Chevrolet BOLT EV Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

I bought my 2023 Bolt EV new on Dec 2024. Around Jan 2025 I start hearing clicking behind the steering wheel when I turn to make parking maneuvers. By April 2025 the clicking is loud and a common occurrence. The steering no longer returns to center and it is noticeably hard to turn the steering wheel. I brought it to the dealership and was repaired under factory warranty for being a faulty part. The issue, which was a leak causing the steering rack to bind, was fixed. See the attached Chevrolet dealership documentation for further details. I have not noticed any further issues after driving for month after repairs were done.

Without any warning or physical impact, the central infotainment screen completely blanked out and suffered an irreversible hardware failure. This screen acts as the mandatory display terminal for the vehicle's rear-visibility backup camera, as well as the audio generation module for the vehicle's driver alerts. Because of this component failure, the vehicle is in direct non-compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS): 1.FMVSS 111 (Rear Visibility): The vehicle completely fails to display a rear-view image when shifted into reverse, creating an immediate blind-spot hazard for pedestrians. 2. FMVSS 101 (Controls and Displays): All critical audible safety alerts, pedestrian alerts, and driver warning chimes have been entirely silenced. The manufacturer (General Motors) and the authorized franchise dealership (F.H. Dailey Chevrolet) have acknowledged the failure and have the part on backorder, but refuse to fully cover the safety restoration under warranty or provide a temporary loaner vehicle. This forces the primary driver, a [XXX] senior citizen, to choose between total isolation or operating a hazardous, federally non-compliant vehicle. This appears to be a systemic manufacturing or design defect inherently tied to the internal HMI module architecture on the late-model Chevrolet Bolt EV platform, rather than individual wear and tear. A formal investigation is requested to mandate a safety recall and enforce full manufacturer accountability. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The steering wheel does not return to center after turning while driving the car (unlike every other car). It has been reproduced by an independent service center. There are no error codes or warnings. This is a continuous problem that always happens and makes steering the vehicle more difficult.

Recurring electronic transmission shift control failure on a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The Electronic Transmission Shift Control Pushbutton Circuit Board (GM part designation K212) has failed twice within approximately 9,300 miles. First failure occurred at approximately 45,695 miles in July 2025. The dashboard displayed a malfunction indicator and a "Service Transmission" warning. Diagnostic trouble code U18D2 was set: Lost Communication with Transmission Range Selector Control Module on the Powertrain Sensor CAN Bus. The selling Chevrolet dealer replaced the K212 pushbutton circuit board and reprogrammed the HPCM2 module. Second failure occurred at approximately 54,969 miles in March 2026, only about 9,300 miles after the first repair. Same diagnostic code family, including the identical U18D2 code, plus U0076, U18C6, and U240E. The same dealer replaced the same K212 pushbutton circuit board a second time. The repair was processed under manufacturer warranty. Safety risk: when the failure occurs, communication with the transmission range selector is lost intermittently and without warning, leaving the vehicle unable to be reliably shifted into Drive, Reverse, or Park. This creates a clear hazard in traffic, parking lots, and on inclines. The failure mode is sudden and the warning lamps appear only after the malfunction has begun. The component is located beneath the center cup holder area. There is no visible waterproofing or moisture isolation around the circuit board, despite its location directly under a known liquid exposure zone. The failed component from the second repair was reportedly shipped back to GM by the dealer. The vehicle is available for inspection. The failure has been confirmed twice by an authorized Chevrolet dealer.

I have a 2023 bolt ev. Right where the odometer it started to go black. I touched it and made it worse. Right now it is not getting bigger but I am worried it will get worse. There is about 75,000 miles, I can't tell miles without the odometer. What would cause this? How do I fix this? Would I be able to resale it like that? How much would it be to get it fixed? I need the car to last intil I can buy a Slate Automotive pickup. Please see attached picture. Thank you! Is there another way to read the miles? Thank you!

The steering sticks when making turns and does not return to center. This causes the steering to drift on the highway and reduces the ability to steer in a straight line. I have not reproduced or confirmed it with the dealer. No inspection and no warning lamps. This issue occurs for a large number of Chevrolet Bolt owners.

While driving at approximately 45 mph, the regenerative braking feature of the vehicle suddenly failed, and also generated a master caution light on the dashboard display. This is the second time this has happened while driving and resulted in a sudden, alarming change in vehicle dynamics. Regenerative braking is the normal operation regime of the vehicle, with the traditional mechanical-hydraulic brake pedal available for added braking, as demonstrated by the Chevrolet dealership during a test drive and confirmed with the vehicle manual. Furthermore, the vehicle will no longer shut itself off and could pose a fire risk when stored in a garage, parking deck, other vehicles, etc. These issues happened in November 2024. The car was returned to the dealer for warranty repair. Even after extensive repairs to the electrical system, the car has repeated the alarming failure mid-drive. This indicates that there is a serious problem with the electronic and poses a serious safety risk.

Steering, Rack and Pinion is failing after 44k miles, Steering gear is binding internally

Steering wheel does not return to center, requiring driver input to do so. Force needed to turn the steering wheel continued to increase throughout the past year, getting abnormally difficult and unlike any other vehicle. Had the steering rack replaced, which corrected the problem.

Steering wheel fails to return to center after turns — potential steering gear defect 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV steering wheel fails to return to center after completing turns, particularly at low speeds. Steering requires manual input to re-center the vehicle after every turn. No warning lights or audible alerts. The issue is not attributable to alignment, tires, or tire pressure, as I have had new OEM-spec tires installed and an alignment performed without any improvement to the steering. I brought the vehicle to the dealership to address this safety concern. They stated unable to replicate the issue and sent me away without performing repair. The dealership charged me for an alignment but provided only post-alignment figures — no before measurements, making it impossible to determine whether any corrective action was actually taken or whether the alignment was a contributing factor. This is a safety concern as it requires constant driver correction after every turn, increasing risk of overcorrection, unintended lane departure, and delayed response in emergency situations. Condition is hazardous in low-speed environments such as parking lots, intersections, on/off ramps, and residential streets where frequent turns are made and rapid corrections may be necessary. Issue is not isolated to my vehicle or model year. Owners of 2017-2019, 2022, and 2023 Chevy Bolt EVs have reported identical symptoms across multiple owner forums, with hundreds of documented complaints. Community research and independent mechanic diagnoses consistently identify the steering gear (rack and pinion) as the root cause, with internal binding cited as the failure. GM's own service manual includes a diagnostic path for "Poor Return of Steering Wheel," confirming GM is aware this condition exists. No recall or service bulletin issued addressing this widespread concern despite years of owner complaints spanning all Bolt EV model years. Request that NHTSA investigate and consider issuing a recall.

The Chevy Bolt steering wheel has a skip track and previous track button mounted to the left-rear side of the steering wheel. These buttons often become unresponsive for extended periods of time (up to 30 minutes) when a media device is connected. When pressed, they will display an error on the instrument panel screen that says “Action Unavailable While Indexing”. Although media controls are not explicitly safety related, the frustration caused by these unresponsive buttons can cause the driver to become distracted or look for unsafe methods of adjusting the media playback that the buttons are supposed to perform.

Steering is failing at only 43,800 miles like many others. It is failing to return to center which makes it dangerous to drive, it doesn't come out of a turn. It is clicking and fails to return to center.

Clicking/Clunking under driver's feet

Headlights were brushed clear of snow prior to driving. While driving in snow conditions, the headlights became covered in snow and would not provide illumination to the road ahead. This put me at safety risk making road visibility extremely poor at night. While driving I couldn’t understand why the road was so difficult to see. Upon arriving home, I inspected the headlights to see the snow had completely covered the headlights.