If you’ve got a 2019 or 2020 Bolt EV don’t be putting the kiddies in the back seat. Chevy has just put out a recall notice for thousands of these models because rear doors “may open while driving.” We fear that Chevy loves Canadians more than us Americans as it released the same recall over a week ago in Canada. What’s up with that? Bolts are only built in its Orion Township assembly plant in Michigan. So one would assume that if a batch got shipped to Canada and another was shipped to the US if the batch came from the same place it would affect them equally? 

Rear door cables can snap in half which can cause rear doors to swing open while moving

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration docs say the problem is that “the door-handle cable inside the rear doors may be too long.” While that in itself should not be a problem the cable being too long means it makes contact with the window when it is opened. That can cause damage to the cable by tearing down the point of contact. Eventually, the cable will snap into two pieces. Once that happens the rear doors can swing open when the car is moving. 

Once the cable snaps the rear door becomes inoperable. If you’ve got one of these Chevy Bolts the best thing to do is engage the rear-door child locks. This will prevent the rear doors from unintentionally flying open. Then you should get in touch with your local dealership to see if your car is affected. That or a recall notice will be sent to those with Bolts that might have this problem.

GM says it is not aware of any claims from the field

The issue was first discovered during a quality check at the Orion Township plant on February 18. On February 21st the NHTSA opened an investigation into the matter. GM says it is not aware of any claims from Bolts in the field. It also says that Bolts built after February 21st were built with shorter inside-door handle cables that don’t rub against rear door windows. 

Affected Bolt owners should receive a recall notice by May 11. Those cars affected will have to be scheduled for the simple repair. There is no cost to Bolt owners. 

The 2020 Bolt has a 21-mile range increase from 2019

Right now the Bolt is the only all-electric vehicle that Chevy produces. Earlier in the year, GM said there would be 20 new EVs built over the next couple of years adding to the Bolt’s currently exclusive domain. The newest 2020 Chevy Bolt has a 21-mile range increase from its predecessor, pushing it to a maximum battery range of 259 miles.

Unfortunately, when GM hit its 200,000th EV built the $7,500 tax credit GM received was cut in half. That extra $3,500 has now been added to the price of new Bolts. So in 2020 Chevy Bolts have a sticker price of right at $34,000. That doesn’t mean there won’t be incentives since the current pandemic has tanked all vehicle sales.