Chevrolet BOLT EV Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Chevrolet BOLT EV options? We analyzed 7 model years (2017–2023) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Chevrolet BOLT EV has 587 owner complaints and 38 safety recalls across model years 2017–2023. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. 2019 drew the most complaints; 2018 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Chevrolet
- Model
- BOLT EV
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2023 (7 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 587
- Safety recall campaigns
- 38
- Crash-related complaints
- 24
- Fire-related complaints
- 15
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2019 (178 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2018 (6 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Chevrolet BOLT EV: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe CHEVROLET BOLT EV has 587 NHTSA complaints and 38 recalls on record. 24 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 587 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 38 federal recall campaigns
- 24 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Oct 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
38 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2023. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 587 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
587 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
Steering has resistance and will not to return to center/neutral position without driver manipulation. I've never experienced this probelm with another car and See many other Chevrolet Bolt owners have experienced the same problem. IT definitely seems to be a design and /or assembly flaw. Local GM dealer service department insists it's an isolated issue. Very costly repair required.
I purchased this car at 15,000 miles in October 2021. It’s my first electric car, and I just assumed that the stiffness in the steering wheel was part of the electric car experience. Big mistake! I took it into the dealer last week and they want $3500 to replace the steering mechanism, I’ve been looking online and I see lots of other people having this issue. This seems like a severe safety issue and Chevy needs to take responsibility for it.
This car has only 33,000 miles and has been driven gently, mostly on the highway. My wife took her car into the dealer to have the computer software updated (from the battery fiasco-it has never worked correctly since the batteries were changed) and the dealer advised that the car has a "stuck" steering gear, and it was unsafe to drive. The dealer produced an estimate for $2883.24 to change the steering gear, with the same presumably defective parts that were originally used. Now that it has been pointed out my wife said that the steering was getting harder and harder over time and that it probably was starting within the 3 year warranty period. Chevrolet does not consider the vehicles steering to be part of the "drivetrain", even though you cannot drive the car without steering and the dealer says that it is "unsafe to drive"
The steering binds up while turning and the steering wheel does not return to its center neutral position. This is a major safety issue because it takes significant effort to get the car to go straight again. I have nearly gone off the road because of the car’s unpredictable steering. The problem was reproduced and confirmed by my Chevy dealer. The technician attributes the problem to a defective steering gear. After some research online, I see that this problem is common with the Bolt. This is a major safety concern and there should be a recall to correct the problem and hold Chevrolet accountable. There were no warning lights or other signs of malfunction. The problem has made the wheels out of alignment, however.
Over the last month I have noticed that the steering fails to return to center once I turn the front wheels more than a few degrees to the right or left. I thought it could be a tire wear or miss-alignment issue so I got new tires and an alignment but the problem is still quite bad. While I noticed it starting at the end of July, it is an ongoing problem. It seems to be getting worse - the steering now ‘sticks’ consistently in both directions.
The steering wheel.does not turn back to the center once I make a turn. Mechanics say it is a steering gear that is out of order. My wife and I got into the accident multiple times due to this.
Read 14 more owner reports
Steering rack started to fail after only 15000 miles
While driving at a low speed (approx. 5–10 mph), the front passenger-side lower ball joint suffered a catastrophic structural shear without warning. This caused the wheel assembly to collapse outward and the CV axle to pull out of the transmission. The failure caused a complete loss of steering control, veering the vehicle into a curb. Physical evidence (outward axle pull and high-side rim scratches) indicates the mechanical failure preceded the impact. This occurred at only 38,155 miles on a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Outward Dislocation: Photos show the CV axle pulled OUT of the transmission and the wheel leaning OUT (positive camber). A curb impact would push these components IN. This proves the wheel fell away from the car first. Pre-Impact Grinding: The interior barrel of the rim and the brake dust shield show heavy rotational grinding and metal-on-metal scoring. This confirms the suspension collapsed while the wheel was still spinning at speed, prior to the car coming to a stop. Structural Shear: The lower ball joint stud suffered a complete transverse shear. High-resolution photos of the broken stud face show distinct "beach marks" (concentric rings), which are the physical fingerprint of a slow-growing metal fatigue crack rather than a sudden impact fracture. Rim Damage Profile: Deep gouges are located on the flat face of the wheel spokes rather than the outer lip. This confirms the wheel was already at an extreme tilt (collapsed) when it made contact with the curb. CONCLUSION: The vehicle was maintained and driven under normal conditions. This was a spontaneous, catastrophic structural failure of a safety-critical component. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this as a potential manufacturing defect for the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV.
I have a faulty electric power steering, it prevents the steering wheel to return to center.
I was driving on the highway above 60 mph, and I suddenly got a "propulsion power reduced" alert, along with a yellow indicator light. I almost immediately thereafter got a message saying "speed reduced to 50 mph" and then "speed reduced to 30 mph." I got no acceleration when I depressed the accelerator pedal. In fact, it felt like the car had engaged the regenerative braking to actively slow me down. This is a life-threatening safety flaw, as it was difficult to get to the breakdown lane. The only reason there was no collision was that there was relatively light traffic. I managed to get to a breakdown lane and then, after restarting the car, to get off the highway and into a parking lot, where I called for a tow. The car was towed to the dealer I bought it from and, the next day, they inspected the car and determined that the auxiliary transmission fluid pump had failed and needed to be replaced. I've seen many reports on reddit that this part fails on chevy bolts. What makes this truly unsafe is that there was no warning whatsoever that something was wrong. Everything seemed fine (after I got a new battery under the big bolt battery recall) until the car suddenly cut power and slowed me down in the middle of the highway. This car needs to be recalled again.
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power, and the digital screen failed to display as intended. The Battery warning light was occasionally illuminated during rainy weather. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
I was was traveling at 68 mph, then rear ended and pushed into the center divide. The entire front drivers tire + assembly was destroyed. The airbags didn't deploy. The cab did fill with a white 'smoke'. A little bit later I received a message from the Chevy app that there was a problem with my airbags and I should seek service. My insurance has deemed the car a total loss and picked up the car and taken it to their lot for inspection. I don't know the status of this and the incident has not been reported to the manufacturer/dealer.
I am filing this complaint regarding my 2022 Chevrolet Bolt, which has been awaiting battery replacement at McCluskey Chevrolet for over 30 days, creating significant safety concerns and violating federal warranty requirements. Safety Concerns: The vehicle's safety systems detected a battery defect serious enough to automatically restrict functionality. This demonstrates GM recognized an immediate safety risk. Despite this urgency, my vehicle remains inoperable after 30 days with no completion date provided. This delay indicates systemic failures in GM's remedy program for known battery defects. GM has known about this issue for years and has yet to source replacement batteries within a reasonable timeframe for drivers awaiting a replacement. Federal Law Violations: This situation violates the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which requires warranty repairs be completed within a reasonable time period. Thirty days for a safety-critical component replacement, particularly after the vehicle self-diagnosed a dangerous condition, exceeds any reasonable standard. Requested NHTSA Actions: Investigate GM's compliance with recall remedy requirements and parts availability Assess whether GM's battery replacement program meets federal safety standards Determine if GM is violating the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act through excessive repair delays Consider enforcement action to ensure timely remediation of safety defects Require GM to provide loaner vehicles during extended safety-related repairs Documentation Available: I request NHTSA's immediate intervention to address both the individual and systematic failures of GM in handling these repairs.
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while in the process of parking the vehicle on the side of a street, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, and the front end of the vehicle crashed into an unoccupied parked vehicle, which crashed into a second occupied vehicle parked in front of it. No property damage was reported. The vehicle came to a stop upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle did not need to be towed. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was not filed. The first vehicle the contact's vehicle had crashed into was totaled due to front and rear end damages. The occupant of the second vehicle confirmed that the vehicle was not damaged, and there was no injury sustained. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer had sent engineers who were in the process of diagnosing the vehicle at the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.
I was driving 72 mph, and went to accelerate to 75 mph to set my cruise control. As soon as I stepped on the accelerator pedal, my 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV jerked violently and immediately applied braking to car to take it from 72 mph to about 30 mph within 1 second. Had someone been behind me I would have been rear ended. I was able to pull over to the shoulder of the road, and put my car into park. I was unable to turn off the vehicle or shift into any gears (reverse, neutral, drive). The car displayed a warning on dash "power drive train malfunction pull over safely". There was no warning for the sudden deceleration and is a serious safety risk and concern.
About 1 month ago I picked up my daughter from school. Just as we exited the parking lot, there was nothing in front and the brakes came on and the car turned off and would not restart for a few minutes. The same day, we were on the way home I was traveling about 35mph. All of a sudden the brakes came on again. This time there was nothing in front but many cars behind, so I floored the accelerator the car tires screeched. I was less than a mile from home and made it without incident. The dealership is unable to reproduce or review the logs because the vehicle stopped logging everything since December 4th. The car is in my driveway and I don't trust it can safely be driven. The dealership is not helpful by telling me to just monitor the situation and bring it in if it happens again. I am seeing on the internet that there are many people experiencing this exact problem.
2022 Chevy Bolt, less than 10,000 miles. Problem began 11/24/23. Steering wheel locks up at low speeds, gives warning "Steering Assistance reduced" at higher speeds. At low speeds, steering wheel turns only a small amount before it clicks and stops. Very dangerous in tight parking lots or trying to turn left or right from a stop - takes multiple tries to get steering wheel to turn, and sometimes it jerks back in the opposite direction. Took it to dealer, they said steering column needs to be replaced. Did not have an accident or hit anything prior - I think the column is defective.
When I use the windshield washer fluid some of the vapors gets in the cabin. The fluid contains methanol and it is highly toxic.
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while attempting to charge the vehicle, the charging system failed to charge the vehicle adequately. The contact stated that shortly after beginning to charge the vehicle, the vehicle overheated after 30 minutes, and the charging light turned from blue to red. The contact then had to disconnect the charger. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure with the charging unit. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200.
Vehicle stopped while driving down the road lost power threw up multiple codes and was stuck in the middle of the roadway!
Showing 20 of 587 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Chevrolet BOLT EV
These pages show model-year patterns across 7 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Chevrolet BOLT EV, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Chevrolet BOLT EV has 587 complaints on record across 7 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Chevrolet BOLT EV has 38 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 24 of the Chevrolet BOLT EV's 587 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Chevrolet BOLT EV vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Chevrolet BOLT EV vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Chevrolet BOLT EV has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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By state
Check a Chevrolet BOLT EV by state
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Chevrolet BOLT EV.
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Chevrolet BOLT EV reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Chevrolet BOLT EV reliable?
Poor. The Chevrolet BOLT EV has 587 NHTSA owner complaints and 38 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Chevrolet BOLT EV years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2019 (178 complaints), 2020 (173 complaints), 2021 (67 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Chevrolet BOLT EV problems?
Top reported issues: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (258 complaints); STEERING (145 complaints); FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM (107 complaints).
Does the Chevrolet BOLT EV have recalls?
Yes — 38 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Chevrolet BOLT EV. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.