The company said Friday that it doesn't know yet what's causing the fires, but engineers are working to figure it out. Two people have suffered smoke inhalation due to the fires and a house was set ablaze.
Until a permanent fix is developed, dealers will install software that limits charging to 90% of the battery's capacity, Bolt Executive Chief Engineer Jesse Ortega said.
The recall covers Bolts from the 2017 through 2019 model years, including nearly 51,000 in the
It comes one month after the
Ortega said engineers have traced the fires to Bolts with battery cells made at an
“We have no confirmed incidents from vehicles with cells not produced at this factory or a lower state of charge,” Ortega said.
Some 2019 Bolts and all 2020 and 2021 versions have cells made at an
Until the software updates can be done,
But NHTSA, the government safety agency, said in a statement that until the recall repairs are made, the safest place to park the Bolts is outside and away from homes.
“These vehicles can catch fire even if they are turned off, parked, and disconnected from a charging unit,” NHTSA said. At least one of the five fires spread from a Bolt to a home, the agency said.
Ortega said the
The software change will cut about 10% from the Bolt's range on a single charge.
The
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