Lawsuits have been filed against GM by owners of Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles with batteries that can overheat and catch on fire, even when they are parked, unattended, and unplugged.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Chevrolet Bolt induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured or burned by a battery fire in a recalled Chevrolet Bolt EV, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: GM Recalls All Chevrolet Bolt EVs for Battery Fire Hazard
In August 2021, GM recalled all Chevrolet Bolt EVs due to a risk of battery fires. The expanded recall covers all 2017-2022 models of the Chevy Bolt, including the new 2022 Bolt EUV.
The expanded recall more than doubles the cars involved to about 110,000 vehicles. To repair the vehicles, GM will replace all 5 lithium-ion modules in the battery pack with new batteries that will come with an 8-year, 100,000-mile limited warranty. Click here to read more.
Chevrolet Bolt Class Action Lawsuit
In December 2020, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed against GM by owners of Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles. GM is accused of selling cars with defective batteries that can overheat or catch on fire.
What Does the Lawsuit Claim?
The lawsuit claims that 2017, 2018, and 2019 model-years of the Chevrolet Bolt have defective lithium-ion batteries that overheat, smoke, or catch on fire when they are fully charged, or nearly full.
GM Recalls 2017-2020 Chevrolet Bolt EVs for Fire Hazard
In November 2020, more than a year after owners started complaining about overheating and fires in the vehicles, a recall was announced by GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
How Many Vehicles Caught on Fire?
The NHTSA found 5 reports of Chevrolet Bolt EVs catching on fire under the back seat’s bottom cushion while the vehicles were parked and unattended. One fire spread to a home. Two people also suffered smoke-inhalation injuries.
Owners Should Park Vehicles Outside Until They Are Fixed
The recalled Bolt vehicles can catch on fire even if they are turned off, parked, and disconnected from a charging unit. Until they are repaired, owners should park the vehicles outside to avoid a fire spreading from the vehicle to their garage, home, or other structure, according to the NHTSA.
GM Offers Software “Fix” That Reduces Driving Range
Instead of replacing defective batteries on the recalled Chevrolet Bolt EVs, GM offered customers a software patch that maxed out the battery charge at 90% capacity to avoid overheating. Unfortunately, this “fix” also significantly reduced the driving range of the vehicles.
Class Action Accuses GM of Delaying Recall
The lawsuit claims that GM delayed the recall so they could sell more vehicles. Owners also said they would not have bought the Chevrolet Bolt, or they would’ve paid less, if they knew they were buying a vehicle with more safety risks and less driving range than advertised.
The Chevrolet Bolt Lawsuit (PDF) was filed on December 11, 2020, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan — Altobelli et al. v. General Motors LLC — Case Number 2:20-cv-13256.
Do I have a Chevrolet Bolt Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Chevrolet Bolt induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured or burned by a battery fire in a recalled Chevrolet Bolt EV, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
