General Motors (GM) is issuing another recall for certain Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV models due to issues with diagnostic software. This recall affects specific 2020-2022 model-year vehicles where the software was previously installed incorrectly. Dealers are instructed to reprogram the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2, Battery Energy Control Module, and the Body Control Module, with the correction expected to take approximately one hour.
This marks the third time some owners will receive a similar software update. The initial recall in 2020 aimed to install monitoring software for early detection of defective battery cells, but this proved ineffective after two vehicles caught fire post-update. Initially, only Bolt models from 2016 to 2019 with LG Chem battery packs made in South Korea were recalled. However, after a 2020 Bolt caught fire in California, GM expanded the recall in August 2021 to include all 140,000 units delivered.
Owners of 2020 and newer models were given battery monitoring software and advised to park outside and avoid deep discharges. GM issued a stop sale on all vehicles until a final remedy, a second round of diagnostic software, was developed later in 2021. This software temporarily limited the charge to 80% and monitored the battery for abnormalities, allowing standard charge settings after several thousand miles of safe driving. Since implementing this solution, no new fires have been reported.
With fewer than two dozen fires reported among the roughly 240,000 Bolt EVs and EUVs on the road, most incidents involved 2019 models, with a few from 2017, 2018, and 2020. Impacted owners will receive notification from GM in the coming weeks and can check if their vehicle is included in the recall by visiting my.gm.com/recalls.
