GM bulletin 18-NA-236
What it saysThis bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on the Lithium-Ion battery section and small pack exchange procedure. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
GM filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 3, 2024, received May 24, 2024, about the electrical system. It names 25 model years across Chevrolet and Buick (2016–2023). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Chevrolet · Buick.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on the Lithium-Ion battery section and small pack exchange procedure.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-NA-236 | Service bulletin | May 3, 2024 | 11000361 | PDF, 210 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themChevrolet 20 model years
Buick 5 model years
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 25 model years this bulletin names have filed 7,059 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2,667 of them name Electrical System, Fuel/Propulsion System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, the 135 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 52,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
In the early morning hours of october 21st, around 3am, we were woken up by smoke/fire alarms. We started running around our home to identify the cause of the alarm. After about 5 minutes of searching inside the home and finding nothing, we realized that there was some smell of smoke coming from the garage and when the mudroom door which…
2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 30, 2020 · ODI 11372429
When I get to a stop sign, and a stop light, when trying to accelerate after a complete stop, the car would struggle to accelerate to go forward. Where the shifting gears would start blinking, and the warning lights (engine power reduced, engine light, and the traction safety collision light) would display itself making it misfire and…
2018 Buick LaCrosse · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Nov 11, 2025 · ODI 11698766
Since purchasing the vehicle in April of 2021, there have been significant issues with the audio system. This was noticed before the first payment was ever made. We had a “Act of God” claim made on the car for a tree falling on the windshield around this time. It was mentioned to the collision center at the time, but it was dismissed.
2018 Chevrolet Silverado · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 2, 2023 · ODI 11547854
In depth: 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical problems → · 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical problems → · 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical problems → · 2019 Chevrolet Malibu electrical problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the electrical system
Source: same model, same component group248 other manufacturer communications filed against these GM models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Chevrolet list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| N262565450 | Service campaign | Oct 26, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program. Certain vehicles listed above may have a condition in which remanufactured high voltage battery packs were b… |
| N252529080 | Service campaign | Apr 1, 2026 | Service Update. Certain vehicles listed above may be missing a high voltage header plug on the RESS battery pack drive motor connector. Dea… |
| N252515590 | Service campaign | Jan 27, 2026 | Certain vehicles listed above, may have a condition in which the body-to-chassis ground strap may be corroded. Dealers will replace the grou… |
| 18-NA-180 | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2025 | This Warranty Administration service bulletin provides Lithium-Ion battery Exchange Process and Transaction Submission information. |
| 23-NA-119 | Service bulletin | Sep 3, 2025 | This service bulletin provides service procedure information to correct a customer concern of Shift to Park Displayed on DIC When Vehicle is… |
| 22-NA-083 | Service bulletin | May 17, 2025 | This service bulletin provides Requirements for Replacement of the Dual Mode Cord Set Under Warranty. |
| 23-NA-151 | Service bulletin | May 16, 2025 | This service bulletin and criteria within are to determine the internal state of the High Voltage Battery and core return shipping method. |
| PIE0753I | Service bulletin | May 15, 2025 | This engineering information (EI) will assist GM to recover a small number of electric vehicle battery packs from customer-owned vehicles in… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Chevrolet and Buick, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is GM 18-NA-236 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 18-NA-236 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every GM warranty extension on file lists the ones GM has filed.
Which vehicles does 18-NA-236 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 25 model years across 2 brands (Chevrolet and Buick): 2019 Buick LaCrosse, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, 2016 Buick LaCrosse, 2017 Buick Regal, 2016 Buick Regal, 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.