DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Several dozen BrightDrop all electric delivery vans are being recalled by General Motors after two of them caught fire last year.
“General Motors is voluntarily recalling a limited number of model year 2022 BrightDrop EV600 (Zevo 600) vehicles. These vehicles may contain a front drive unit manufacturing defect,” GM spokesman Bill Grotz told the Detroit Free Press in an email. “The safety of our products is the highest priority for the entire GM team, and we’re working to quickly remedy this matter for our customers.”
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Multiple instances prompt a recall.
The cause of the fires is still under review after two separate instances, on Dec. 7 and the other on Dec. 13, were reported last year, but GM has filed for a recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“The root cause of this condition is still under investigation, but GM’s initial investigation indicates that these vehicles may contain a manufacturing defect that, in heavy-duty cycle conditions, can allow the drive pinion to cut its way through the outboard side of the drive-unit case,” the report said. “If this occurs, it can result in an oil leak that in heavy-duty cycle use conditions can lead to an under-hood fire.”
As part of the remedy, GM will replace the vehicles per agreement with the customer, and will have replacement vehicles with front drive units made outside of the manufacturing window in question.
Other recalls on BrightDrop from 2023.
In July 2023, GM recalled over 90 BrightDrop Zevo 600 trucks as a result of complications from the water seal on the vehicle’s high-voltage battery pack according to NHTSA records. Again in October 2023, GM recalled more than 230 Zevo 600 vans because of potential airbag malfunctions.
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GM acquires BrightDrop.
GM previously announced its BrightDrop program in Jan. 2021, anticipating that it would provide the combined market opportunity for “parcel, food delivery and reverse logistics in the U.S. will be over $850 billion.”
“BrightDrop offers a smarter way to deliver goods and services,” said Mary Barra GM Chairman and CEO. “We are building on our significant expertise in electrification, mobility applications, telematics and fleet management, with a new one-stop-shop solution for commercial customers to move goods in a better, more sustainable way.”
In the United States, there are more than 30 customers including Walmart, Hertz, FedEx, Merchants Fleet, and Verizon for BrightDrop vehicles.
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