2020-2022 Chevy Bolt EV and EUV owners are now getting US$1,400 for installing battery diagnostic software on their cars
Back in 2021, General Motors (GM) recalled all 2017-2022 Chevy Bolt EV and EUV cars due to defective LG-made high-voltage batteries. Although GM promised full battery replacement for the recalled vehicles, the company changed the replacement policy to only cover Chevy Bolts from 2017-2019 and not the 2020-2022 models in June of this year. Instead, GM opted to install a diagnostic software tool on the 2020-2022 Bolts to ascertain the condition of the batteries and determine if they needed replacement.
As reported by Electrek, GM is now offering US$1,400 in the form of a Visa eReward card to 2020-2022 Chevy Bolt owners if they allow the installation of the battery diagnostic software on their electric cars. After the installation, the tool will monitor the condition of the battery for 6,400 miles (10,000 KM) to determine whether the battery needs a full replacement or not. During the 6,400-mile diagnostic period, the battery will be locked to 80% of the full capacity with 100% capacity unlocked after the tool returns a positive result.
However, if the software finds the battery to be defective, it will notify the owners following which users can schedule a full battery replacement.
The US$1,400 payment to Bolt owners is part of an advanced class action settlement and the owners will need to sign a legal release. According to GM, the offer only applies to US Chevy Bolt owners included in the recall N212345944 and who choose to install the “Final Software Remedy” before December 31, 2023. The company is now sending letters to eligible customers with the instructions on obtaining the US$1,400 compensation.
Laslty, if the final class action settlement comes out to be more than US$1,400, GM will compensate the balance.
