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GM recalls all Chevy Bolts due to fire risk, says owners should park outside and limit charging

—General Motors is recalling all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles sold worldwideto fix a battery problem that could cause fires, expanding a previous recall.The company last month told owners of 2017-2019 model year vehicles to park outdoors and not charge them overnight aftertwo vehicles repaired in the earlier recall caught fire.The recall and othersraise questions about lithium ion batteries, which now are used in nearly allelectric vehicles. Ford, BMW and Hyundai all have recalled batteries recently.President Joe Biden will need electric vehicles to reacha goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half 2030 as part of a broadereffort to fight climate change.

The GM recall announced Friday adds about 73,000Bolts from the 2019 through 2022 model years to a previous recall of 69,000older Bolts. GM said that in rare cases the batteries have two manufacturingdefects that can cause fires.The Detroit-based automaker said it will replacebattery modules in all the vehicles. In older versions, all five modules willbe replaced.The latest recall will cost the company about $1 billion, bringingthe total cost of the Bolt battery recalls to $1.8 billion.GM said ownersshould limit charging to 90% of battery capacity. The Bolts, including a newSUV, also should be parked outdoors until the modules are replaced.The originalrecall was blamed on a manufacturing defect at a South Korean factory run by LGChemical Solution, GM's battery supplier. But the company said an investigationshowed that the defects are possible in batteries made at other sites. Mostnewer Bolt batteries are made at an LG plant in Holland, Michigan.GM issued thefirst Bolt recall in November after getting reports of five of them catchingfire. Two people suffered smoke inhalation and a house was set ablaze.

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