Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical problems, 2017–2023
404 of the 975 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Bolt EV 2017–2023 name the electrical system (NHTSA’s “Electrical System” heading — wiring, modules, batteries, charging, infotainment and driver displays — NHTSA's broadest heading). The loudest years: 2017 (114), 2020 (95), 2019 (85). Filed under the same heading across these years: 5 recall campaigns, 2 NHTSA investigations. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate, none a repair cost, and none a verdict on one car.
Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical problems by model year
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsOne row per model year on file, newest first. A year marked in depth has its own page: the complaints, the owners’ words and every document under this heading for that year.
| Model year | Complaints naming the electrical system | Share of the year’s | Typically at | On file under the heading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 18 | 30% | — | 149 TSBs | the year → |
| 2022 | 29 | 49% | — | 209 TSBs · 3 recalls · 1 investigation | the year → |
| 2021 | 33 | 49% | — | 177 TSBs · 3 recalls · 1 investigation | the year → |
| 2020 in depth | 95 | 55% | — | 196 TSBs · 3 recalls · 2 investigations | the record → |
| 2019 in depth | 85 | 48% | 15k | 192 TSBs · 2 recalls · 2 investigations | the record → |
| 2018 | 30 | 34% | — | 246 TSBs · 2 recalls · 2 investigations | the year → |
| 2017 in depth | 114 | 33% | 22k | 348 TSBs · 2 recalls · 2 investigations | the record → |
Two things the counts carry that are not the car: how many of each year were sold, and how long each has been on the road — an older year out-counts a newer one before anything is wrong with it. The share column is the honest comparison across years: what part of that year’s complaints named the electrical system. Nothing here is a rate.
When the electrical complaints were filed, and at what mileage
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled per calendar year, every model year together: 2017: 1 · 2018: 8 · 2019: 10 · 2020: 18 · 2021: 181 · 2022: 70 · 2023: 60 · 2024: 24 · 2025: 15 · 2026: 17
Across the model years, half of the 67 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the electrical problem between 6,000 and 36,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the electrical system, from the model years with the most to say. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
An unprompted message appears periodically on the infotainment screen of my vehicle. The Bolt Ev 2017 owner's manual provides no information on this unprompted message that appears on the infotainment screen, does not warn of the dangers that this message poses to driving, and does not indicate that the driver must give assent to the…
Chevrolet Bolt 2017 with about 55% of battery charge briefly displayed a message 'propulsion may be reduced' and a few minutes later it stopped in the middle of the freeway and had to be towed away.
Battery has a high risk of fire. GM refuses to initiate buyback according to CA lemon law
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.
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…
What is on file about the electrical system, across the years
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall campaigns filed under this heading, any model year
- Oct 31, 2024 · 107 vehicles
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Bolt EUV vehicles previously repaired under Recall 21V-650. The installation of advanced diagnostic software may have failed. As such, the high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
- Jun 27, 2024 · 72 vehicles
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV vehicles that were previously remedied under recall number 21V-650. The advanced diagnostic software may have been incorrectly installed and fail to detect defective battery modules, possibly resulting in a battery fire.
- Aug 20, 2021 · 52,414 vehicles
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV vehicles. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
- Jul 23, 2021 · 57,414 vehicles
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles previously recalled under NHTSA recall number 20V-701. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
- Nov 13, 2020 · 50,932 vehicles
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling all 2017-2018 and certain 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
NHTSA investigations
- DP22005 Pedestrian alert soundsopened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023
- NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele…
- PE20016 Electric Vehicle Battery Firesopened Oct 9, 2020 · closed Feb 7, 2022
- In October 2020, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) on 2017-2020 Model Year (MY) Chevrolet Bolt vehicles based on complaints received alleging that the vehicles caught fire under the seating area while parked and unattended. At the time, ODI had received 2 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) and several field reports. All complaints alleged vehicles caug…
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsWhich Chevrolet Bolt EV years have the most electrical complaints?
2017, 114; 2020, 95; 2019, 85. Raw counts, and an older year has had longer to collect them; by share of each year's own complaints the loudest is the 2020 (55%).
Is there a recall for the electrical system on the Chevrolet Bolt EV?
Yes — 5 campaigns are filed under this heading across these model years: 24V812000 (2022), 24V481000 (2022), 21V650000 (2022), 21V560000 (2019). A recall is matched by VIN, and applies to specific years; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do electrical problems show up on the Chevrolet Bolt EV?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 18,000 miles across the model years; half of them between 6,000 and 36,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Electrical System" heading cover?
Wiring, modules, batteries, charging, infotainment and driver displays — NHTSA's broadest heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.