General Motors has temporarily halted sales of the brand new Chevy Blazer EV after some of the first vehicles shipped encountered a number of software problems.
The automaker told TechCrunch that owners are experiencing problems with the SUV’s screens, and with charging at DC Fast stations, confirming earlier reports from journalists who had access to review vehicles. GM said its engineering teams are “working around the clock” toward a solution and that when it has one ready, Blazer EV owners will have to bring their vehicles to a dealership for a software update.
GM also claimed a “limited number” of vehicles are affected but didn’t offer a figure, and that the problems are “not safety related nor related to Ultium or Google Built-In.”
The Blazer EV only just had its official launch a few weeks ago, but pretty quickly, two media outlets had big problems with their longer-term test cars. Kevin Williams at InsideEVs saw his Blazer’s infotainment screen go completely blank and unusable. Then he had problems charging the car, including an alert to have the vehicle immediately serviced, and was ultimately stranded mid-road trip.
Edmunds, meanwhile, collected an extensive list of warning messages on its own long-term test vehicle before turning it over to a Chevy dealer, where it remains.
It’s a bad start for a vehicle that’s supposed to be such a crucial piece of the Chevy lineup going 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 powered by GM’s new Ultium platform, which is slated to underpin an entire lineup of EVs with new electrical architecture, batteries, and software.
This story has been updated with more information from General Motors.