Chevrolet Volt Should Not Be Charged to the Max Class Action

General Motors, LLC introduced its all-electric Chevrolet Bolt in 2016, touting its ability to run farther on a full charge. The complaint for this class action alleges that GM deceptively marketed its Bolts because a defect in the battery means they should not be fully charged or they might burst into flames.

The Nationwide Class for this action is all purchasers and lessees of 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt vehicles who bought them for end use and not for resale.

An electric car’s range—how far the car can travel on a single charge—depends largely on its battery. This is particularly important because electric cars cannot be recharged as quickly as cars with gas tanks can be refilled. GM marketed the Bolt by saying that its battery was “where it all starts” and claimed that it could go a distance the complaint describes as “an EPA-estimated 238 miles of range on a full charge.”

Unfortunately, this is not true for certain Chevy Bolts, because, the complaint alleges, the vehicles have a defect, and the current remedy “results in a severe loss of potential battery mileage of the high voltage batteries. Specifically, when the high voltage batteries of 2017-2019 model year Bolts are charged to full, or very close to full, they pose a risk of fire.”

GM does not have a permanent fix for the problem. Its “interim remedy” is a software update that the complaint alleges “limits the maximum state of charge to approximately 90% of battery capacity (or less), which thus reduces the mileage these vehicles can otherwise travel on a full charge.” Until this is done, the owner or lessee can change the battery settings to prevent the charge from going above 90%.

Despite knowing about this serious problem with its Bolts, GM did not warn consumers before selling them the vehicles. In fact, the complaint claims, “Before finally revealing the Battery Defect to Bolt owners and lessees in November 2020, GM had for years been encouraging consumers to charge their batteries to 100% as a regular practice, something that apparently would have led consumer to face an increased fire risk.”

The company has now changed to a different battery design that apparently does not have the same defect. The complaint contends, “The fact that GM switched to a different battery-cell design beginning with the 2020 model year cars is further evidence that GM was aware that battery problems existed with the 2017-2019 model year Bolts.”

However, instead of doing a full recall of the earlier, dangerous Bolts, the complaint alleges, GM issued a recall to install the software update to keep the charge to 90% or less. In the interim, until the update can be installed, “GM recommends that … owners or lessee should not park their car in their garage or carport…”

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Automobile
Tags: Battery, Defective Automobile, Fire