2019 Chevrolet Bolt Ev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (46) · Electrical System (44) · Fuel/Propulsion System (30)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Bolt Ev model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
37 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
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
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2020-03-26 · campaign 20V184000 · 897 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The door-handle cable inside the rear doors may be too long, allowing contact with the window when it is opened, possibly damaging the cable. A damaged cable may cause the rear door to open unintentionally when the rear window is opened. Additionally, it may cause the rear inside door handle to not work.
Risk: If the rear door opens while driving, or the door handle fails to open the rear door, there is an increased risk of injury to the rear passengers.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear inside door-handle cables, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A202298320.
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 (630)
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 630 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Steering“when driving the car and turning the wheel, the steering wheel does not go back to center by itself. i have to physically turn it back to straight. this is a safety risk as the car isn't straightening out of a turn and physically harder to get back to center and center of the lane. i took it back to the dealership i purchased and their service t…”
2026-09-21 · Wheels“i am reporting a recurring safety defect with our 2019 chevrolet bolt (~80,000 miles). on multiple occasions the left front wheel has overheated severely while driving, accompanied by a rapid, severe side-to-side steering wheel wobble and a burning smell. on xxx after ~35 miles of driving (10+ miles at 50-63 mph), the steering wheel began shaking.…”
2026-09-20 · Steering“the steering wheel on my 2019 chevy bolt is feeling stiff and harder to turn when making a right and left turn. …”
2026-09-17 · Unknown Or Other“a rear passenger side door handle/latch stopped working. the door cannot be opened from the inside, only from the outside. it’s a safety issue and it has affected other 2019-2020 bolts which resulted in their recall. why not this one? …”
2026-07-10 · Steering“steering wheel does not return to center on turns when driving at low speeds. …”
2026-06-13 · Steering“steering wheel does not return to center after making a turn. over time the steering rack fails leading to a steering wheel that will not return to center even when force is applied to wheel. the dealership is charging $3-4k to fix this safety issue.…”
2026-05-18 · Steering“when driving my car from the airport at bradley international in ct (parked for a week), i experienced a terrible vibration in the steering wheel which has been intermittent. the vibration went away at lower speeds. i brought the car in to the shop on 5/18/2026 with 74,000 miles on the car. they told me i had to replace rotors, brakes, calipers, …”
2026-05-12 · Steering“the steering wheel takes more effort to turn than it should and does not return to center after making a turn. it has been like this since i bought the car used, and i did not realize until recently that it should not be like this. comments on some online forums indicate that this is a common issue with chevy bolts, usually requiring a steering rac…”
2026-05-11 · Steering“the steering wheel locks and stiffens on turns to the left or right refusing to come back to center on its own. in the middle of the turn the wheel locks up. been told by multiple dealerships and forums i've read online it's a known issue with the car needing a steering gear replacement. a job that costs $4-5k per gm based on labor. there's no …”
2026-05-09 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“issue: total failure of frontview camera adas sensor, disabling automatic emergency braking (aeb), front pedestrian braking, and lane keep assist. technical evidence: gds2 telemetry confirms a "no communication" status for the camera hardware. core safety modules including the electronic brake control (ebcm) and the inflatable restraint (airbag) …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.