Until the battery is replaced, owners must adhere to several recommendations regarding charging and use.
The Opel Ampera E mentioned that it was recalled due to manufacturing defects in the battery cells BilnNytt.no this week.
GM wrote in a letter Friday evening that battery packs can in rare cases contain two manufacturing defects.
It should be a ripped electrode flap and a pleated spacer, which may be located in the same battery cell. This increases the risk of fire.
GM wrote that it is now expanding the recall of the Chevrolet Bolt (as the Opel Ampera E is called in the US) as well as the all-new Chevrolet Bolt EUV, to also include 2019-2022 models.
About $1 billion (about nine billion kroner) has been allocated, according to General Motors.
The battery packs must be completely removed and replaced with brand new ones.
In Norway, nearly 4,000 electronic Ampera owners were notified in a letter from the importer about what to do in order for the battery to be replaced:
- Do not charge at night without checking the vehicle.
- Park outdoors and not next to the wall of the house.
- Do not charge the battery above 90 percent.
- Do not allow the range to exceed 110 km.
- Charging is preferred after each run.
These are the recommended charging procedures, which the manufacturer calls precautionary recommendations.
According to the Road Traffic Information Council, 3,765 new Opel Ampera E are registered in Norway and 173 used importers.
– Don’t sit back and watch
– It’s not that you have to sit and watch while the car is charging, but that you do keep some supervision over the charging when it happens at home. It is also not so if you are traveling within 110 km on the highway, you should park and call for roadside assistance. We say that even if you have the opportunity to charge up after the ride, we recommend it, more often than you would otherwise, Opel’s CIO at Bertel O. Steen, Stein Pettersen, tells VG.
He assures that there is no ban on the use of cars.
The owners receive a completely new battery, which has a higher capacity than the one that was replaced. In addition, a full new eight-year warranty is offered.
Eight percent more capacity provides greater range. There were very few other problems with the Ampera-e, so you have a reliable car with better performance when you’re done with the battery replacement, says Pettersen.
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fire
According to Stein Pettersen, the reason for changing the battery and user restrictions are reports of two cars involved in fires.
There are no recorded fires in Norway, and a total of 80,000 cars were produced. A connection was seen between the vehicle’s charging method and a faulty battery. Petersen says a specific charging pattern contributed to the error.
I can’t say anything about when
It has been speculated that it may take several years before all the batteries are replaced.
– We don’t have a timetable to get attached to right now, so I can’t confirm that. We test that this has the highest priority. We operate at the highest level, both from GM and Stellantis, says Petersen.
Opel now belongs to Stellantis, after merging PSA (Citroën, DS, Peugeot and Opel) with the Fiat-Chrysler group.
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Consumer Council: – Free car loan
The Consumer Council is asking customers to take out a free car loan until the batteries in the cars are replaced, he writes engine. They think there may also be reasons to cancel the purchase.
According to the Consumer Procurement Act, repairs must be made “within a reasonable time” and “without significant inconvenience” to the consumer. Opel’s restrictions on use of customers are so intrusive that more consumer rights become relevant. In our opinion, those who want to wait for a battery change should get a loan car. Those who don’t want to wait should quickly obtain alternatives within the law, Consumer Council Senior Legal Counsel Thomas Iversen wrote to the website.
An alternative can then be cancelled.
the magazine engine He wrote that the NAF is asking Ampera electronic owners to accept offers of battery replacement, but the member organization is also advising owners to make reservations that there may be claims if the battery is not repaired in accordance with the law.
Reform goals within a “reasonable period of time”
Our primary goal is to repair cars within a reasonable time. Then we will look at other solutions for those who cannot use or live with these limitations. Delivery is not possible, because the car has gone out of production, says Opel’s CIO.
He says the Opel importer receives a legal assessment of the rights the customer might have.
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