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Inconsistent Recall Fix Diagnostics

3009 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by OkieBolt, Jun 7, 2021

tim11717

Discussion Starter · Jun 7, 2021

I took my 2017 Chevy Bolt to my nearest dealership last week to apply the final fix for Recall #N202311731-01 (Safety Recall - High Voltage Battery May Melt or Burn). After nearly 6 hours of waiting, they reported that they had inspected the battery pack for the recall and concluded that a "battery pack replacement" was needed. However, they indicated that they do not currently have any Bolt techs on their staff. Therefore, they were unable to order the replacement parts or perform the repair. They referred me to another dealership.

I took the vehicle to the second dealership this morning. They indicated they could not use the diagnostic results from the first dealership and would have to start over and run the diagnostics themselves. (That makes sense to me.). However, after running the diagnostics, they reported that the vehicle passed and only needed to be reprogrammed. No hardware replacement was needed afterall!

Have there been other reports of inconsistent recall diagnostics? It is deeply disturbing that the vehicle can fail one day and then pass 4 days later. How confident should we be in the diagnostics?

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Bolt2019

· #2 · Jun 7, 2021

I'd go back to the first dealer and say ok I'll take that replacement battery thanks.
But that is rather disturbing that the testing would come up with different results.

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MichBolt

· #3 · Jun 7, 2021 (Edited)

tim11717 said:
I took my 2017 Chevy Bolt to my nearest dealership last week to apply the final fix for Recall #N202311731-01 (Safety Recall - High Voltage Battery May Melt or Burn). After nearly 6 hours of waiting, they reported that they had inspected the battery pack for the recall and concluded that a "battery pack replacement" was needed. However, they indicated that they do not currently have any Bolt techs on their staff. Therefore, they were unable to order the replacement parts or perform the repair. They referred me to another dealership.

I took the vehicle to the second dealership this morning. They indicated they could not use the diagnostic results from the first dealership and would have to start over and run the diagnostics themselves. (That makes sense to me.). However, after running the diagnostics, they reported that the vehicle passed and only needed to be reprogrammed. No hardware replacement was needed afterall!

Have there been other reports of inconsistent recall diagnostics? It is deeply disturbing that the vehicle can fail one day and then pass 4 days later. How confident should we be in the diagnostics?

How confident are you in the competence of each dealership? If the first dealership ran the diagnostic without "any Bolt techs on their staff," I might wonder if they really knew what they were doing. You could also ask the first dealership for a copy of the actual test results, and then call the Chevy Bolt concierge with your concerns (1-833-EV-CHEVY).

Based on the NHTSA recall docs, it might be possible that the problem shows up intermittently. There are apparently 2 new error codes in the software update, one for a "static" error, and one for an "intermittent" error. Either error will trigger the software to light the engine light on the dashboard, stop charging, and prevent the vehicle from starting (if turned off).

So the good news is that if your Bolt battery pack really does have an intermittent problem, the software update should detect it when it appears. The bad news is that if it does detect the problem, you won't be able to drive the car, and you'll have to get it towed to the dealership. That's a lot of extra hassle for something that the first dealership already diagnosed.

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EV Fan

· #4 · Jun 7, 2021

heidel said:
I took my 2017 Chevy Bolt to my nearest dealership last week to apply the final fix for Recall #N202311731-01 (Safety Recall - High Voltage Battery May Melt or Burn). After nearly 6 hours of waiting, they reported that they had inspected the battery pack for the recall and concluded that a "battery pack replacement" was needed. However, they indicated that they do not currently have any Bolt techs on their staff. Therefore, they were unable to order the replacement parts or perform the repair. They referred me to another dealership.

I took the vehicle to the second dealership this morning. They indicated they could not use the diagnostic results from the first dealership and would have to start over and run the diagnostics themselves. (That makes sense to me.). However, after running the diagnostics, they reported that the vehicle passed and only needed to be reprogrammed. No hardware replacement was needed afterall!

Have there been other reports of inconsistent recall diagnostics? It is deeply disturbing that the vehicle can fail one day and then pass 4 days later. How confident should we be in the diagnostics?

1) The second dealer will always need to run their own diagnostics for one simple reason: Accountability. When dealer B submits for the warranty replacement (under the recall) of the battery pack, GM will ask them to provide documentation that the pack was outside of GM parameters. They cannot simply say "Dealer A said so". GM won't accept that.
2) If Dealer A does not have an EV certified tech, I wouldn't trust their diagnosis as much as I would trust Dealer B's diagnosis. Rather than the vehicle failing one day and passing four days later, I suspect Dealer A simply misread the data. Having a service department that knows EVs is a big deal.

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Bolt2019

· #5 · Jun 7, 2021

I had thought that only certified dealers can work with EV's for their recalls. That gm has conditions for dealers. So y'wanna be in the EV business. Ok, install chargers up to a 25kw DCFC, hire gm EV certified tech's, carry some stock on the lot.
That then if they're not and you walk in with your EV that they would have to direct you to another dealer that is.
But I know none of this for any certainty.

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Jerry Duke

· #6 · Jun 7, 2021

Bolt2019 said:
I had thought that only certified dealers can work with EV's for their recalls. That gm has conditions for dealers. So y'wanna be in the EV business. Ok, install chargers up to a 25kw DCFC, hire gm EV certified tech's, carry some stock on the lot.
That then if they're not and you walk in with your EV that they would have to direct you to another dealer that is.
But I know none of this for any certainty.

Exactly the same thing my local Chevy dealer told me, but they are "in the process" of getting EV certified. In the meantime my closest EV Chevy dealer is almost 100 miles away.

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OkieBolt

· #7 · Jun 7, 2021

Don't feel bad, you should read through the thread of the poor kid that hit something that put a dent in the front of the battery pack and dealer did 0 diagnostics on it other than seeing the dent and telling him he needed a new battery pack. In reality it is not charging infrastructure that will hinder EV adoption, it is incompetent dealers with outdated service departments that will.

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