General Motors has temporarily halted sales of the new Chevy Blazer EV after some of the first vehicles shipped experienced a number of software issues.
The automaker told TechCrunch that owners are experiencing issues with the SUV’s displays and with charging at DC Fast stations, confirming previous reports from journalists who had access to review the vehicles. GM said its engineering teams are “working around the clock” to come up with a solution, and that when it has one ready, Blazer EV owners will have to bring their cars to a dealer for a software update.
GM also claimed that a “limited number” of vehicles were affected but did not provide a number, and that the issues were “not safety related and not related to Ultium or Google integration.”
The Blazer EV was officially launched just a few weeks ago, but very quickly, two media outlets had major problems with their long-term test cars. Kevin Williams In InsideEVs He saw the Blazer’s infotainment screen completely blank and unusable. He then had problems charging the car, including an alert to have the car serviced immediately, and eventually became stranded in the middle of the road.
Edmonds, meanwhile Compiled an extensive list of warning messages On its long-term test car before it was delivered to a Chevy dealer, where it remains.
It’s a bad start for a car that’s supposed to be an important part of Chevy’s lineup moving forward. It sits above the entry-level Bolt but below GM’s pricier EVs like the Cadillac Lyriq. It’s also one of the first mass-market vehicles to run on GM’s new Ultium platform, which is set to underpin a full range of electric vehicles with new electrical architecture, batteries and software.
This story has been updated with more information from GM.