GM recalls 140,000 Chevy Bolt EVs due to risk of carpet catching fire

General Motors (GM) shared yesterday that it has issued a recall on 140,000 Chevy Bolt EVs throughout the US and Canada. The recall addresses a potential risk of fire in the EV’s carpet after an accident. Here’s what we know so far.

The Chevrolet Bolt debuted in 2016 as the lone EV offering from GM; it has since been joined by the Bolt EUV as well as a few other models like the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq. While the Bolt continues to grow in sales as one of the most affordable EVs on the market today, it has not come without its fair share of controversy, particularly in the recall department.

A massive recall of the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV due to battery fires stifled GM’s delivery numbers in 2021, since the American automaker had to halt production for several months while it sorted out the issues. Following several punts from GM, the Bolts wouldn’t resume production until this past April.

2023 model year versions of the Bolt EV saw a $6,000 price cut in addition to a $6,000 refund to previous Chevy owners who promised not to sue over the battery recall. This strategy offered a major bounce back as GM was reporting record Bolt sales by October, garnering increased production.

Domino’s might want to wait on the 800 Bolt EVs it recently ordered for pizza deliveries, because Chevy’s long-running EV has hit yet another snag in the form of a recall.

GM issues recall for 120k Chevy Bolts EVs in US alone

General Motors announced news of the Chevy Bolt recall yesterday, citing risk of the EV’s carpet catching fire following a crash where the front seat belt’s pretensioner deploys. According to GM, the exhaust gases from the pretensioner can come into contact with carpeting fibers on the Bolt’s floor and ignite.

The recall affects 120,000 Chevy Bolt EVs in the US and 20,000 in Canada, and pertains to model year vehicles between 2017 and 2023. GM has not shared how many incidents of the Bolt’s floor carpets catching fire have been reported, only declaring “rare instances” of the occurence.

Still, we’d wager the American automaker wasted no time in recalling these EVs to avoid any additional negative PR (and litigation), following a tough lesson learned in 2021.

You can check if your Chevy Bolt EV is affected by the recall through GM’s site.