GM recalls Chevy Bolts for second time over fire risks

General Motors (GM) issued a second recall of 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles (EVs) due to fire risks associated with “defective battery modules” after two fires were reported.

The first recall was issued for the vehicles in November because of fire risks, but a software update aimed at solving the issue seems to proved ineffective as one of two vehicles that caught on fire had the software update, Reuters reported.

In a statement, GM said, “experts from GM and LG have identified the simultaneous presence of two rare manufacturing defects in the same battery cell as the root cause of battery fires in certain Chevrolet Bolt EVs.”

“As a result, GM will be conducting a new recall for the previous population of Bolt EVs (2017-2019) to address the risk of battery fires in these vehicles,” GM continued.

The recall covers close to 69,000 vehicles worldwide, which includes around 51,000 in the U.S., CNBC reported.

GM said in its statement that it would replace the defective battery modules and would tell customers when the replacement parts were ready.

In the meantime, the automobile manufacturer advised customers to keep their vehicles at a 90 percent state of charge limitation using the Target Charge Level mode for the 2019 model year and Hilltop Reserve mode for 2017-2018 model years.

Customers are also being asked to park vehicles outside after charging and not leave them charging overnight. However, GM noted that vehicles should be charged after every use and “avoid depleting their battery below approximately 70 miles of remaining range, where possible.”

According to CNBC, GM said that in the U.S., nine battery-related fires have occurred in Bolt EVs.