Lorraine Explains: Some Chevy Bolt owners left holding the battery

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In November 2020, 69,000 Chevrolet Bolt EVs were recalled worldwide after reports of battery fire risk. The ‘fix’ asked owners of 2017 and 2018 models to set the Hilltop Reserve option, while owners of 2019 and later model years were told to select Target Charge Level; this forced batteries to only charge to 90 per cent.

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Even after this ‘fix,’ the fire problem persisted. In July of 2021, GM told owners to park their Bolts outside away from buildings and not to leave vehicles plugged in to charge overnight. In late 2021, General Motors announced two recalls of all Chevy Bolts EV and EUVs covering model years 2017 to 2023. Owners were told they would receive a new battery module and warranty (eight years/160,000 km) due to the concern over the fire threat. Estimates on how many fires occurred differ depending on the source, but at least a dozen are well documented.

GM recalls the recall

Work began for owners who dutifully endured extended wait times to get their battery modules replaced; then, in June of 2023, GM abruptly did a recall of their recall and called off the work. They announced they were no longer replacing battery modules after determining they had discovered a software fix that could identify any bad packs. Instead of a new battery module (and accompanying new warranty), the company would be providing this software fix instead. This meant some owners had the new packs and that eight-year/160,000 km warranty from their date of installation, while others (model year owners 2020-2022) would receive the revised solution but no additional warranty coverage. If the new software identified a weakness in the batteries inside the next 10,000 km, the battery module would be replaced according to the original plan.

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That went over about as well as you think it would.

The software fix includes a restrictor that limits the battery to 80 per cent  (some reports say 90 per cent) of its charging capacity for 10,000 km, at which point if deemed safe, the restrictor would be removed to allow full charging. Owners who had been banking on getting a new battery with that precious warranty were now told the ‘fix’ would throttle their charging capabilities. Many EV owners don’t drive typical mileage, so that 10,000 could represent a year of driving — or longer. Some Chevy Bolts were changing hands, with the new owner believing they were in line for that new battery — and having made the purchase decision based on that original recall information.

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Should all Bolt owners be eligible for the new battery and warranty?

George Iny, executive director of the Automobile Protection Association, has some thoughts. “The APA is actually in favour of the second fix. The expense of replacing battery modules is immense, but if they’re proving to not be defective the manufacturer is correct in not wasting precious, expensive resources when there is a better approach.” He says identifying and replacing those that are compromised is imperative. There’s a but.

“GM provided a weird offer to Bolt owners that appears to take plenty off the table. This appears to be typical of GM’s handling of its EV battery problems; their consumer outreach is either incoherent or duplicitous — possibly both.” Those consumers met the announcement with outrage. If you’re an EV owner and have been promised a new battery pack with a full warranty — and especially if another owner of the same vehicle has already received that — watching it dissolve in front of your eyes is going to induce some consternation. How GM thought this would fly is a puzzle and a public relations fumble of epic proportions.

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The APA is officially requesting that GM do three things:

Bolt owners have been patient, but GM has not served them well. Some are rightfully questioning the drop in their resale value when compared to the same model that received the new and warrantied battery. It’s like the back of the house came up with a better solution and the front of the house has no clue how to sell it.

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The warranty offer was made a year ago and GM should have considered its promise binding. According to Iny, a class action was certified in Quebec over the inconvenience and loss of utility involved in the earlier recall; GM has appealed part of the decision. It’s important to note that GM has clarified that ’20-’22 Bolt owners were never promised new batteries: Instead, they were promised fixed defective modules — you hold the legal needle while I thread it. Until last week, however, that was taking the form of replaced battery modules. According to the information in Transport Canada’s recalls database, that is still GM’s offer. Iny wonders why GM would risk losing a customer base for an evolving technology on a fierce battleground, especially when there were obvious options available to them to blunt the impact.

Look to see those consumers flocking to media — social and otherwise — to make some noise.

GM hasn’t responded to a request for comment, but we will update this post with any response we receive.