WeHo bought 8 Chevy Bolts amid massive recall over defective batteries

General Motors has ordered the recall of all Chevrolet Bolts ever made, about 143,000 vehicles — including eight recently purchased by the City of West Hollywood.

A pair of defects in the electric car’s battery that make it prone to catch fire has left General Motors scrambling to address the potentially lethal problem, which has already cost the company more than $2 billion.

WeHo’s Parking Enforcement division ordered eight Chevy Bolts through its vendor, Harbor Chevrolet, this past May to replace the department’s Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles. The Bolts arrived in July.

GM began recalling 2017–2019 Chevy Bolts last November after fires were first reported. Then in May, the company announced attempts to fix the problem with new software, but at least two more Bolts had caught fire by mid-summer. GM issued a second recall in July and a third on Aug. 20.

Parking Services Manager Vince Guarino said the city first became aware of the recalls on Aug. 25 — five days after the third recall was issued.

“At the time the decision was made, the Bolts had one of the longest distance between charges,” Guarino said, explaining why the city chose the Chevy Bolt to replace its Prius models.  “Additionally, unlike the Prius, they are a full electric vehicle and do not need gas to run.”

He said the Parking Enforcement officers who drive the vehicles are aware of the threat and have been given special instructions to keep the batteries from catching fire.

“As instructed by Chevrolet, the vendor’s program manager instructed the drivers to not drive with less than 70 miles in charge remaining,” he said. “Additionally, the software setting, Target Charge Level, is programmed to not charge the vehicles beyond 90 percent.”

Parking Enforcement vehicles are driven up to 16 hours per day, though not all vehicles are on the road every day or at the same time, Guarino said.

GM has urged Bolt owners not to park them in indoor garages. WeHo’s Bolts are currently parked outdoors in Parking Enforcement’s own lot.

As Parking Enforcement’s vendor, Harbor Chevrolet is responsible for coordinating repairs and navigating the recall process on behalf of the city. WeHo will not incur costs related to the repairs or replacements, Guarino said.