Oh Mary, GM recalls every Bolt made (including CUV), Stellantis recalls the Ampera-e(Bolt rebadge)

[AlexB]

Chevrolet Bolt EV News and Reviews | InsideEVs

Get the latest on new Chevrolet Bolt EV models including first drives, in-depth reviews, concept car photos, new features, recalls and more.

insideevs.com

GM has announced that it is recalling every Chevrolet Bolt made to date, including new electric utility vehicle models, over concerns that a manufacturing defect in the cars' LG-made batteries could cause a fire.

The Bolt was first recalled in November after five cars that hadn’t been in crashes caught fire. After investigating the problem further, Chevy recalled a second batch in July. The problem was traced to two manufacturing defects that could occur simultaneously. The defects—a torn anode tab and folded separator—created conditions that could lead to a short in affected cells. So far, the company has identified 10 fires that involve faulty batteries, according to an AP report.



Chevrolet recalls the Bolt EV after 5 confirmed battery fires
This third and latest recall includes 73,000 Bolts made from 2019 to 2022, the current model year, and brings the total recall to nearly 142,000 cars, with over 100,000 having been sold in the US. GM estimates that the initial recalls will cost $800 million, and it expects the new one to add $1 billion to the total. GM said it will be seeking reimbursement from LG.
To fix the problem, the automaker will replace the vehicles’ batteries, a costly and laborious procedure that will take some time. Until replacement batteries are ready and service appointments can be scheduled, GM has recommended that Bolt owners park their vehicles outside and limit their battery’s state of charge to 90 percent or lower. The company also recommended not letting the estimated range dip below 70 miles. GM says it is working with LG Chem to ramp up production of the replacement cells.

Though neither GM nor LG has released specifics about the Bolt’s battery chemistry, its ingredients are thought to be NMC 622, or six parts nickel, two parts manganese, and two parts cobalt. That’s similar to what other automakers are using. There have been plenty of recalls recently as automakers work out the kinks in their battery supply chains—Ford, Hyundai, and BMW have all announced recalls lately. So far, those recalls are smaller than GM’s, and their causes range from manufacturing defects to potential software issues.

Opel is now also calling on Dutch owners of the fully electric 2019 Opel Ampera-e to report to the dealer.

The recall follows a call from former parent company General Motors (GM) in the United States.

Due to the risk of fire risk, the cars from that year will receive a new battery pack under warranty, just like the older ones, a spokesperson told NU.nl on Saturday.

In exceptional cases, the battery cells of the existing battery pack from the South Korean supplier LG may be defective, which could lead to a fire.

While owners wait for the new battery pack, they are asked not to fully charge the car, but to stop at 90 percent.

Leaving the car plugged in at night is also not recommended, just like driving the battery pack completely empty.

Finally, Opel advises owners to park their Ampera-e outside as much as possible after charging.

Owners of the Opel Ampera-e can already report to the dealer for a software update.

This allows any problems to be identified more quickly.

More than 3,300 copies of the electric Opel have been sold in the Netherlands.

The recall follows a call from GM in the United States, as Opel was part of GM for many years.

The company is recalling another 73,000 units of the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt to dealers worldwide.

That number comes on top of the 69,000 units recalled in July.

In the Netherlands, that car was sold as Opel Ampera-e.

The model is now out of production.

GM is counting on a financial setback of 1.65 billion euros.

Opel is now part of the French-American Stellantis.

GM recalls every Chevy Bolt ever made, blames LG for faulty batteries

Two simultaneously occurring defects will cost $1.8 billion to fix.

arstechnica.com

Clam Reports

Clam Reports is a dedicated team of international reporters, journalists, and developers. We translate and compile local news sources from various languages into comprehensive English reports, delivering accurate and swift information to our users.

www.tellerreport.com

With the $1.65 billion Euro charge related to Bolt at GM , Stellantis is pretty much certain to be far be North America's most profitable OEM.
Now things could get strange between Stellantis GM: What if Stellantis feels GM's reimbursement isn't up to par?

 

[Deckard Cain]

I'm not sure if this isn't more of a LG Chem issue. The Kauai EV also had LG Chem batteries and also had similar issues.

 

[cgseller]

I'm not sure this has anything to do with Mary's leadership, but how it is handled could...

I'm not sure this is something to blame GM or Opel for - however they do have some accountability for their 3rd party outsourcers to remedy the situation

 

[patfromigh]

I'm restating my request that GM should be exempt from all zero emissions mandates and CAFE requirements.I don't want what GM did to diesels in cars during the late 1970s to mid-1980s to also happen to battery electric vehicles.

 

[cgseller]

I'm restating my request that GM should be exempt from all zero emissions mandates and CAFE requirements.I don't want what GM did to diesels in cars during the late 1970s to mid-1980s to also happen to battery electric vehicles.

Are you suggesting that the early EV adopters that have had troubles will tarnish the market and perception of the propulsion type?