General Motors Announces Electric Vehicle Recall

TROY, Mich. - March 2, 2000 B- General Motors announced today the voluntary safety recall of approximately 450 1997 Generation I EV1 electric cars and 450 Chevrolet S-10 Electric pickup trucks. 1999 Generation II EV1s are not affected by this recall action.

GM has identified a design issue with the charge port in the Generation I vehicles that may result in excessive heat build-up or fire while they are being charged. No injuries have been reported as a result of this condition.

GM representatives today are personally calling owners of affected vehicles and asking them to disconnect their cars from chargers and not drive them. GM will pick up the vehicle from a location of the customer's choice and address their temporary transportation needs.

GM will work with each affected EV1 owner to settle their lease contract. Owners of the S-10 Electric pickup will be offered repairs to their vehicles or the opportunity to purchase, at a reduced cost, another GM vehicle, such as alternative fuel vehicles that can run on ethanol or compressed natural gas.

The recall involves only 1997 Generation I EV1s, which were leased to customers between December 1996 and August 1999, primarily in California and Arizona. The Chevrolet S-10 Electric pickup truck was sold to fleet customers between May 1997 and December 1999 throughout the country.