Bolt Front Seats Recall Media Campaign

iletric · Mar 28, 2017

Your turn, social media savvy people. Pics, stories, facebook, twitter and so on... You know what to do and how to do it.

Mary Barra/GM will do nothing until we, the consumers, mount a bad media campaign so effective that GM will feel it; let everyone know NOT to buy Bolt because of its poorly designed front bucket seats.

That is the only way to get the GM behemoth and Mary Barra to take notice and actually consider recall/replacement of these awful seats. The last thing GM wants is BAD PUBLICITY about their Bolt baby.

We have heard enough about the seats. They are trash. They hurt most people's backs and butts.

I challenge you to start your campaign. TODAY!

sgt1372 · Mar 28, 2017

iletric said:
Your turn, social media savvy people. Pics, stories, facebook, twitter and so on... You know what to do and how to do it.

Mary Barra/GM will do nothing until we, the consumers, mount a bad media campaign so effective that GM will feel it; let everyone know NOT to buy Bolt because of its poorly designed front bucket seats.

That is the only way to get the GM behemoth and Mary Barra to take notice and actually consider recall/replacement of these awful seats. The last thing GM wants is BAD PUBLICITY about their Bolt baby.

We have heard enough about the seats. They are trash. They hurt most people's backs and butts.

I challenge you to start your campaign. TODAY!

Not all of us think the seats are BAD. I like the seats just fine and so do others.

I won't question those who find them uncomfortable. If they feel uncomfortable to others, that's their reality but to suggest a boycott of the car because of the seats isn't necessary.

You certainly can advise people to be aware of the controversy over the seats and warn potential buyers to to make sure that the seats are comfortable enough for them before they actually lease or buy the car but a boycott really isn't warranted.

As for a recall, that's not likely either. Recalls are generally required when there are safety issues involved. While the seats are uncomfortable to some, there is no indication that they are unsafe. So, I think you're off-base there as well.

But, if that's how strongly you feel, go at it. Ask for a boycott and a recall Just don't distort the "facts" to fit your perception of the "problem."

NO FAKE NEWS!!!

LeftieBiker · Mar 28, 2017

Two points:

* The issue seems to be poor quality control of the seats, with some units built as designed, and others substandard in construction. This doesn't appear to be a matter of "perception."

* The way to handle this is with a "Technical Service Bulletin" or "TSB" instead of a recall. That gets the problem fixed without all cars being recalled.

ScooterCT · Mar 29, 2017

I'd echo that last thought. There is no seat controversy. There are just incontestable facts. But they have to be stated precisely and without exaggeration in either direction. It's real easy to change a few words and make a misleading statement.

1. Some potential buyers have turned away from the Bolt because the seat they sat in was painful or uncomfortable.

2. Some Bolt owners encountered seat problems post-purchase. Some of them found the problem so bad they purchased cushions or had the seat modified by a seat shop.

3. Some of us have sat in multiple Bolts, and found seat A awesome, and seat B painful. So it's not an issue of having a "big butt", as some have suggested. Same butt, one seat hurts, another feels great.

4. GM is aware of the problem. See the comments by the GM Customer Care representative on this forum. And GM has a suggested solution if you own a Bolt - contact your dealer first, and contact customer care directly if you dealer doesn't give you satisfaction.

5. This thread will keep growing until it has consumed all the computer storage on the planet Earth.

WetEV · Mar 29, 2017

ScooterCT said:
5. This thread will keep growing until it has consumed all the computer storage on the planet Earth.

Repent! The end of the disk is near!

:lol:

ScooterCT · Mar 29, 2017

Shame on me. #5 is a prediction, not a fact. I disseminated fake news.

boltage · Mar 29, 2017

ScooterCT said:
3. Some of us have sat in multiple Bolts, and found seat A awesome, and seat B painful. So it's not an issue of having a "big butt", as some have suggested. Same butt, one seat hurts, another feels great.

It may be a combination of seat width / design and manufacturing variances.

The seat does seem to be narrower than some other cars' seats, and the side bolsters are large and firm (sporty). So a wider person may find the side bolsters to be uncomfortable. Meanwhile, there may be manufacturing variances in the amount and density of the cushion material in the middle of the seat, so that someone at the margins of finding the width insufficient may be fine if the cushion material is thicker and denser, but uncomfortable if it lets him/her sink down into it too far, resulting in more contact with the hard parts of the bolsters.

oilerlord · Mar 29, 2017

boltage said:
The seat does seem to be narrower than some other cars' seats, and the side bolsters are large and firm (sporty).

The seats don't only "seem" to be narrower than some other cars' seats. They are narrower...typically by about an inch. It's all there in the seatzilla thread.

iletric · Mar 29, 2017

Variation density would mean the seats are made in different, far-flung places and not in one central locations. The seats are definitely NARROW and the bolsters are unnecessarily tall and the bottom and lower back of the seat feel like a TUB.

I am not a seat engineer, I am a consumer sitting in an uncomfortable car that was supposed to represent the newest and the best GM/Chevrolet has to offer. It is far cry from that. Let me quickly add, I don't like the infotainment interface one bit either. It is not smart or pleasing. But that's a whole another subject. So the only thing I like about Bolt is the 238 miles and the low front seat windowsill.

American or foreign companies do nothing unless they are compelled otherwise, and certainly not by popular demand, or even slumping sales, only by judges. There was a woman who beat Honda and their false mpg claim on certain car of theirs by taking them to small claims court. I kid you not. You can google it. That was one avenue I considered.

Or not. In fact, I am going to plunk down 900 bucks in about 10 days to have both seats, top and bottom fixed by a reputable shop in my town. End of story for me about the lousy seats.

Is it fair? You and Ms. Barra be the judge. Is this the last Chevy I ever lease? Most likely.

boltage · Mar 30, 2017

iletric said:
Variation density would mean the seats are made in different, far-flung places and not in one central locations.

Variation could occur if:

a. There are more than one supplier for the seats.
b. A seat supplier has more than one supplier for the seat foam.

That there is that much variation as noted does seem like an error or omission in specification somewhere.

dan2112 · Mar 30, 2017

Has anybody actually had the seats replaced. Chevy wants me to take the car to the dealer to throw some "holly water" over it to actually do anything. This seams like a complete waste of time for the dealer. I basically told them if they are serious about customer service they can send the dealer to my workplace to look at them - why do I have to take time out of my day to have them "look" at them.

boltage · Mar 30, 2017

dan2112 said:
Has anybody actually had the seats replaced. Chevy wants me to take the car to the dealer to throw some "holly water" over it to actually do anything. This seams like a complete waste of time for the dealer. I basically told them if they are serious about customer service they can send the dealer to my workplace to look at them - why do I have to take time out of my day to have them "look" at them.

If you are concerned about the variation in amount and density of the seat foam (i.e. that you sink into the seat differently to your dissatisfaction), it would be easier to check at the dealer by comparing with other cars in dealer stock.

dan2112 · Mar 30, 2017

boltage said:
dan2112 said:

Has anybody actually had the seats replaced. Chevy wants me to take the car to the dealer to throw some "holly water" over it to actually do anything. This seams like a complete waste of time for the dealer. I basically told them if they are serious about customer service they can send the dealer to my workplace to look at them - why do I have to take time out of my day to have them "look" at them.

Click to expand...

If you are concerned about the variation in amount and density of the seat foam (i.e. that you sink into the seat differently to your dissatisfaction), it would be easier to check at the dealer by comparing with other cars in dealer stock.

So I would go around the lot - sit in the cars and say - "I like those seats, can you pull them out and put them in my car?" - and then some poor schmuck gets my used seats in a new car? Hmm - that doesn't make any sense at all.

boltage · Mar 30, 2017

dan2112 said:
boltage said:

dan2112 said:

Has anybody actually had the seats replaced. Chevy wants me to take the car to the dealer to throw some "holly water" over it to actually do anything. This seams like a complete waste of time for the dealer. I basically told them if they are serious about customer service they can send the dealer to my workplace to look at them - why do I have to take time out of my day to have them "look" at them.

Click to expand...

If you are concerned about the variation in amount and density of the seat foam (i.e. that you sink into the seat differently to your dissatisfaction), it would be easier to check at the dealer by comparing with other cars in dealer stock.

Click to expand...

So I would go around the lot - sit in the cars and say - "I like those seats, can you pull them out and put them in my car?" - and then some poor schmuck gets my used seats in a new car? Hmm - that doesn't make any sense at all.

The first step is to show the dealer that there is a problem (manufacturing variation that is arguably a defect). Perhaps that may convince them to order a replacement seat for you.

Otherwise, if someone is just looking at your car with nothing to compare with, you might get a skinny person who thinks that all of the seats are fine, or a wide person who thinks that they are all bad, regardless of how much and how dense the foam is (i.e. "they are all like that").

oilerlord · Mar 30, 2017

dan2112 said:
I basically told them if they are serious about customer service they can send the dealer to my workplace to look at them - why do I have to take time out of my day to have them "look" at them.

Because you bought a Chevy, not a Tesla. It's unreasonable to expect GM to provide housecalls.

dan2112 · Mar 30, 2017

oilerlord said:
dan2112 said:

I basically told them if they are serious about customer service they can send the dealer to my workplace to look at them - why do I have to take time out of my day to have them "look" at them.

Click to expand...

Because you bought a Chevy, not a Tesla. It's unreasonable to expect GM to provide housecalls.

I respectfully disagree. This is a brand new model and if GM is committed to having it succeed then they can and should take care of the early adopters especially if there are early complaints. GMs size does not excuse it from customer service and my time is valuable and I loath having to have a dealer look at the seats and say "yep - them's are seats all right, why are you here again?"

oilerlord · Mar 30, 2017

dan2112 said:
I respectfully disagree. This is a brand new model and if GM is committed to having it succeed then they can and should take care of the early adopters especially if there are early complaints. GMs size does not excuse it from customer service and my time is valuable and I loath having to have a dealer look at the seats and say "yep - them's are seats all right, why are you here again?"

We can agree to disagree. Fact is, GM is going to sell over 3 million vehicles this year. Unlike Tesla, GM is largely a bricks & mortar business. Logistically, they simply cannot offer onsite service calls to millions of customers. The value of your time has nothing to do with it.

Is GM committed to having the Bolt succeed? That's another debate entirely.

pdxbolt · Mar 30, 2017

I like the seats just fine. And I'm not exactly skinny. I don't like the fact that the seatbelts are not height adjustable. But the seats are fine.

DrBen · Mar 31, 2017

As someone 5'8" 160 pounds, I find my premier leather seats perfectly comfortable. I respect that differently sized folks feel otherwise and feel for you for being so dissatisfied with your new vehicle. I can't see this as a recall in any way, shape or form - I see no argument to be made that the seats represent a safety hazard. Maybe individuals could make warranty claims if they could show some of their seats were uniquely defective, but I'm skeptical about that as well. It mostly sounds like a seat design issue that a number of individuals find uncomfortable after longer drives than can be noticed on the test drive we all took before buying/leasing. But if there were manufacturing defects affecting some seats, I agree that the best way to point those out would be to bring the car in to a dealer and show the differences to other models on the lot.

scbolt · Mar 31, 2017

5'10" male here (195 lbs). My Bolt is ordered and I did 4 test drives and sat on several more Bolts in the last 2 months -- mostly Premiers but a few LTs as well.

The first several that I sat in or test drove were definitely VERY painful! These were all Premiers, since that's what I wanted to order. One of the last Bolts I sat in was an LT and that seat was much firmer and probably the most comfortable of all others that I tried ... but far from perfect. The very last Premier I test drove had seats that were better than the first few, but still barely passable.

I am somewhat concerned what the quality of the seat in the one I will get will be. The seat is by no means going to be the highlight for the Bolt ... but if it is acceptable, I will be okay. However, if it turns out to be terrible, will definitely provide the feedback to the dealer as well as to GM customer service.

Bolt Front Seats Recall Media Campaign

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