Why the Chevy Bolt Received a Massive Recall

Big Problem

While electric vehicles are just recently beginning to gain a lot of steam in the automotive world, the Chevy Bolt has been on sale since the 2017 model year, meaning that it's a little ahead of its time. Regardless, the Bolt made news recently not for its groundbreaking nature, but rather, a major problem with its batteries that has led to a number of highly-publicized fires. 

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Compounding Issue

Last November, GM recalled 50,930 2017-2019 Bolt EVs that it said may have been built with defective battery cells. That number eventually grew to 68,700 vehicles, and engineers later discovered two potential defects in the cells. Then, just last month, GM recalled an additional 9,340 2019 Bolts and 63,680 2020 Bolt EV and EUV models as a cautionary measure.

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No Quick Fix

That means 141,000 Bolts are now part of this massive recall, while around 12 vehicles have actually caught on fire, though no one has been hurt or injured. However, there isn't an immediate fix, as GM hasn't scheduled any battery cell replacements as of yet. Meanwhile, uneasy owners are being told to park their vehicles outside and away from other vehicles and structures.

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Two Defects

The Bolt's lithium-ion cells were produced by LG Energy Solutions, which were found to have two defects - a torn anode tab - which is the component of the negative electrode that allows the cell to be wired into a group of cells, and a folded separator - the thin sheet of material, generally a nonwoven polymer, which separates the anode and cathode.

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Untested

In some cases, both of these defects can be present in the same cell, increasing the chance of a fire. While fires are still a rare occurrence, this does create a potentially big problem, as former Lockheed Martin engineer Haresh Kamath explained to Car & Driver. "Each of these things is not a big deal individually," he said. But together, the two can create a point of failure that neither GM nor LG tested for.

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Complicated Problem

As far as how this could have happened, theories range greatly. Some believe that an unrecognized defect in the manufacturing process led to a higher rate of flaws than anticipated, while others say it could have been a misaligned robot on the production line. The way a driver operates the vehicle can also be part of the problem, including how it's charged. There are simply too many variables at play here to narrow it down quickly.

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Working Overtime

While GM and LG work overtime trying to figure out the real cause of these defects, Bolt production has been suspended and current owners are forced to wait and hope that their cars don't catch fire. It's a big problem that will reportedly cost GM upwards of $1.8 billion to fix, and one that threatens its plans to roll out a number of other EVs in the near future.

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>>Join the conversation about the Chevy Bolt recall right here in the Electric Vehicles Forums!