The Chevy Bolt Faces Its Second Recall for Battery Fire Risk

• Chevrolet issues a second recall for 2017-2019 model-year Bolt EV hatches, citing battery defects.

• The automaker has reported two recent fires involving Chevy Bolts that had earlier received a fix, following a prior recall.

• The automaker tells Bolt owners whose vehicles were part of a prior recall to park their cars outside after charging them, and not to charge them overnight.

UPDATE 8/18/21: Less than a month after issuing a second formal recall for 2017-2019 model year Chevrolet Bolt hatchbacks prompted by a number of vehicle fires, General Motors now plans to replace all of the affected battery modules, including those that have received a prior fix. The automaker will replace the modules but not the battery packs themselves, which means about 51,000 vehicles in the US alone will receive new modules out of a total of over 68,000 affected Bolts worldwide. GM indicated earlier this month that along with battery maker LG, the automaker had identified the simultaneous presence of two manufacturing defects in the battery cell of the affected vehicles, and said the two defects were rare. At the time the automaker said that it would replace the defective battery modules in the affected vehicles, but now plans to replace all the modules in these vehicles.

Following a number of fires and a prior recall for 2017-2019 model year Bolt hatchbacks, Chevrolet has announced a second recall to address the issue. The automaker said that along with supplier LG, it has identified the simultaneous presence of two manufacturing defects said to be rare, located in the battery cell, with this issue tied to reported battery fires. A new recall for the affected Bolts is underway, in which the automaker will replace the defective battery modules.

As the recall starts, Chevrolet is asking owners of the affected vehicles to take a few precautions.