2018 Chevrolet Bolt Ev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (37) · Electrical System (15) · Power Train (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Bolt Ev model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2023-12-14 · campaign 23V845000 · 6,771 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. This recall includes certain vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under NHTSA recall number 22V-930. After a crash with seat belt pretensioner deployment, the pretensioner exhaust may ignite carpet fibers near the B-pillar, causing a fire.
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect both front seat belt pretensioners and, if necessary, install metal foil at the carpet near the pretensioner exhaust. Certain vehicles will also need a pretensioner cover installed. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 24, 2024. These vehicles were previously recalled for this same issue under recall number 22V-930 and will need to have the new remedy performed. Owners may contact GM EV Concierge at 1-833-EVCHEVY (1-83
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2022-12-15 · campaign 22V930000 · 111,242 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. After a crash with seat belt pretensioner deployment, the pretensioner exhaust may ignite carpet fibers near the B-pillar, causing a fire.
Risk: A vehicle fire can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will install metal foil at the carpet near the pretensioner exhaust, and install a pretensioner cover as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between January 23, 2023 and April 25, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N222383790.
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2021-07-23 · campaign 21V560000 · 57,414 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: 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.
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Activate either the Hill Top Reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or Target Charge Level (2019 models) feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, charge their vehicle more frequently, avoid depleting the battery to 70 miles range remaining, park outside after charging, and do not charge the vehicle indoors overnight. Defective battery modules will be replaced by GM, free of charge. Interim notification letters notifying owners o
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2020-11-13 · campaign 20V701000 · 50,932 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: 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.
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: This recall has been superseded by recall number 21V-560. Vehicles previously repaired under 20V-701 will still need to have the new remedy under recall 21V-560. GM will notify owners, and as an interim repair, beginning on November 17, 2020, dealers will reprogram the hybrid propulsion control module 2 (HPCM2) to limit the full charge to 90%, free of charge. Owners are advised to activate either the Hill Top Reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or Target Charge Level (2019 models) feature in their
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2018-08-30 · campaign 18V576000 · 210,628 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
Service bulletins (819)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 819 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-17 · Steering“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 …”
2026-08-05 · Steering“power steering assist cut out while driving and traction controllight came on. there is now no steering assist. the car is with the dealer shop and their diagnostics indicate the the steering column needs to be replaced. dealer shop now says the steering column is on extreme backorder with no time estimate of availability. the car is almost impossi…”
2026-05-29 · Steering“when driving at parking lot speeds, i hear a clunk sound and i feel some vibration in the steering column. this is not observed at higher speeds. also, the steering intermittently becomes stiff and at other times is loose.…”
2026-05-23 · Steering“steering randomly will fail to return to center in turns, causing the driver to have to manually turn wheel back to center. happens in both sharp and sweeping turns in both the left and right direction while accelerating, decelerating, and maintaining speed. issue occurs several times a week. i nearly hit an oncoming car head-on in a very gentle…”
2026-04-19 · Steering“steering clunks during low speed maneuvers, shimmy started while rounding a curve at highway speed on uneven pavement. local garage has identified it as a broken steering gear. car has only 36000 miles. …”
2026-04-10 · Steering“the steering wheel gets stuck, is difficult to turn, and doesn't return to center. issues with this make the car much more difficult to drive and makes it impossible to sense the state of the road with the steering wheel. this can lead to loss of control. no warning lamps or messages informed me of this issue.…”
2026-04-04 · Steering“steering doesn't return to center when moving. when moving at low speeds steering is heavy. possible steering gear issue. always present while driving vehicle and turning.…”
2026-03-21 · Steering“steering stiff. steering wheel does not return to center on sweeping turns. getting progressively more pronounced with time.…”
2026-03-08 · Steering“steering wheel does not return to center and stays in a stuck position after turning it. very common issue this needs to be addressed …”
2026-01-06 · Suspension“ [xxx] has stearing gear needing to be replaced after <60k miles. is there a way to report that this may be design flaw. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.