2022-2023 GMC Hummer EV recalled for battery sealing

GM is recalling many of the GMC Hummer EV SUVs and BrightDrop EV600 electrical vans it’s constructed up to now, over a difficulty that might enable water into the battery pack of the massive off-roaders or supply automobiles. 

It underscores that in any clean-slate tech and manufacturing strategy, there could also be some fundamental manufacturing hurdles to get previous first. The GMC Hummer EV and BrightDrop vans mark the primary use of GM’s Ultium propulsion technique for EVs—and its large-format pouch cells produced by Ultium Cells LLC, its joint-venture battery maker with LG. That features a host of recent tech and methods, together with what it claims is the trade’s first wi-fi battery administration system and a next-gen thermal system, counting on warmth pumps plus an oil-to-liquid warmth exchanger, that might give these automobiles a real-world vary benefit. 

The recall impacts 735 GMC Hummer EVs from the 2022 and 2023 mannequin years and 89 GM electrical vans from the 2022 mannequin 12 months. Fashions coated by the recall are affected by what reads as a easy engineering failing: The flanges on the battery pack enclosure “could not have been correctly primed or electrocoated, inhibiting correct adhesion of the urethane sealant,” in accordance with GM. Recall documentation reveals the producer of the battery case as Magna Worldwide, and GM experiences that modifications within the seal process had been carried out in August, because it investigated the problem. 

GM says that it’s conscious of three confirmed experiences by which water has entered the pack as the results of this situation. In two of these circumstances the car wouldn’t begin, whereas within the different, at GM’s proving grounds, the car misplaced propulsion whereas driving.

If water does trigger a battery malfunction, GM notes that “a number of malfunction indicator lamps could illuminate,” with a warning message displayed on the driving force show. 

To treatment the problem, GM can have sellers examine the battery pack enclosure. Sellers had been notified of the problem on October 13, whereas proprietor notification will begin November 28. Drivers are suggested to verify their car identification quantity (VIN)  on the GM Proprietor Heart, or they’ll name NHTSA’s Automobile Security Hotline at 888-327-4236. 

GM already tackled a unique difficulty that probably allowed water into the Hummer EV and BrightDrop packs. In August GM confirmed that water would possibly leak previous the high-voltage connector into the pack in some automobiles. That difficulty was solved with a visit to the dealership for additional sealant utilized to the connector. 

With variations of the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV doubtless to make use of variations of the Hummer EV’s structure and double-decker battery pack, these small-scale recollects might assist save GM some a lot bigger hurdles because it scales up.