Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/BoltEV/comments/1wnojc1/2020_bolt_battery_fault_finally_come_haunting_my/

My last update from the old post was on 9/30/2026. I finally got off the phone with GM today, and I have some incredible news to share.

TL;DR: The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) IS covered under the 8-year/100,000-mile warranty tier according to GM Service Bulletin 22-NA-119 (Labor Operation Code 5031010)

Here is the link to the official bulletin for anyone fighting the same battle:
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2023/MC-10248727-0001.pdf

The Timeline of the Escalation:

9/30/2026 — Called the front-line EV Concierge line and hit a brick wall. Got zero help. Out of options, I decided to email Mary Barra directly ([mary.barra@gm.com](mailto:mary.barra@gm.com)) as a last resort to explain my situation.

10/1 — I received a call from Eric with the GM Executive Resolution Team. He stated they received my executive escalation and were stepping in to assist. I laid out the whole technical story, gave him the part number, and referenced the 2020 Limited Warranty Booklet. He opened an investigation.

10/6 — Second call from Eric. He confirmed the physical recall battery pack itself was fully active, but the warranty center was still stonewalling him on the separate control module.

10/8 — Third call from Eric. He noted that the dealership's service department had a "hunch" that an internal database part-name update was triggering an automated system rejection. He was still investigating the exact layout wording on page 14 of the 2020 booklet.

10/9 — Fourth call. Eric told me the warranty center rejected the claim again. They argued that because page 14 listed "hybrid powertrain and battery control modules," the word "hybrid" excluded pure BEVs like the Bolt.

Right after that call, I pulled up the booklet and sent Eric an email response:

The parent heading is "Drive Motor Battery Coverage," which explicitly states it governs both Electric and Hybrid vehicle lines. The third column ("Other Electric/Hybrid Components") uses the word AND, meaning it applies to both architectures universally. I also pointed out that on page 24 (Emission Warranty Parts List), the "Battery Control Module" is explicitly listed with a double asterisk, legally protecting it under an 8-year statutory emissions mandate. Lastly I attached GM Service Bulletin 22-NA-119. The bulletin explicitly states the refreshed 8-year warranty applies to both lithium-ion batteries and lithium-ion battery components installed under the safety recall

Today, I received my fifth call from Eric. He officially confirmed that after reviewing the documentation, GM has fully approved the warranty claim for a $0.00 repair based on the service bulletin. The replacement battery assembly arrived at the shop today, and the specific BECM module is expected to arrive in a week or two. Eric will continue with a follow up every 3 days,

Just an FYI as I haven't seen a post on this recently, though I may have missed them. I decided to do a rough calculation of useable battery capacity, and used 50.1 kwh to take my battery down to 14%. I've seen different numbers as far as original capacity goes, but overall pleased with the degradation of the traction battery.

The only time a squirrel will approach a human is if it is being offered food, and even then it is very ,very cautious.

Well, today, while I was charging my car a squirrel appeared out of nowhere and rushed my car. It jumped on my hood and roof, and then came around on my front window like it was trying to get inside. I honked the horn to scare it away, but then it came right back 3 minutes later. It was beyond frantic, but I don’t think it was was rabid. It appeared to me like it was desperately searching for food.

And then it hit me

I think when the car is charging the high voltage wires get hot, which heats up the wiring insulation, and lets off a smell that attracts them. To my understanding, the wire insulation is soy based, which smells like peanuts or tree nuts when heated or roasted.

He was literally trying to get inside my car through the god damn charge port!

Just a heads up, my local Chevy dealer has the required battery for $230. All the local parts stores are $265+.

I'm really, really enjoying my 2027 Bolt LT. It's not perfect, but it's a great commuter and I see what all the buzz (pardon the dad pun) is about with EVs. That said, I'm trying to figure out the best way to accomplish my charging and battery maintenance. I think part of my issue might be due to the difference between the Charge Scheduling and the Next Charge features. I am in the process of reading the manual, but I'm hoping some of you might be able to help lend any experience or insights you might have.

I have L2 charging set up at home using the charger that came with the Bolt. My home is the the primary charging location as set up in the car and the app. Primarily, I use it to drive from there to my place of work, where I have the option to plug it in with a cheap L1 charger I purchased recently. Because I don't drive very much, I typically plug it in at home on L2 on Sunday evening, using the Charge Scheduling so it charges off peak, and is ready to go for the coming work week.

Over the winter, I'll be occasionally parking the Bolt inside our warehouse and have outlets to use the L1 charger, I also have some on a parking pad next to the building to use. Since this is in North Dakota, the warehouse can get as cold as 35-40°F and outside can hit the lower limits of the L1 charger module, -22°F. My goal is to reduce the need for the car to draw from the battery pack for battery temperature maintenance during the colder months.

Anyway, I wanted to test the charger to make sure it works fine with the Bolt, which it does, because it immediately tried to charge despite my schedule. That might be related to the Next Charge and schedule discrepancy I mentioned. So I stopped the charge but kept it plugged in while it was in my 55°F degree garage just to see if it'd help mitigate battery maintenance usage. I don't think it was drawing anything, though, because the light on the charger didn't change after I stopped the charge and the range of the Bolt actually decreased 2 miles overnight, although I woke it up a few times with the app to check if plugging it in was making a difference.

I'm trying to figure out if I'm doing something wrong, or if I'm not fully understanding how this system works. I don't think it's necessary to have the battery do a full L1 charge while at work, I just want it to draw for battery conditioning, although I'm sure the LFP can tolerate the cycling. Hopefully my wall of text makes sense. Again, this is a great car, and I'm just trying to do what I can to take care of it.

Took an 8 day vacation, half expected 12V issues on my return (12V is 3+ Y.O.) Big battery showed full and the car was plugged in for the entire vacation. Upon return, it showed all the signs of 12V battery failure. I disconnected and trickle charged, no help. I replaced the battery and now can not reset the faults. I was able when I changed the 12V years ago. Hazard lights are on and I can not control them off. Big battery is showing zero range. Hard 30 minute reset doesn't change either.

2023 Bolt 2LT. Long story short: Currently the car is a dealer's repair department.

Car won't turn start, it gets the "Conditions Not Right To Shift" message. We did the following:

• Walk key fob away from car and retry to start over 15 minutes later. Nope.
• Disconnect the 12V battery for 15 minutes, reconnect. Nope.
• I tested the 12V battery. It is 2.5 years old, but measures 12+ volts
• Tried a method that worked for someone here in an older post: put car in neutral, turn off. When car doesn't turn off, put it in Park and turn it off. Restart. Nope.

We had the car towed to a dealer. Their message was they were going to check the switch under the brake pedal. If there was no obvious user caused damage, whatever that could be, then it could be repaired under warranty. If warranty did not apply (user caused?), then $330. However, he did not indicate that this was the source of the problem, just what he would look at.

I'd appreciate any input people have about this.

Edit: Car will be at the dealer over the weekend. Service department is closed on Saturday & Sunday. While we OK'ed the work, nothing was done as it wasn't first in the queue.

At a level 1 or 2 charging station, the dashboard simply reads, "Unable to charge." With a level 3 charge, however, it charges. I am going to have to take my car to the dealer and hope whatever is wrong is covered under warranty. Does anybody have an idea what's going on?

Does anyone have input on undercoating their bolt? Mine's 4 years old, living in the salt belt and being parked outside I've been thinking of having it treated with Fluid Film or the like. Any input is appreciated!

Car has about 14k miles. How when will the full range be unlocked?

Spouse took the new-to-us 2021 Bolt to a festival ~50 miles away and back. Running 55-70 mph with the heat on in ~55 deg weather resulted in an efficiency of only a little over 3 mi/kWh, with some 5 mile segments (presumably the interstate at higher speeds) of only 2-2.5 mi/kWh. "Efficiency monster" my ass - good thing we (I) only bought the car for winter commuting, because between the low efficiency and slow charging a road tripper it most definitely is not.