General Motors knowingly sold Chevy Bolt vehicles with defective battery packs, according to a recently filed GM class action lawsuit.

The Chevy Bolt class action lawsuit claims GM has known of potential Chevy Bolt battery defects since at least 2018 but marketed and sold the compact cars anyway.

GM allegedly sought to address the Chevy Bolt battery defect with a software update, which changed the battery management system’s operating software. This software update reduced the battery capacity to 90 percent, reducing the chances that the battery would suddenly catch fire, according to the Chevy Bolt class action lawsuit.

The plaintiff claims GM misled consumers about the Chevy Bolt battery capacity, leading consumers to drive “dangerous vehicles” that cannot be charged to capacity. 

Later, GM allegedly created another ineffective software update that would purportedly “diagnose potential issues with the battery packs early and restore 100 percent charge capability,” according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiff alleges that GM knew the only way to fix the issue was by replacing the Chevy Bolt battery but instead implemented the software updates and delayed recalling the affected vehicles.

The Chevy Bolt battery defect was ultimately traced to an issue involving a torn anode tab and folded separator located in the same battery cell.

“GM and GM Canada were enriched by the inflated prices of the Class Vehicle and the delayed recall which resulted in increased revenues for GM and GM Canada,” the Chevy Bolt class action lawsuit alleges.

The plaintiff, who owns both 2017 and 2018 model year Chevy Bolt EVs, filed the GM class action lawsuit on behalf of a proposed class of Canadians who purchased or leased model year 2017-2022 Chevy Bolt EV and/or a 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV.

Last summer, GM reportedly recalled 140,000 Bolt EV and Bolt EUV models over reports that their battery packs overheated and/or caught on fire.

Earlier this year, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that it was investigating LG Electronics over high voltage battery failures. The NHTSA investigation was launched in response to a number of recalls of electric vehicles since 2020 due to internal battery failures that may increase the risk of fires.

GM, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Stellantis and Volkswagen reportedly recalled some of their electric vehicles due to a risk of fire.

The NHTSA noted that the purpose of the investigation was to inform LG and other companies that may have purchased defective LG batteries about the potential fire risk so that they could take appropriate measures, such as recalling vehicles with defective batteries.

Have you had problems with your Chevy Bolt battery? Tell us about it in the comments below!

The Chevy Bolt Battery Defect Class Action Lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

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