Every Bolt EV was recalled because GM never audited LG’s battery plant

In November 2020 General Motors recalled 50,932 Chevrolet Bolt EVs after NHTSA confirmed five battery fires and two injuries. GM initially issued a software patch limiting the battery to 90% charge, treating the problem as manageable. But fires continued in vehicles that had received the patch, and on August 20, 2021, GM expanded the recall to every Bolt EV and EUV ever built — approximately 142,000 vehicles across model years 2017–2022. GM halted Bolt production entirely to redirect battery supply to replacement modules.

The root cause was manufacturing defects in lithium-ion pouch cells produced by LG Energy Solution (then LG Chem) at its Ochang plant in South Korea. NHTSA investigations identified torn anode tabs and folded separators in the cells that could cause internal short circuits, particularly when the battery was at high state of charge. GM had sourced all Bolt EV batteries from this single supplier and plant without independent quality audits of LG’s production line.

The final recall replaced entire battery modules in every affected vehicle at an estimated cost of $1.8 billion to GM. In October 2022 LG agreed to reimburse GM $1.9 billion, effectively covering the entire recall cost. The Bolt EV production halt lasted eight months, from August 2021 to April 2022, delaying GM’s electric vehicle ramp-up.