Chevrolet Recalls 140,000 Bolt EVs Over A Very Odd Flaw – SlashGear

The NHTSA’s Safety Recall Report for this product recall reveals that General Motors first identified a potential fire hazard with the Bolt EV on September 15, 2022. The issue came to light after a 2018 Chevy Bolt sold in Korea experienced a fire incident. Investigations revealed that the fire originated from the car’s lower B-Pillar area on the right. Further investigation revealed that two other similar incidents had occurred in the recent past. Per GM’s current estimates, 111,242 Chevrolet Bolt EVs are affected by this specific issue, and will be recalled for a fix in the following months.

In addition, Chevrolet soon deduced that these fires were caused by the deployment of the seat belt pre-tensioners, which ignited the carpet fiber near the car’s B-pillar. GM also found that the temperature of the exhaust from a deployed pre-tensioner is sufficient to ignite the carpet materials. To fix the issue, Chevrolet’s plan involves installing a metal foil in the carpet area located close to the pre-tensioner exhaust. Some of the affected models will also get a pre-tensioner cover.

Meanwhile, the NHTSA also revealed the timeline for this product recall. As of December 1, 2022, GM has begun notifying their dealers about this impending recall. The installation of the metal foil on affected cars is expected to start after GM issues notifications to all affected consumers from January 30, 2023. The NHTSA report does not reveal how long it would take for GM to patch the issue on all affected Bolt EVs.