GM Recalls 68,000 Chevy Bolts Over Battery Fire Concerns

General Motors GM is voluntarily recalling 68,667 Chevrolet Bolts, according to The Detroit News.

GM has five confirmed battery fires in Chevy Bolts that were full or almost fully charged and is working with the NHTSA to recall the vehicles and investigate the cause of the fires. There are two reports of smoke inhalation injuries.

GM has found a few similarities in the fires. All cars were at or near full charge, and they all used the same type of battery manufactured by LG Chem. The recall is only 2017-2019 model year Bolts, as 2020 vehicles have a new battery chemistry.

The recall involves a new software that needs to be applied by dealerships, according to Detroit News. The dealerships will limit battery charge to 90% while GM works to figure out the cause of the fires.

Benzinga's Take: While battery fires in EVs are rare, they do happen. Unfortunately for GM, they can't update the Bolts over the air like Tesla Inc TSLA can. There was cause for concern when a few Tesla Model S vehicles caught on fire while parked. Tesla quickly sent out an update over the internet that limited the car's charge limit while the company investigated.

Hopefully GM can quickly figure out what's wrong and fix the problem so owners can once again use the full range. 

Photo courtesy of GM