A dealership technician was inspecting a brand new Cadillac Vistiq SUV when they found something disturbing. The 12 big bolts that held the EV’s 1,000+ pound battery pack to the bottom of the vehicle were loose.

GM was quick to blame a “third-party vendor” which it hired to replace the vehicles’ brand new battery pack at the factory. It admitted to its dealership network that this vendor had done work on 27 Cadillac Lyriqs and 26 Vistiqs. After the battery pack replacements, Cadillac had shipped the 53 crossovers out to dealers from its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant without double-checking the work.

Cadillac EVs with loose batteries recalled

Cadillac isn’t worried about the battery packs spontaneously falling out. But it is worried about that half-ton of lithium-ion hanging beneath the crossover breaking loose during a crash. Obviously, the battery could turn into a dangerous projectile if it fully detached from the car. But it wouldn’t need to come all the way out to damage high voltage wiring and increase the risk of a fire.

If all the affected EVs were still on dealership lots, I expect GM could just send out a service bulletin. But some of these EVs must already have been sold to customers because GM issued recall number N252511300. Cadillac dealerships will just inspect the crossovers for missing bolts, and make sure all 12 bolts are torqued correctly.

GM will get every owner an official letter about the recall by September 8th. But in the meantime, you can always call your GM dealership with your vehicle’s VIN ready to find out if it’s affected by any recalls. You can also punch your VIN in at NHTSA.gov.