Chevy Bolt owners frustrated by slow response to recall of fire-prone batteries

>> THE RECALL INITIALLY PREVENTED BOLT OWNERS LIKE THIS ONE FROM CHARGING THEIR VEHICLES INSIDE A GARAGE OR EVEN NEAR THEIR HOUSE BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF A FIRE. GM CAME UP WITH A TEMPORARY FIX THAT MINIMIZED THE RISK OF FIRES, BUT THIS OWNER SAYS SHE IS STILL HAVING PROBLEMS AND SHE IS STILL WAITING FOR A NEW BATTERY. THIS IS ONE OF 19 CHEVY BOLTS THAT GM SAYS HAVE CAUGHT FIRE BECAUSE OF A BAD BATTERY. IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, GM RECALLED 140,000 BOLTS ALL THE BOLTS MADE FROM 2017 TO 2022. ONE OF THEM BELONGING TO STEPHANIE NABRY OF ADAMS TOWNSHIP, WHO BOUGHT IT FOR HER DAUGHTER JADA. WHEN WE FIRST GOT IT, SHE LOVED IT. IT REALLY FITS HER PERSONALITY. IT’S CUTE AND KIND OF BUBBLY LOOKING. >> THEN LAST YEAR, SHE GOT THE RECALL NOTICE WARNING THE BOLT BATTERY WAS DEFECTIVE AND COULD CATCH FIRE. >> I KIND OF PANICKED A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE MY DAUGHTER DRIVES IT PRIMARILY AND THEY’RE SAYING IT COULD CATCH FIRE. SO QUITE FRANKLY, I FREAKED OUT. >> IT IS JUST A SCARY THOUGHT OF IT EVEN BLOWING UP AND THERE’S TOO MANY DIFFERENT PRECAUTIONS I HAVE TO TAKE TO EVEN DRIVE IT, -- IT. >> IN DECEMBER, GM SENT STEPHANIE THIS EMAIL ANNOUNCING A TEMPORARY FIX ALLOWING THE CARS TO SAFELY CHARGE OVERNIGHT INSIDE A GARAGE. GM SAYS THE SOFTWARE UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY LIMITS THE CHARGE TO 80% OF CAPACITY. AND IT ALLOWS THE BOLT TO GO FURTHER ON A SINGLE CHARGE THAN IT COULD BEFORE THE FIX. BUT EVEN WITH THE SOFTWARE UPDATE STEPHANIE SAYS JADA BARELY MADE IT TO GROVE CITY AND BACK, ABOUT 75 MILES ROUND TRIP ON A NEARLY FULL CHARGE. >> I JUST YOU KNOW SAID A LITTLE PRAYER AND KEPT MY FINGERS CROSSED AND HOPED THAT WE WEREN’T GOING TO HAVE TO TOW THE CAR FROM SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN HERE AND GROVE CITY. >> THIS WEEK, STEPHANIE FILED A LEMON LAW LAWSUIT AGAINST GM ONE OF MANY THAT ATTORNEY ROBERT SILVERMAN HAS BROUGHT OVER THE DEFECTIVE BOLT BATTERY. >> THESE PEOPLE CAN’T COMMUTE TO WORK. THEY CAN’T GO ON TRIPS BECAUSE THEY CAN’T FIND CHARGING STATIONS QUICK ENOUGH SO THEY HAVE TO CHARGE OVER AND OVER, AND THERE’S A LOT OF FEAR. PEOPLE ARE REALLY AFRAID OF THEIR CARS CATCHING FIRE. >> WHILE A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF BOLTS HAVE CAUGHT FIRE. >> IT IS UNQUESTIONABLY UNACCEPTABLE CHANCE, BECAUSE IT CAN BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN AND KILL YOUR FAMILY. >> GM HAS NOT FILED A RESPONSE TO THE SUIT. A GM SPOKESMAN TELLS ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES, "WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR DEALERS TO COMPLETE BATTERY MODULE REPLACEMENTS FOR OWNERS." ASKED HOW LONG THAT WILL TAKE, HE SAYS," WE CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON BATTERY REPLACEMENTS AND THE NUMBER OF COMPLETIONS CONTINUES TO GROW ON A DAILY BASIS." BUT STEPHANIE AND JADA SAY THEY’VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH. >> IT’S BEEN GOING ON FOR NINE MONTHS, 10 MONTHS AND WE’RE NOT GETTING ANY WORD ON WHEN THE BATTERY MAY BE REPLACED. SO, REALLY I JUST WANT A RESOLUTION. >> JADA WORKED THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL TO HELP PAY FOR THE CAR. IT’S JUST ESPECIALLY NOW DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE ALL OF THAT MONEY JUST WENT TO WASTE AND AS A HIGH SCHOOLER GOING INTO COLLEGE, I MEAN, I HAVE A LOT TO PAY FOR IN THE FUTURE AND I REALLY WANTED TO SAVE THAT MONEY. BUT NOW I DON’T HAVE ANY OF THAT MONEY AND I HAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE JUST GONE. >> SILVERMAN SAYS HE’S HAD 34 LEMON LAW CASES INVOLVING BOLTS , 18 OF THEM SETTLED AND 16 STILL PENDING. GM SAYS ANYONE WHO HAS A BOLT NEEDS TO GET THAT SOFTWARE UPDATE TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF A FIRE. WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THE RECALL AT WTAE.COM

General Motors recalled 140,000 Chevrolet Bolts after some batteries caught fire.But sister station Action News Investigates learned many Bolt owners are struggling to replace the defective batteries, all while soaring gas prices are prompting more people to consider electric vehicles.Action News Investigates: Watch the report in the video player above.GM said 19 Bolts have caught fire. The recall covers all Bolts made from 2017 to 2022, including one owned by Stephanie Nabry. She bought the car for her daughter, Jada.“When we first got it, she loved it. It really fits her personality. It's cute and kind of bubbly looking,” Stephanie said.Then last year she got the recall notice warning the Bolt battery was defective and could catch fire.“I kind of panicked a little bit because my daughter drives it primarily and they're saying it could catch fire. So quite frankly, I freaked out,” Stephanie said.“It's just a scary thought of it even blowing up and there's too many different precautions I have to take to even drive it,” said Jada Nabry.In December, GM sent Stephanie an email announcing a temporary fix allowing the cars to safely charge overnight inside a garage.GM said the software update automatically limits the charge to 80% of capacity, and it allows the Bolt to go further on a single charge than it could before the fix.But even with the software update, Stephanie said Jada could only make it about 75 miles on a nearly full charge. This week, Stephanie filed a lemon law lawsuit against GM, one of many that attorney Robert Silverman has brought over the defective Bolt battery.“These people can't work, they can't go on trips because they can't find charging stations quick enough so they have to charge over and over, and there's a lot of fear. People are really afraid of their cars catching fire,” Silverman said.While only a small percentage of Bolts have caught fire, Silverman said, “It's an unquestionably unacceptable chance because it can burn your house down and kill your family.”GM has not filed a response to the suit.GM spokesman Kevin Kelly said, "We will continue to work with our dealers to complete battery module replacements for owners."Asked how long that will take, Kelly said, "We continue to make progress on battery replacements and the number of completions continues to grow on a daily basis."But Stephanie and Jada said they've waited long enough.“I mean, it's been going on for nine months, 10 months and we're not getting any word on when the battery may be replaced. So really I just want a resolution,” Stephanie said.Jada worked throughout high school to help pay for the car.“It's just especially now disappointing because I feel like all of that money just went to waste, and as a high schooler going into college, I mean, I have a lot to pay for in the future and I really wanted to save that money. But now I don't have any of that money and I have thousands of dollars that are just gone,” Jada said.GM said anyone who has a Bolt should get a software fix to eliminate the risk of a fire.More: Bolt recall information

General Motors recalled 140,000 Chevrolet Bolts after some batteries caught fire.

But sister station Action News Investigates learned many Bolt owners are struggling to replace the defective batteries, all while soaring gas prices are prompting more people to consider electric vehicles.

Action News Investigates: Watch the report in the video player above.

GM said 19 Bolts have caught fire. The recall covers all Bolts made from 2017 to 2022, including one owned by Stephanie Nabry. She bought the car for her daughter, Jada.

“When we first got it, she loved it. It really fits her personality. It's cute and kind of bubbly looking,” Stephanie said.

Then last year she got the recall notice warning the Bolt battery was defective and could catch fire.

“I kind of panicked a little bit because my daughter drives it primarily and they're saying it could catch fire. So quite frankly, I freaked out,” Stephanie said.

“It's just a scary thought of it even blowing up and there's too many different precautions I have to take to even drive it,” said Jada Nabry.

In December, GM sent Stephanie an email announcing a temporary fix allowing the cars to safely charge overnight inside a garage.

GM said the software update automatically limits the charge to 80% of capacity, and it allows the Bolt to go further on a single charge than it could before the fix.

But even with the software update, Stephanie said Jada could only make it about 75 miles on a nearly full charge.

This week, Stephanie filed a lemon law lawsuit against GM, one of many that attorney Robert Silverman has brought over the defective Bolt battery.

“These people can't work, they can't go on trips because they can't find charging stations quick enough so they have to charge over and over, and there's a lot of fear. People are really afraid of their cars catching fire,” Silverman said.

While only a small percentage of Bolts have caught fire, Silverman said, “It's an unquestionably unacceptable chance because it can burn your house down and kill your family.”

GM has not filed a response to the suit.

GM spokesman Kevin Kelly said, "We will continue to work with our dealers to complete battery module replacements for owners."

Asked how long that will take, Kelly said, "We continue to make progress on battery replacements and the number of completions continues to grow on a daily basis."

But Stephanie and Jada said they've waited long enough.

“I mean, it's been going on for nine months, 10 months and we're not getting any word on when the battery may be replaced. So really I just want a resolution,” Stephanie said.

Jada worked throughout high school to help pay for the car.

“It's just especially now disappointing because I feel like all of that money just went to waste, and as a high schooler going into college, I mean, I have a lot to pay for in the future and I really wanted to save that money. But now I don't have any of that money and I have thousands of dollars that are just gone,” Jada said.

GM said anyone who has a Bolt should get a software fix to eliminate the risk of a fire.

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Chevy Bolt owners frustrated by slow response to recall of fire-prone batteries

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