GM tells Chevy Bolt owners to park their EVs on the street and not in the garage at home after two ‘burst into flames’ AFTER their recall repairs
- GM is urging owners of some older Chevy Bolt EVs to not park them inside
- The carmaker has also warned to not charge them overnight due to fire risks
- The warning comes after two Bolt EVs caught fire after getting recall repairs
- The announcement includes Bolt EVs from 2017 through 2019
General Motors is warning owners of some older Chevrolet Bolt EVs to not park their vehicles inside a garage or keep them charged overnight due to fire risk.
The Wednesday announcement includes Bolt EVs made from 2017 through 2019, which were part of a group that was recalled earlier due to batteries catching fire.
The latest request comes after two Bolts that received recall repairs caught fire, one in Vermont and the other in New Jersey, GM spokesman Kevin Kelly told AFP.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also issued the same warning to owners late Wednesday.
General Motors (GM) is warning owners of some older Chevrolet Bolt EVs to not park their vehicles inside or keep them charged overnight due to fire risk. The request comes after two Bolts that received recall repairs caught fire, one in Vermont (pictured) and the other in New Jersey
GM recalled nearly 69,000 Bolt EVs in November 2020 after a number of owners said battery packs under the hood were catching fire.
At the time, GM had told owners to not park their vehicle inside, but the warning of charging it overnight is due to a recent incident in Vermont.
Tim Briglin, whose 2019 Bolt caught fire, said he drove it to work and back home in Thetford, Vermont, on June 30, depleting the battery to around 10 percent of its range.
He plugged it into a 240-volt outdoor charger around 8am ET and left the Bolt in his driveway after the car messaged that it would be fully recharged by 4am ET.
The announcement includes Bolt EVs from 2017 (pictured) through 2019, which were part of a group that was recalled earlier due to batteries catching fire
Around 6:30am ET the next day, Briglin saw smoke coming from the rear of the car and called the fire department.
Briglin said he had the recall repairs done on June 9, and charged his Bolt to 100 percent of its battery capacity the morning of the fire.
The fire in New Jersey happened this week, but no additional information has been released.
GM says it’s still investigating the fires, and is asking owners who have had recall repair to still take their Bolts in to a dealer.
Tesla has also been plagued with reports of its vehicles catching fire, with the most recent incident on June 30 in Haverford, Pennsylvania.
A brand new Tesla Model S Plaid was on fire as it was parked in the middle of the street.
Tesla is another electric vehicle maker that is plagued with reports of vehicles catching fire, with the most recent incident on June 30 in Haverford, Pennsylvania. A brand new Tesla Model S Plaid was on fire as it was parked in the middle of the street
The Gladwyne Fire Department responded to a call just before 9pm ET and spent three hours tackling the blaze.
An EMT who also responded to the scene said the call came from a resident of the neighborhood who saw the ‘Tesla driving up hill while ablaze,’ but also notes it cannot be confirmed due to a lack of video evidence.
A spokesperson from the Mark Geragos of Geragos & Geragos law firm confirmed to DailyMail.com that the owner had been trapped inside the vehicle for some time while it was on fire.
The Gladwyne fire department says no injuries occurred, but the Tesla is nothing more than a pile of metal and ash.