NHTSA Opens Recall Query Into BorgWarner Akasol Gen3 Battery Packs After Six Recalls and Repeated Expansions

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a recall query on Oct. 30, 2026 into six recalls of BorgWarner (Akasol) Gen3 propulsion battery packs used in electric trucks and buses. The query, RQ26005, was opened by the agency's Office of Defects Investigation. ODI estimates the affected population at 543 battery packs. The recalls under review are 25V055, 25E018, 25V184, 25V185, 25V203 and 25E035. The defect named in the recalls is loose hardware inside the propulsion battery packs.

The six recalls were filed between February and May 2025 by Volvo Trucks North America, Cummins, Nova Bus, Mack Trucks, Gillig and BorgWarner. Volvo's recall 25V055 covered 2023-2025 VNR Electric trucks and started at 13 vehicles on Feb. 5, 2025. It was expanded to 77 vehicles on March 25, 2025, to 142 on April 3, 2025 and to 174 on July 22, 2025. Cummins recall 25E018 covered battery packs used in Blue Bird buses, starting at 19 packs on March 11, 2025 and expanding to 107. Nova Bus recall 25V184 covered 2022-2023 LFS transit buses, growing from 4 vehicles to 24. Mack recall 25V185 covered 2022-2025 LRBE trucks, growing from 7 to 17. Gillig recall 25V203 covered 2023-2024 Low Floor transit buses, growing from 15 to 27. BorgWarner filed its own equipment recall 25E035 on May 29, 2025, listing 543 packs after amendments.

ODI said the expansions were often based on additional failures in the field outside the scope of what had been recalled. It also cited other reports of failures after the recall remedy was performed. Those two factors led the agency to open the query to understand how the recalls were scoped and to assess the effectiveness of their remedies. The query covers the electrical system component category, specifically the propulsion system traction battery.

NHTSA's opening resume describes the problem as multiple news reports of open-flame fires after the safety recalls and their amendments were issued. It lists five incident reports, all drawn from news reports, and no injury or fatality incidents. The agency's investigation tracker, checked Nov. 2, 2026, lists RQ26005 as open with the summary scope and remedy effectiveness of the six recalls.

The technical risk described in the earlier campaign documents is that internal fasteners may not be properly tightened. Loose parts can enter the battery pack and cause an internal short circuit. Depending on the configuration, that can lead to overheating, fire or loss of traction. The packs were used in different applications: Volvo VNRE trucks, Mack LRBE trucks, Nova Bus and Gillig transit buses, and battery packs for Blue Bird buses. The query should not be read as a problem with one model or with every electric vehicle using BorgWarner batteries.

For operators in the United States, the practical takeaway is to follow the specific campaigns and manufacturer instructions for their VINs. RQ26005 itself does not add a new action for drivers and does not change the terms of the already announced remedies. The story is mainly an example of how closely battery repair quality is tracked in heavy-duty electric transport. If the query leads to a new NHTSA decision or a change to the campaigns, that will be a separate development.

Analysis: A recall query is not a new recall and not a final finding of fault. It is a procedural step that lets ODI examine scope and remedy effectiveness. The repeated expansions in 2025 and the reports of post-remedy failures are the stated triggers. The small estimated population of 543 packs limits the scale, but the commercial vehicle context raises the stakes because these are trucks and buses in daily service. The absence of injuries or fatalities in the five listed incident reports is a relevant fact, though ODI notes all five came from news reports rather than owner submissions.