Chevrolet Volt Vehicles Defective Battery Energy Control Modules Class Action

The Chevrolet Volt, offered by General Motors, LLC, is a plug-in hybrid vehicle, with both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. But this class action alleges that it has a defective battery energy control module (BECM) that can malfunction, sometimes even by failing to start or by completely losing propulsion when it’s traveling at highway speeds.

A class and two subclasses have been defined for this action:

• The Nationwide Class is all persons or entities who, in the US, bought, lease, leased, own, or owned a 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt.
• The Kansas Subclass is all persons or entities who, in Kansas, bought, lease, leased, own, or owned a 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt.
• The Pennsylvania Subclass is all persons or entities who, in Pennsylvania, bought, lease, leased, own, or owned a 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt.

“Generally speaking,” the complaint alleges, “the BECM is responsible for keeping the Volt’s battery properly charged; maintaining proper battery function; and regulating battery temperature to avoid overheating or freezing.” It also communicates with other control modules in the vehicle, such as the hybrid vehicle control module, which controls whether the vehicle runs on gasoline and when it runs on electrical power.

What exactly is causing the problem? The complaint suggests, “This defect is understood to relate to internal soldering connections within the BECM and arises from defective materials or workmanship.” Alternatively, the complaint suggests it might be a design defect.

The defect may manifest in either of two ways, the complaint claims—either the vehicle does not starting, or it suddenly loses propulsion, at whatever speed it is traveling. The complaint alleges, “The BECM must be replaced and reprogrammed before the vehicle is operational again.”

The complaint claims that GM has known about the defect, at least by June 2018 when it put out Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 18-NA-261 informing its dealers and technicians about the problem. However, the complaint alleges it has continued to sell the Volts, without fixing the problem and without warning purchasers or prospective purchasers.

GM has promoted a Roadside Assistance Program to those who buy the Volts, the complaint says, offering free transportation or reimbursement of transportation expenses incurred if there are problems with the vehicle.

However, according to the complaint, it has had two problems with fulfilling this promise: “(1) it did not have a sufficient supply of parts to timely address the influx of warranty claims due to the BECM issue; and (2) its network of dealers did not have the quantity of Volt-trained service technicians that the ad campaigns led customers to believe.” The complaint claims that those who must for Volt repairs have not received the full benefits of either their warranties or courtesy transportation.

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