Do not park them indoors or charge them unattended overnight

General Motors told 2017-2019 Bolt EV owners who were part of a recent recall not to park their vehicles indoors or charge them unattended overnight after two of the vehicles caught fire.

The two Bolt EVs were repaired as part of a recall of nearly 69,000 vehicles identified as posing fire hazards. The recall was originally announced in November by GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

One of the fires occurred as the vehicle was charging at the home of a Vermont state lawmaker earlier this month. The other fire occurred in New Jersey, a GM spokesperson said, adding that he was made aware of it earlier this week.

“General Motors has been made aware of two recent incidents of Chevrolet Bolt EV fires in vehicles which were remedied as part of the safety recall announced in November 2020,” the company said in an emailed statement. “As a precaution, we ask 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle owners who were part of the recall population to park their vehicles outside immediately after charging and not leave their vehicles on charge overnight while we are investigating these incidents.

According to the automaker, customers who did not have the repair done should still come to their dealership for the recall while our investigation continues.

“At GM, safety is our top priority, and we are moving as quickly as possible to investigate this issue,” said GM.

The NHTSA in October opened an investigation into three reported fires involving Chevrolet Bolt EVs. The automaker is cooperating with the Federal Vehicle Safety Agency, a spokesperson said.

Another Bolt EV that caught fire was reported by media in May, but not all recall repairs were made to the vehicle. GM said it bought back some of the recalled vehicles, but declined to say how many.

Automakers often buy back the recalled vehicles to appease disgruntled customers and avoid triggering the state’s lemon laws and litigation.