Ironically, GM’s Electric BrightDrop EV 600 Is Cited For Fuel Fire Hazard.

The BrightDrop EV600 is a GM electric transmission, but a malfunction in the front drive unit can cause oil leaks and fires.

Fires in electric cars are nothing new, but they don’t start because of fuel leaks. However, EVs still need water, and BrightDrop EV600 owners are finding that fires can occur if they are allowed to leak.

General Motors is recalling 66 of its electric vehicles because of a manufacturing defect in the front-wheel drive unit. The automaker first became aware of the issue on December 8, after receiving a report of a fire a day earlier.

Unfortunately, it was not an isolated incident and, on December 13, it received another report of a fire in front of one of its vehicles. It was decided to start an investigation in the front car units, where the fire had started.

Read: GM Voluntary Recall Issues Hummer EV and BrightDrop Zevo 600 Battery Connector Issues

In its investigation, GM determined that a manufacturing defect was to blame for the fire. It found that units built during the special production window may have received a non-specialized drive pinion, which cut a path through the casing, allowing oil to leak, causing an undercover fire.

Naturally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) addresses that, warning that car fires can be dangerous. While the automaker has yet to determine the root cause of the manufacturing fault, it knows enough to minimize the risk to EV600 drivers.

Since BrightDrop delivery vehicles are sold to companies that operate fleets of delivery vehicles, it knows exactly where the defective vehicles are. From February 15, it says it will replace the EV600s involved in the recall, with its agreement with the fleet customer that owns them (the company has not been named). The new cars will have front-wheel drive units that were produced to specification.