2021. There will also be a software update for all Bolt EV and EUV cars "within approximately 60 days" for the purpose of "monitoring the battery performance; alerting customers of any anomalies; and prioritizing damaged battery modules for replacement." The announcement also says that "If customers are following GM’s instructions issued below [the previously announced ones about charging only to 90%, avoiding going below 70 miles of remaining range, parking outside immediately after charging, and not charging indoors overnight], they can park in a location of their choice. In an abundance of caution, GM recommends customers leave ample space around their vehicle wherever they choose to park."
  • October 7, 2021: Dealers receive service bulletins (one for 2017-2019 and one for 2020-2022) with instructions on replacing entire battery packs with new or refurbished packs. The procedure is listed with 4.5 to 5.5 hours of labor. For reasons detailed in the documents, customers who want to avoid delays in the repair procedure should avoid charging within the last 24 hours before bringing the car to the dealer, and not have the state-of-charge be over 90%.
  • October 8, 2021:Many customers receive an email from GM stating the following (See Oct8.PDF below):
    • "Initial replacement battery modules for Bolt EVs and Bolt EUVs have begun shipping to certain Chevrolet EV dealers."
    • "Once your replacement battery modules are available, you will receive a communication from us asking you to contact your preferred Chevrolet EV dealer to schedule a service appointment. Once service is complete, your battery will be covered by an 8‑year/100,000-mile limited parts warranty."
    • "The battery module repair will take approximately two days to complete, and we will provide courtesy or rental vehicle transportation to you during the replacement procedure."
    • "We are also on track to begin roll out of a new advanced diagnostic software by mid-November. ... The diagnostic will be designed to detect specific abnormalities that might indicate a damaged battery in Bolt EV and EUVs by: monitoring the battery performance; alerting customers of any anomalies; and prioritizing damaged batteries for replacement. It is our intent that further diagnostic software will allow customers to return to a 100% state of charge once all diagnostic processes are complete."
  • October 8-15, 2021: Some customers informed or find out that their cars' recall status is now "incomplete" for N212343881 instead of "incomplete, remedy not yet available" for N212343880, and that dealers can order batteries and proceed with the remedy for them. This is the presumed first group of cars to have batteries replaced. It includes those customers who were originally informed in August of this before GM delayed battery replacements due to US-made batteries also potentially having the defect.
  • October 12, 2021: GM states that the cost of the recall is $1.9 to $2.0 billion, and that LG will reimburse GM for costs. Other media report that LG will reimburse GM $1.2 billion.
  • October 12, 2021 and after: On a rolling basis, customers find out that their cars' recall status is has been changed "incomplete" for N212343881 instead of "incomplete, remedy not yet available" for N212343880 by checking myChevrolet or being contacted by GM or a nearby dealer. It appears that small numbers of updates occur frequently, perhaps every day. Most early changes to remedy-eligibility are for 2019 cars with September to December 2018 build dates, but occasional 2017 and 2018 cars have been reported as becoming remedy-eligible.
  • October 13, 2021: GM spokesperson says to media that the Orion Assembly Plant that builds Bolts will remain shut down until November, due to battery production being used for recall replacements.
  • October 14, 2021 and after: Some customers begin delivering their cars to dealers for the remedy repair of battery replacement (dealers have received replacement batteries for them -- batteries are shipped to dealers with specific VINs specified to be installed in). Work is completed one to two business days after. However, some customers report having difficulty finding nearby dealers fully ready (with tools, equipment, and certification) to do the remedy repair.
  • October 24, 2021: Fire (1) reported in Yeosu, South Jeolla, Republic of Korea. Model year and other details not publicly available yet.
  • November 1, 2021: GM will restart limited Bolt EV and EUV production at the Orion Assembly plant for two weeks.
  • November 6, 2021: Fire (1) reported in Clarksville, MD. Car is reportedly 2021 model year. There is also some video.
  • November 8, 2021: Dealers informed that additional vehicles became eligible for new batteries. Appear to be mostly but not exclusively 2019 with Korea-made batteries, like the vehicles made eligible in October 2021
  • November 15, 2021: After a two week period of production starting November 1, 2021, GM will halt Bolt EV and EUV production for three weeks, resuming on December 6.
  • November 18, 2021: GM indicates that new Bolt EV and EUV production will remain suspended through the end of 2021.
  • November 19, 2021: GM provides updated informationabout the interim software update for 2019 cars and will be available for other model years "within approximately the next 30 days". This is GM campaign number N212343883 (instead of N212343880). According to the information from GM, the "new software automatically sets the vehicle’s maximum state of charge to 80%, allowing owners to safely resume:
    • charging indoors overnight;
    • operating below 70 miles (113 km) of range, resulting in greater overall vehicle range compared to GM’s prior interim charging guidance; and
    • parking indoors after charging."
  • December 2, 2021: GM says that Bolt production will remain halted through January 28, 2022.
  • December 3, 2021: Several posts on this forum suggest the priority group is now targeting 2017 model year Bolts with several reports of 2017 owners now showing the 881 recall notice on the recall status.
  • December 6, 2021: Dealers informed that additional vehicles became eligible for new batteries. Appear to be mostly but not exclusively 2017.
  • December 15, 2021: The interim software update that was made available on November 19, 2021 for 2019 cars (see above) is now available for 2017 and 2018 cars. This is GM campaign number N212343883 (instead of N212343880). Cars which are already eligible for battery replacement (N212343881) are not included. GM expects the software to become available for all other Bolts within 2 weeks. Also, GM has a new campaign N212345750 for cars that got new batteries for N212343881 without getting the interim software for N212343883. The remedy for N212345750 is a software update that includes the same "advanced diagnostics" that the interim software for N212343883 includes, but does not have the 80% charging limit. It is also supposed to avoid a failure with a P0AA1 code that is sometimes seen after battery replacement (this appears to be a false alarm rather than an actual safety problem).
  • December 16, 2021: The Detroit News reports GM Bolt Production to Remain Down Through February
  • December 21, 2021: Interim software with "advanced diagnostics" and 80% charging limit is now available for 2020-2022 cars. The GM campaign number N212345940 does not change for the interim software update, unlike for 2017-2019 cars.
  • December 21, 2021: GM tells dealers that it will offer window clings with QR codes to customers whose cars have either the interim software or new battery to inform parking lots that their cars are not the assumed fire risk.
  • December 23, 2021: Dealers informed that additional vehicles became eligible for new batteries. Appear to be mostly but not exclusively 2017.
  • January 11, 2022: Dealers informed that additional vehicles became eligible for new batteries. Appear to be mostly but not exclusively 2017.
  • January 25, 2022: Dealers informed that additional vehicles became eligible for new batteries. Appear to be mostly but not exclusively 2017.
  • February 1, 2022: Dealers informed that additional vehicles became eligible for new batteries. Appear to be mostly but not exclusively 2017.
  • February 15, 2022: GM announces that Bolt production will restart on April 4, 2022.
  • March 9, 2022: Dealers are informed that new dealer stock Bolts have been moved to N212345943 and will become eligible for battery replacements in the near future so that they can be sold after battery replacement.

Future estimated or planned events:
  • December 6, 2021: GM plans to restart Bolt EV and EUV production after a three week hiatus. On November 18, 2021, GM confirmed that production will remain suspended through the end of 2021.
  • Unspecified: GM will provide estimated mailing dates for the final remedy when available.

Attachments

See less See more
Save
Like
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 5
Status
Not open for further replies.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
ARob
Stickied to help those unfamiliar with the topic get up to speed. Link to this in other discussions if you like, but lets keep comments on this limited to specific clarifications to the timeline.

Thanks @boltage for compiling this list.
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 5
C
I got a request from MichBolt but unfortunately my bandwidth (time) is limited. Here are some useful mostly NHTSA URLs. I may refine this later when I find time.

www.nhtsa.gov

2017 CHEVROLET BOLT 4 DR FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov
www.nhtsa.gov

2018 CHEVROLET BOLT 5 HB FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov
www.nhtsa.gov

2019 CHEVROLET BOLT EV 5 HB FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov
www.nhtsa.gov

2020 CHEVROLET BOLT EV 5 HB FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov
www.nhtsa.gov

2021 CHEVROLET BOLT EV 5 HB FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov
www.nhtsa.gov

2022 CHEVROLET BOLT EV 5 HB FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov
www.nhtsa.gov

2022 CHEVROLET BOLT EUV SUV FWD | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov www.nhtsa.gov

Sept 28, 2021 GM to Dealer Letter:

All of these NHTSA URLs come from associated documents for campaigns 20V701000 (initial battery fire recall announced 11/30/20) and 21V560000 (announced 7/23/21, after some fire(s) on Bolts w/"final remedy" applied). 20V701000 currently has 37 docs and I think it's pointless for me to post all of them and attempt to describe them all. Some are outdated or superseded anyway or just not very relevant now.

I've included ones I think are most relevant at this point.

20V701000: initial battery fire recall from 11/13/20
Defect notice 573 report (dated 11/13/20) for 20V701000 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCLRPT-20V701-2513.PDF
Interim patch procedure: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCSB-20V701-2489.pdf - it is one of many that refers to a stop sale and that applying this interim charge % limiter patch was NOT sufficient to allow a GM dealer to sell the car.

Recall 573 doc from 4/29/21: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCLRPT-20V701-7407.PDF
"Final" remedy that came out May 2021 to cover 2017 to 2019 recalled Bolts: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCSB-20V701-3618.pdf. A version covering only recalled '19 Bolts came out first but is basically the same.
FAQ for above "final remedy": https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RMISC-20V701-9809.pdf
Background/extra info on "final" remedy: Bolt EV Battery Cell Inspection – TechLink

Quarterly report (as of 7/21/21) on how many received the "final remedy": https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCLQRT-20V701-6948.PDF

21V560000: above population of vehicles recalled again on 7/23/2021
Defect notice 573 report for 21V560000 (dated 7/23/21): https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCLRPT-21V560-6162.PDF

Do note that the 573 reports do have Component Part Numbers. Recalled Bolts (all '17 and '18 + subset of '19) should have a battery part # visible on the casing from the driver's side that matches one of those part numbers.

7/31: two new documents:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCSB-21V560-6354.pdf
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCSB-20V701-6348.pdf

2020 to 2022 Bolt EV and EUV bulletin and FAQ:
Expansion of recall to include 2020 to 2022 Bolt EV and EUV https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCLRPT-21V650-2919.PDF
Bulletin https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCSB-21V650-4012.pdf
FAQ: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RMISC-21V650-3363.pdf

2017 to 2019 Bolt FAQ from Aug 2021: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RMISC-21V560-8422.pdf
Expansion of recall to include rest of 2019 Bolts: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCLRPT-21V560-5475.PDF
Letter being sent to 2017 to 2019 owners about replacement of all modules, increased capacity and new battery parts warranty: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RMISC-21V560-4200.pdf

N212343880 Chronology of Defect / Noncompliance Determination
573.6 (c) (6) (7) Describe the chronology of events leading up to the defect decision or test data for the noncompliance decision:" from Aug 20, 2021: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RMISC-21V560-8766.pdf

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCMN-21V560-7907.pdf is the dealer memo about the window clings.

If the mods wish to edit or re-organize my post, go ahead. Hopefully, the above is all accurate.
See less See more
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 5
M
GM's instructions for the battery replacement process are linked below. Page number references in this post refer to this linked document:

Based on several owner reports on the forum, this is a collection of common issues and suggestions:

1. You can find out if you are eligible for a battery replacement if your recall number changes to x881 (2017-2019 Bolts) or x941 (2020-22 Bolts) and the status changes from "Incomplete remedy not available" to just "incomplete." You can check your recall status by entering your VIN on the Chevy recall website at:

Experience GM: Chevy Bolt EV & EUV Recall

Learn more about the Chevrolet Bolt EV & EUV recall. GM's commitment to safety insures that all Bolt owner's are able to charge & drive their EV's safely.
www.chevrolet.com www.chevrolet.com

2. When you become eligible for a battery replacement, you can call an EV certified Chevrolet dealer to have them order the battery and then schedule the replacement. Some dealers will want you to bring in the Bolt before they order the battery. This is not part of GM's instructions, but may be part of the dealer's procedures. Sometimes, providing a photo of your Bolt's battery sticker and your odometer mileage is sufficient. The battery may take a few days to a few weeks to arrive. Some dealerships also have customer backlogs due to limited storage space or available technicians.

This is a Google map created by the Plug and Play EV YouTube channel for owners to note successful battery replacement experiences with dealers.

3. If you have a 2017 Bolt, the dealer will also need to order a replacement coolant hose because the connection fitting has changed (may only be for Bolts built before May 2017). The part number is 42557402 (page 3).

4. When you bring in the Bolt, make sure it is below 90% charge and has not been charged within the previous 24 hours (page 2). Otherwise, the replacement process may be delayed. The battery's state of charge is displayed on the left side of the Driver Information Center (DIC, or dashboard) as a set of 20 green bars. Each illuminated green bar represents +5% state of charge, so look for less than 18 illuminated green bars.

5. Request that the dealer charge the Bolt to 100% before contacting you for pickup (page 25). There is sometimes an error in GM's software update system that installs the incorrect software update, limiting charge to 80%. Look for all 20 green bars to be illuminated on the DIC. The estimated range is not a reliable indicator of the battery capacity or state of charge.

6. Sometimes, dealers do not perform the "battery pack capacity learn" step in the software procedure (page 24). That will result in the battery management system having the wrong data about the new battery's capacity, and cause strange numbers to appear for estimated range and calculated efficiency. It's possible that this will resolve itself as the battery management system receives new data as you drive, particularly after several deep discharge / full recharge cycles.

7. Sometimes, dealers will not correctly perform the "vacuum fill" procedure for the battery coolant (page 20). This may result in air bubbles in the coolant system, and will result in a low coolant level in the coolant reservoir after driving and/or DCFC charging that causes the battery coolant system to run. This can cause a warning message on the dashboard calling for immediate service.

8. There are a few reports of a metal tab / pin in the Bolt's charging port sometimes getting locked in the closed position, intermittently, after the battery replacement. This prevents the the handle of the EVSE (charger) from being fully seated, and prevents charging. The work around is to temporarily disconnect the 12V battery terminal with a 10 mm wrench. This will unlock the tab / pin, and also reset several vehicle settings back to their defaults.

Edit: There is now a software update to fix this problem, TSB 22-NA-152:
www.chevybolt.org

charging port will not accept charging cable

I cannot plug the charging cable into the charge port of my (post-recall-fix, 2019, LT DCFC) Bolt. The problem is the metal "latch" at the top of the charger (see photos) is stuck in position, and physically blocks the top plastic prong on the charge cable. The charge cord cannot get far...
www.chevybolt.org www.chevybolt.org
See less See more
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 5
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
Status
Not open for further replies.
Chevy Bolt EV Forum
We’re the Largest Chevy Bolt EV Online Community and Owner's Club. Join to discuss sport mode, reviews, battery range and charging!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
🎙️ 2017+ Chevy Bolt EV General Discussion Forum 🚙 2022+ Chevy Bolt EUV General Discussion 🔋 Charging and Batteries 🔥 2017 - 2022 Bolt EV Battery Fire Recall 2017+ Chevy Bolt EV Issues And Problems
Top