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posted by hubie on Friday August 05 2022, @06:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the bolt-from-this-company dept.

Your EV discount might carry a steep legal cost:

Chevy offered rebates to Bolt EV owners who bought their cars just before a 2023 model price drop, but that discount comes with a large catch. Jalopnik and Autoblog note the rebate application requires that drivers "forever waive and release" their right to sue GM or LG over the Bolt's reported battery defect. You'd have to be content with the savings even if the car did serious damage, in other words. GM confirmed the agreement language with Engadget.

GM first recalled the Bolt in November 2020 after reports of battery fires between 2017 and 2019. The automaker tried addressing the issue with a software update in April 2021, but two subsequent fires and a second recall led the NHTSA to warn against parking indoors. That prompted a July 2021 recall where GM replaced the battery packs. The brand eventually recalled all manufactured Bolts, pledged an additional $1 billion for battery replacements and offered an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on substitute batteries.

Toasty!


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by richtopia on Friday August 05 2022, @10:04PM (1 child)

    by richtopia (3160) on Friday August 05 2022, @10:04PM (#1265180) Homepage Journal

    Take the rebate, then sell the car on the used market.

    I'm not a lawyer, but reading the relevant section looks very person-oriented, and not VIN oriented. So I presume the next owner could then sue GM in event of fire. Or maybe the next owner could then get their own 6000USD rebate.

    By nonetheless agreeing to this Release, I—both on my own behalf and on behalf of my heirs, agents, servants, beneficiaries, legal representatives, assigns, wards, executors, successors, and administrators—forever waive and release all claims, damages, or causes of action, either known or unknown, regardless of the legal or equitable theory, that I may have now or in the future arising out of or in any way relating to my Bolt vehicle(s), the battery defect, or the battery recalls, and including any claims or rights that I may have in connection with the class action, including any right to participate as a class member. This release is in favor of and includes General Motors Company, General Motors LLC, General Motors Holdings LLC, LG Chem, Ltd., LG Energy Solution, Ltd., LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc., LG Electronics, Inc., and LG Electronics USA, Inc. as well as all of their respective officers, directors, agents, employees, servants, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, subsidiaries, parent companies, insurers, authorized dealers, suppliers, divisions, predecessors, successors, heirs, and assigns.

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Booga1 on Friday August 05 2022, @10:39PM

    by Booga1 (6333) on Friday August 05 2022, @10:39PM (#1265188)

    Wow...that basically reads to me as: "by signing this agreement, you are signing on behalf of every class of legal entity we could think of, and any we couldn't think of, to waive any rights we can think of, and those we couldn't, whether this agreement is legal or not, now and forever, connected to this vehicle, battery, recalls, lawsuits, and your rights to participate in any lawsuits at all, even as a class member. This release benefits only General Motors and all subsidiaries, the battery manufacturer and their suppliers and subsidiaries and anyone that owns them, insures them, sells their products, and were ever involved with these companies, or anyone connected to them in the future."

    This is some Darth Sidious "I will make it legal" crap. I'd say there's no way it would hold up in court, but these days I am not sure I'd make that bet.