General Motors Sued Again Over Chevy Bolt Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Concerns

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General Motors faces another proposed class action over its alleged failure to disclose a “uniform and widespread” defect with the 60 kilowatt-hour 350 V lithium-ion battery found in 2017, 2018 and 2019 Chevy Bolt vehicles.

The 48-page complaint, which echoes at least two other putative class action cases, claims the Bolt’s lithium-ion battery poses an unreasonable safety risk in that it can overheat when charged to full or near-full capacity and explode or catch fire. 

“This can result in catastrophic damage to the Class Vehicles, and it also causes an immediate safety risk to the vehicles’ occupants and the property surrounding the vehicles,” the suit, filed in Michigan federal court, says. 

The lawsuit’s filing comes nearly three months to the day after General Motors issued a recall for affected Chevy Bolt models despite, the case claims, “knowing about the defect for years before doing anything about it.” Per the suit, last November’s recall amounts to an “interim remedy” for the class vehicles in that they’re to be reprogrammed to limit the battery’s full charge to 90 percent of its actual capacity. The suit notes, however, that this fix will cause the Chevy Bolt to have a lower driving range and need to be charged more often.

“As a result, Class Vehicle owners and lessees have been burdened with vehicles that do not perform as advertised, and instead require additional charging time and maintenance,” the complaint reads, alleging Chevy Bolt drivers have been deprived of the benefit of their bargain in buying or leasing the cars.

General Motors introduced the Chevy Bolt in early 2016 with a purported 200-plus-mile battery range, a boast that was heavily marketed by the automaker as it competed with Tesla’s comparable Model 3, the complaint relays. A difference between the vehicles, the suit says, is that Tesla’s Model 3 was advertised with a significantly faster charging time. With this reality, General Motors emphasized in its marketing the Bolt’s apparent driving range, the case says. 

Despite the automaker’s representations, the Bolt’s battery, i.e. “the most critical aspect” of the car’s much-touted range, could not be safely charged, the lawsuit states. As such, the vehicles’ represented driving range was not achievable without “dangerously overcharging the battery,” the case alleges. 

Although the lithium-ion battery in the Chevy Bolt is used in most electric cars due to its high power-to-weight ratio, high energy efficiency and good high-temperature performance, these batteries also have “a well-documented history of fire issues,” the lawsuit says. 

Per the suit, Chevy Bolt drivers began to experience issues with the car’s lithium-ion battery after the release of the 2017 model. Drivers reported experiencing a loss of propulsion power while driving, including a sudden inability to accelerate, while others reported abrupt drops in battery levels and a loss of power, the case says. While GM proposed to replace the battery pack in affected vehicles, the automaker did not provide any notice to drivers that the Bolt’s battery was defective or address the problem in the 2018 and 2019 models, the lawsuit claims.

“GM did not address any possible widespread issue with the Defective Battery, and treated affected vehicles as individualized manufacturing errors or defects,” the case alleges. “However, there was a more insidious and widespread problem.” 

On information and belief, the suit says, the issue that causes the apparent low-voltage condition in certain cell groups within a Bolt’s lithium-ion battery can also cause high-voltage conditions in certain cell groups, which can lead to overheating of the battery during charging and fires. 

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who bought or leased, other than for resale, a 2017, 2018 or 2019 Chevrolet Bolt. 

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