2020 Chevrolet Bolt Ev Complaints

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 06/15/2026

GM installed Advanced Monitoring Software on the car rather than replace the battery. The software detected a battery fault. Under the battery recall if a fault is detected the battery is replaced free of charge. GM is refusing to replace the battery. Now the car will not move.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 06/05/2026

General Motors is using the arbitrary 6,213-mile tracking window of Recall 944 to deny coverage for a diagnosed Cell Section 3 hardware failure at 123,582 miles. However, this vehicle is directly impacted by the failure parameters outlined in the expanded GM Safety Recall N242470160 / N242470162, where GM openly acknowledges to federal regulators that the advanced diagnostic software has failed to properly detect defective battery modules. By denying a physical battery replacement when a manufacturing defect is caught during a mandatory corporate software reconfiguration, GM is violating the spirit and legal intent of their ongoing federal safety recall campaigns.

STEERING — Filed 05/24/2026

Steering stiffened over several weeks. Then steering wheel would not automatically return to center while turning while driving. Diagnosed by service as a fault with steering column. This is apparently very common in Chevy Bolts.

STRUCTURE — Filed 06/04/2026

After putting washer fluid in, my son closed the hood. The hood did not latch. He tried again but it still didn’t latch. He lifted the hood to find the hood striker had come off the hood. There was nothing to hold the hood closed. I’ve included photos of the striker welds. There is no rust or tearing of the welds. It just separated. It was a bad weld.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 05/24/2026

When driving the car through a busy intersection there was a sudden, brief surge of acceleration, followed by deceleration and the vehicle cutting all motor power and becoming inoperable. The MIL lamp illuminated and the "Ready" light went out. I was unable to move the vehicle out of traffic until I got out and disconnected / reconnected the 12v battery to reset the car systems. The problem is difficult to reproduce, happening randomly, sometimes with multiple months between incidents. The incidents happen with no warning, and there are no other symptoms associated with the issue. The dealer mechanic indicated it is likely the issue indicated in Chevrolet TSB 19-NA-220, indicating the root cause is the resolver feedback connector on the electric drive unit damaged during vehicle assembly.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 05/15/2026

Accelerating to merge onto the highway the accelerator pedal got stuck under the all weather mat (provided and installed by the manufacturer). When I took my foot off the pedal the vehicle continued to accelerate. I had to break against the force of the motor trying to accelerate until I was going slow enough for the car to allow me to put it into park.

SUSPENSION — Filed 05/07/2026

Rear shock absorbers failed with only 8009 miles on vehicle

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 05/27/2025

I purchased a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV in late 2023, already equipped with GM's recall diagnostic software (part of NHTSA Recall 21V650), which monitored battery health and limited charging to 80%. After the monitoring period, the software detected critical voltage variation failures across all 5 battery cell module rows. The dealer (Lee Johnson KIA, Kirkland WA) opened a TAC case (#9-14753041951), GM authorized a full high voltage battery replacement, and the work was completed on May 27, 2025 at no charge (Job Card 603815). Despite the replacement being triggered entirely by recall-installed software and authorized through GM's own TAC process, GM classified the repair as a standard warranty repair rather than a recall repair — denying me the fresh 8-year/100,000-mile parts warranty that applies to recall battery replacements.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/20/2025

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the vehicle's charge was designed to last for 259 miles, but failed to exceed 100 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V812000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the failure persisted. The vehicle recently failed to charge, with an error message that the vehicle was unable to charge displayed. The contact stated that the recall repair failed to correct the issue. The dealer was contacted, and a service appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/01/2026

VEHICLE FAILS TO CHARGE. Receiving error message that the vehicle fails to accept a charge. I've attempted charging using 3 separate chargers and all fail. This issue has been in service at numerous dealerships with no resolve. I was able to charge previously at a reduced rate but now the battery will no longer accept a charge and gives me an error message.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 04/11/2026

This is the second time since owning car this has happened the recall battery is not working again this time me and my sister were at the gas station were I work and this is all on camara at Chevron gas station were I work I went inside sister stayed in car it started making a buzzing sound under my dash car shut off windows wouldn't go down locked doors could not get car to turn on trapped us in car this is scary and smelled a wire burning smell started to get scared pounded on window couldn't get out ! Couldn't unlock doors this is very scary tried hitting window and it would not break we were stuck this has happened once before car just needed plug in to dealership computer to reset car it was fine for 2weeks and bam a month later I'm again having to take it back to have it reset because of this battery recall it's not fixed I still owe 14k for car I totally have been ripped off it's scary that these cars catch fire and u can not get out! Can't unlock doors windows nothing and u just get stuck I don't feel safe whatsoever in this car

STEERING — Filed 01/14/2026

Steering rack started failing: did not return to center out of slow corners. Basically I could do hands-free circles in a parking lot. Dealer confirmed the steering rack was bad and replaced it under warranty. Out of sweeping corners this can be a safety issue as it only got worse over time. No warning lights nor other indication of the problem.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 01/06/2026

While waiting to turn left at a light and driving in "L" (one pedal) mode, I started to release the break in anticipation of oncoming lanes clearing, as I lifted the pedal the car lurched into the intersection. The Bolt normally accelerates very gently in L mode when no break is applied, but does not lurch forwards like this under normal conditions. The breaks did work, and I was able to stop, but I was now in the middle of the intersection and slightly encroaching into oncoming lanes. I tried to accelerate to pull through, but the car did not respond. After several second of frantically pushing the accelerator, the car slowly and jerkily moved forward and cleared the intersection. My Chevy dealer says this is a known problem with service bulletin "Chevrolet TSB 19-NA-220". In my opinion this is incredibly dangerous and should have been recalled. However, there is no recall that I can find and outrageously Chevy will not cover this manufacturing defect under warranty as they specifically exclude wiring harnesses due to past issues with rodent damage, and they are hiding behind that rule.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT — Filed 11/20/2025

See attached document for complaint.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,TIRES,ENGINE — Filed 08/28/2025

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended, the vehicle exploded. The contact believed the failure was due to the battery. The front left tire message was displayed. The battery was previously replaced. The local dealer was contacted regarding the battery purchase. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer. La Quinta Chevy Cady Service, 79225 CA-111, La Quinta, CA 92253, to obtain the service records, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries, police report filed, or airbag deployments. The manufacturer was contacted, who filed an incident report. The failure mileage was approximately 53,030.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 06/13/2024

I narrowly escaped a home and vehicle fire when my vehicle charging port received extensive damage from a Mustart SAE J1772 Level 2 EVSE Portable Electric Vehicle Charger. The charging plug overheated and experienced meltdown. The Mustart unit became so hot that my vehicle charging port charred and fused to the Mustart charging plug. The charging head became very brittle, cracked exposing seals, and leaked oil down the vehicle charging port. Even though the charging head is now melted and broken, the charger does not register a fault, and still shows a green light if plugged into the wall. My first warning of a problem was the smell of burning plastic, oil leaking and what looked like smoke coming from the charging head. I immediately unplugged the charger from the wall, but could not remove the charging head from the vehicle charging port because it was fused to the car. I tried to shift the vehicle out of Park and into neutral to move the vehicle away from my home, but the vehicle would not shift with the plug still attached. Even though unplugged from the wall, the Bolt kept beeping, indicating an issue with the charger/port. Fearing a physical short in the charging circuitry of the vehicle, the burning smell and potential for fire, I forcefully removed the charger from the vehicle by pulling on the charging handle with full human stregnth until separated. The plastic parts of both the charger and charging port were burnt and broken. My Chevy Bolt was repaired by a licensed technician at the dealer, who blamed me for the charging fault and damages. GM alleged the damage I caused to the charging unit during removal was pre-existing, causing a loose connection and short circuit. GM refused to repair the damaged charging port under warranty, claiming user error and abuse. I sent a request for refund and reimbursement of damages to Mustart on 8/05/2024 and will update this complaint after their official response.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 11/15/2022

When I was parking my car on the street, in front of my house, my Chevy Bolt suddenly accelerated. Like it was full throttle. I slammed the brake pedal, didn't help. My Bolt pushed forward, then to the sidewalk, my parked 4000lbs van, that was in front of me (van had front wheels turned/pointing to the curb). My bolt continued accelerating for another few seconds, even that I was pressing brake pedal as hard as I could. I released and pressed brake pedal at least once or twice. Eventually my car stopped. Whole ordeal lasted just a few seconds. I turned the car off. After a minute, I turned the car on again, very carefully. It behaved normally. Throttle and brakes behaved like always. I parked it and will have it towed to the diagnostic or service place. Both my Chevy Bolt and my van (Dodge ram 1500 van 2003) sustained significant damage.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/21/2022

UNKNOWN The vehicle suddenly took off after putting it into drive causing it to accelerate out of the driveway and crash into the house across the street.The vehicle was parked on an incline in the driveway. Application of the brakes failed to stop the vehicle.

AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 01/29/2022

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-60 mph and 30 feet from another vehicle, the brake pedal was applied but traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop and crashed into the rear of a Toyota Prius. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be driven from the scene. There were no reported injuries, fire, or police reports filed. The air bags did not deploy. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 11/10/2021

I was slowly pulling into a parking lot with my Bolt EV 2020, the car accelerated uncontrollably and in a split second had collided into the wall in front of me. A section of the wall had broken and the car was wedged in the broken section of wall. This is how it came to a stop. The acceleration was so sudden and uncontrollable that even slamming my feet against the brakes did not help slow down and avert the accident. It is notable that the air bags did not engage during this accident. This wall adjoined an apartment complex and a commercial property. It was fortunate that nobody was affected expect for damage to property. But the collision could have easily caused damage to lives had there been people on the apartment complex side of property. I also had a minor less 10 years old in my car who could have been potentially affected. On reading online, I came to notice two recalls on the vehicle. One of them about the floor mats and possible acceleration as the one described by me seems related. I was not notified by Chevrolet about this recall. I could have removed the floor mats had I known about the additional issue. The only notifications I got were for the battery, for which we have followed the safety pre-cautions prescribed. This incident happened less than 14 hours at the time of writing. A police event has been filled (EVENT 21-34-0195) with the Sunnyvale department of public safety. The insurance representatives are yet to inspect the vehicle. There were no warning messages, lamps or other symptoms prior to the failure.

AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 10/02/2021

I hit a deer on a back road coming home from work, on impact I heard a loud explosion and smelt burning electronics and the smell of an air bag, the seat belt locked. Then after the initial impact the car then stopped and the emergency alarm went of and many messages were on the screen. Fast forward after everything, I call onstar to make ask a question they answered with I see your air bags deployed are you okay, I responded yes because "they didn't come out" the air bag switch did explosion but the air bag did not deploy.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 08/23/2021

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V650000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked their daughter noticed that smoke was emitting from the rear of the vehicle. When the contact came to view the vehicle the smoke had resolved and the vehicle appeared normal. The approximate failure mileage was 6,600. Vin tool confirms parts distribution disconnect. (RECALL RELATED INCIDENT) TS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 08/16/2021

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was plugged into the charge box however not being fully charged. The contact stated that prior to the failure occurring the vehicle was already charged fully, without warning a couple of hours later, the vehicle exploded in the driveway of the contact's residence. The contact looked out the window and noticed smoke appear under the vehicle. The contact ran outside and within a minute the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Flames were seen underneath the vehicle and around the rear wheel well. The police were contacted attempted to extinguish the flames however failed. The fire department was contacted and came out to extinguish the flames. The vehicle did damage the driveway. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The vehicle was still awaiting insurance adjustor results and the vehicle was towed by the insurance company. No dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and has started an investigation. Based on the vehicle information NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V701000,21V560000 (Electrical system) was a possible solution to the failure however the VIN was not included in the open investigation with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximate 5,000. Consumer stated manufacture is no longer communicating with the consumer. As of 08/25/2020 insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. (RECALL RELATED INCIDENT) TS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 03/20/2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHEVROLET BOLT EV. THE CONTACT WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, SHE TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY ACCELERATED FORWARD INTO THE RETAINING WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO CAPITAL CHEVROLET (9820 CAPITAL BLVD, WAKE FOREST, NC 27587) HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF THE FAILURE DIAGNOSIS, OR WHAT NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,000. *DT

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 01/29/2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHEVROLET BOLT EV. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS IN "L" MODE BEFORE THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD INTO THE WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER (HERITAGE CHEVROLET OWING MILLS: 11234 REISTERSTOWN RD, OWINGS MILLS, MD 21117) BUT IT WAS UNKNOWN IF THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.