Yes.

 

I have been looking into buying a Bolt for a while and possibly getting rid of my 2018 Leaf. The fires have me second-guessing. Do you think a used Bolt is safe right now with the battery recall?

No

 

Oh, it’s safe enough if you park outdoors, and keep the SoC between 30 and 90 %, and stay in attendance when it is plugged in. If that is doable then it will be a great car for you.

 

That's said to be an idea State of Charge for battery life.

 

I just got a recall notice on my 2019 Bolt. Chevy is replacing the battery. My wife got one too on her 2017. I suspect all the batteries will get replaced. Anyone else get such a notice?

 

It's safe to buy a stick of dynamite.

What matters is what you do with it after buying it.

 

I bought a 2018 early last week with full knowledge of the recall (although the replacement batteries weren't announced yet). I have a parking space outside with access to a 110V plug which is all I need for my daily commute and errands. If I need to go on a longer driver, I'll fast charge at a station near my house. If it ends up catching fire it's parked about 40 feet from my house, and insurance will cover my losses. I'm personally not at all concerned about it.

 

I also intend on buying a used 2017 from a VW dealership, possibly today.
just curious do you know if GMB will still honor the warranty and fix the battery buying it with a known recall? Also would you happen to know if buying one from a place other than Chevy might nullify the warranty. Thank you.

 

Safety is relative.

No Bolt owners have died of a fire.

Plenty of Bolt owners have died of cancer or heart disease.

For me it's the wrong question, because prices are still 30% higher than February despite ongoing recall turmoil. I'd delay until prices at least decreased 30%, or perhaps more.

 

It's a good time to buy in my opinion. Some owners are going to want to get rid of them out of fear and uncertainty. Just a few days ago, Chevy committed to replacing all the batteries in the 2017-2019 models. That's what I was betting on when I bought mine a few weeks ago. So, buy one and get in line for a battery replacement and a re-started 8 year/100,000 mile batter warranty!

 

It's safe, for some values of "safe." You run the risk that it could burn down, and you can increase that risk by certain charging practices. But as other said, if you keep the state of charge in a reasonable range - no full charges, no deep discharges - you have a pretty good chance of no problem. If you park it outside, and it does burn down, chances are you'll singe the front of the house but not actually burn it down. I park head-in on the driveway so if it goes the back of the car can be opened and the fire attacked from the street.

Yes, some owners will probably give up, especially when they get the recall letter like mine: we're going to replace the battery guts and restart the 8-year warranty, but we don't have the parts, so don't call us, we'll call you. If you're interested in a peppy little EV with reasonable range (same general 200-mile ballpark as a long-range Leaf or an i3, charged to Hilltop Mode/about 90%), that you'll mostly charge at home (DC charging at up to about 50kw is on most of them, but check carefully because it was officially an option), and can keep and preferably charge outside, you might be able to make a good deal on one of those bail-out units. You can bet that the trade-in specialists will. And you'll still, eventually, someday, get the battery modules/cells replaced along with a new-battery warranty. So it's very possible that some Bolts will now be able to test whether the coolant really needs to be changed at 150K miles. It's not without faults (besides the battery), like the front seats, and the dated infotainment, but for the most part it's a very nice little car. No Tesla, but then you're not paying $50K+ either, and I find the more conventional presentation of controls and information (than Tesla's screen-in-the-center) easy to live with.

 

I just bough an off-lease 2017 last week because of the recall. It's going to get a new 66kwh battery, and has the same fire danger as your typical F150. I can charge it outside the garage till then, and it has comprehensive coverage. I'm not afraid of the fire statistic. The end result is a great deal, or a viral video.

 

There are also a lot of Bolt owners upgrading to the new Bolt or the Bolt EUV... my father is one of them.

 

I love it so far. I'm coming from a base model Toyota Yaris that I bought new 14 years ago so anything would be a huge upgrade, but the Bolt is really nice. Fun to drive, and I look forward to never buying gas or oil again.

 

Right on, yeah I’m upgrading from a 2010 Corolla. Thank you again for your insight. As I said I’ll probably be purchasing a bolt today but I started getting worried thinking that GM might not honor the recall on this particular one because it wasn’t from them, but **** yeah great time to buy , get it fixed and a fresh warranty!

 

Not now

 

Absolutely not! All Bolts are under recall, the U.S. Made packs are under risk which means there is nothing to replace what we have.

 

Can't buy one now, so the point is mute.

 

.

 

I read somewhere that GM is monitoring our charge/discharge via OnStar. So, if you have to go below 70 miles frequently, you'd end up getting your pack refreshed sooner. It's probably smarter to baby the battery so you get a new pack at 5 yr point, making your battery warranty effectively 13 years long!

 

Yes, I'd definitely buy another Bolt if the right car at the right price came along.

jack vines

 

I wouldn''t buy a 2019 with a 2.1 battery (made in Ochang, Korea), and I wouldn't buy now because used car prices are crazy. But back when I was shopping in the spring, if I knew then what I know now, I would buy a 2017 or 2018, save a few thousand, and look forward to the new battery with increased capacity.

 

Just my IMHO offering here...
I love my Bolt. 2017. Best car I've owned....
And I am fairly confidant that I believe GM/LG have finally identified two specific issues and I think, based on the way they are proceeding, that they have a way to significantly limit those issues in the future. (I don't like to say always/never)
So, I am pro Bolt and optimistic...

I am glad I have my Bolt, and will be happy when, in a few months or a year or whatever, I finally get my new battery, I will be happy to have my Bolt with a new battery...

That said, if my niece (I had to pick a relative I liked for this ;-) was in your situation right now, I'd tell her to wait...
So much has changed in the last few days, I'd feel more comfortable recommending this when information from GM has stabilized a bit...

But that's just me..

 

I would not hesitate to buy a Bolt now. The caveat being if you are planning on driving near the max range on a daily basis then no you shouldn't. If you are looking for a very reliable car for around town generally short trips then I would not hesitate at all. That being said you will pay more in todays used car market but everything is overpriced now.

My Bolt is a city car and think the battery has been below 1/2 charge maybe 4 times since I bought it in January. One of these was when I drove it home, one was when I drove it 200 miles to see our son graduate from residency and the other two were when I did a lot of driving around town in a day. It is rare that I get the battery to 5/8s charge. I only charge it to 90% and charge at 240V and 12 amps. It's in my garage plugged in like always. After the notice I will probably charge it outside if I have run it down to below half but otherwise it will be in the garage.

Love the car and have really enjoyed the birdseye camera. It's zip and fun to drive. My biggest complaint is the OEM tires, too easy to spin in the rain but in they dry they do OK. I dont baby it and try to get the max range, I drive it how I want to and if I want to go the enforced speed limit on the interstate I do it. It's fun to zip off from a traffic light.

EDIT: I would use the recall as a bargaining point as having that recall and the fact that it may take a long time to get to folks like me is certainly going to affect the numbers of willing buyers and how much they will pay.

 

It's pretty safe. Follow the current guidelines and take your car in to get the batteries replaced when you can and get the software updates when available. Just be gentle (follow the suggestions) until the recall gets done.

 

I'd consider it safe, for reasonable values of "safe", but GM makes its mitigation recommendations for a reason. Following them means effective range with a Bolt is not much better than with your Leaf, and meeting the parking recommendations (even without the "50 feet from anything" stupidity) can be an issue. Then, a few places have banned Bolts from parking on the property. So if your Leaf is still working I'd keep it and wait on a Bolt, or else (if you can do a good deal because of the uncertainty about when it'll be fixed) buy one more or less on speculation - because once it gets the new battery it's practically a new car, even if it's a 2017.

 

YES..... This is getting fixed! Between now and then, just use it a little less aggressively most of the time. Bolts are still great EV cars

 

I know the OP hasn't checked this thread in a while but for the benefit of those considering the Bolt.
Yes it's 100% safe in my book. There are times when I'll charge the car 100% and let it go down to 30 miles showing on the GOM. Today I'm going to charge it to 100% in beautiful So Cal and I'm going to take it to San Diego.
I have great auto insurance with gap coverage and while I'll try and stay within GM "suggested" guidelines, I'll charge as and when and how much as needed.
Yes it's a safe car.