GM advises some Bolt EV owners to park 50 feet from other cars

DETROIT – General Motors advises some Chevrolet Bolt owners not to park their electric cars within 50 feet of other vehicles to reduce the risk of a potential fire spreading to nearby cars and trucks.

The warning comes after the Detroit automaker recalled more than 140,000 electric vehicles produced since 2016 because of the risk that the batteries would spontaneously catch up due to “two rare manufacturing defects.”

GM has confirmed fires in at least 12 vehicles, but others are still being reported. At least one of the recalled vehicles reportedly caught fire and spread to a Maserati and Hyundai in Sacramento, California.

According to GM spokesman Dan Flores, parking advisors are being given to customers who call the company’s call center to park withdrawn vehicles in parking lots or structures. This is different from previous warnings that consisted of parking the vehicle outside, not charging it carelessly at night, and changing the car’s charging settings that were issued to all owners.

“In an effort to reduce potential damage to nearby structures and vehicles in the rare event of a potential fire, it is recommended to park upstairs or on an outdoor deck and park 50 feet or more away. from another vehicle, ”Flores said. in an email.

Bloomberg News first reported updated parking guidelines.

The withdrawal is expected to cost $ 1.8 billion, some of which the company plans to obtain from its battery supplier, LG Chem, which produced the defective batteries in South Korea and Michigan.

GM has said it is working with LG to fix the issues and increase production of the new modules for potentially defective batteries. It will notify customers when spare parts are ready.

GM says owners should visit with questions www.chevy.com/boltevrecall, contact your Chevrolet EV helpline at 1-833-EVCHEVY or contact your preferred Chevrolet EV dealer.